The Gibeonites Avenged

21 During the reign of David, there was a famine^(A) for three successive years; so David sought^(B) the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

² The king summoned the Gibeonites^(A) and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)

⁶ let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed^(A) before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen^(B) one.”

So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

¹³ Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty^(A) with him, putting him under oath.^(B) He also carried away the leading men^(C) of the land,

¹⁵ But the king rebelled^(A) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt^(B) to get horses and a large army.^(C) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?^(D)