1 In David's days there was a famine for three years running, and David sought the LORD's face. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his house of bloodshed, because he put the Gibeonites to death."
2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (The Gibeonites were not from the children of Israel but from what was left of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn an oath to them, yet Saul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)
3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What am I to do for you? How can I make atonement, so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?"
4 The Gibeonites told him, "It is not a question of silver or gold between us and Saul and his house, nor is it for us to put anyone in Israel to death." He said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."
5 They told the king, "The man who wore us down and who schemed against us, so that we were wiped out and left no place anywhere in Israel's territory,
6 let seven men from among his sons be handed over to us, and we will hang them up before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the LORD's chosen." The king said, "I will hand them over."
7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD that was between them, between David and Saul's son Jonathan.
8 The king took the two sons Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite,
9 and handed them over to the Gibeonites, who hung them up on the hill before the LORD. The seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, as the barley harvest was beginning.
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the start of the harvest until water poured down on them from the sky. She would not let the birds of the air land on them by day or the wild animals come by night.
11 David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul's concubine, had done.
12 So David went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had carried them off secretly from the square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up the day the Philistines struck down Saul at Gilboa.
13 He brought the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan up from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hung up.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish, and did everything the king commanded. After that God heeded prayers for the land.
15 Once more there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his servants, and they fought the Philistines, and David grew tired.
16 Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze and who was armed with new armor, meant to kill David.
17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his rescue, struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, "You must never again go out to battle with us, or you will put out the lamp of Israel."
18 Later there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. That time Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, one of the descendants of the giants.
19 There was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim of Bethlehem struck down Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam.
20 There was another battle at Gath, where there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all; he too was descended from the giants.
21 He taunted Israel, and Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, struck him down.
22 These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell at the hand of David and his servants.