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II Samuel Chapter 21

Other Translations

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for [his] house of blood, because he slew the Gibeonites.
2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remainder of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)
3 And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and with what shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
4 And the Gibeonites said to him, As to Saul and his house, it is with us no question of receiving silver or gold, neither is it for us to have any man put to death in Israel. And he said, What ye say will I do for you.
5 And they said to the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in all the borders of Israel,
6 let seven men of his sons be given up to us, and we will hang them up to Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give [them].
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 And the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of [the sister of] Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite;
9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before Jehovah. And they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the first days of the harvest, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water poured on them out of the heavens, and suffered neither the fowl of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the open place of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, the day the Philistines had smitten Saul in Gilboa;
13 and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14 And they buried [them] with the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they did all that the king had commanded. And afterwardsGod was propitious to the land.
15 And the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought with the Philistines. And David was exhausted.
16 And Ishbibenob, who was of the children of Raphah — the weight of his lance was three hundred shekels of bronze, and he was girded with new [armour] — thought to smite David.
17 And Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.
18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines, at Gob; then Sibbechai the Hushathite smote Saph, who was of the children of Raphah.
19 And there was again a battle at Gob with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, smote Goliath the Gittite; now the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 And there was again a battle, at Gath; and there was a man [there] of great stature, that had on each hand six fingers, and on each foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to Raphah.
21 And he defied Israel; but Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother smote him.
22 These four were born to Raphah, in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Facta est quoque fames in diebus David tribus annis iugiter: et consuluit David oraculum Domini. Dixitque Dominus: Proper Saul, et domum eius sanguinum, quia occidit Gabaonitas.
2 Vocatis ergo Gabaonitis rex, dixit ad eos. (Porro Gabaonitæ non erant de filiis Israel, sed reliquiæ Amorrhæorum: filii quippe Israel iuraverant eis, et voluit Saul percutere eos zelo, quasi pro filiis Israel et Iuda.)
3 Dixit ergo David ad Gabaonitas: Quid faciam vobis? et quod erit vestri piaculum, ut benedicatis hereditati Domini?
4 Dixeruntque ei Gabaonitæ: Non est nobis super argento et auro quæstio, sed contra Saul, et contra domum eius: neque volumus ut interficiatur homo de Israel. Ad quos rex ait: Quid ergo vultis ut faciam vobis?
5 Qui dixerunt regi: Virum, qui attrivit nos et oppressit inique, ita delere debemus, ut ne unus quidem residuus sit de stirpe eius in cunctis finibus Israel.
6 Dentur nobis septem viri de filiis eius, ut crucifigamus eos Domino in Gabaa Saul, quondam electi Domini. Et ait rex: Ego dabo.
7 Pepercitque rex Miphiboseth filio Ionathæ filii Saul, propter iusiurandum Domini, quod fuerat inter David et inter Ionathan filium Saul.
8 Tulit itaque rex duos filios Respha filiæ Aia, quos peperit Sauli, Armoni, et Miphiboseth: et quinque filios Michol filiæ Saul, quos genuerat Hadrieli filio Berzellai, qui fuit de Molathi,
9 et dedit eos in manus Gabaonitarum: qui crucifixerunt eos in monte coram Domino: et ceciderunt hi septem simul occisi in diebus messis primis, incipiente messione hordei.
10 Tollens autem Respha filia Aia, cilicium substravit sibi supra petram ab initio messis, donec stillaret aqua super eos de cælo: et non dimisit aves lacerare eos per diem, neque bestias per noctem.
11 Et nunciata sunt David quæ fecerat Respha, filia Aia, concubina Saul.
12 Et abiit David, et tulit ossa Saul, et ossa Ionathæ filii eius a viris Iabes Galaad, qui furati fuerant ea de platea Bethsan, in qua suspenderant eos Philisthiim cum interfecissent Saul in Gelboe:
13 et asportavit inde ossa Saul, et ossa Ionathæ filii eius: et colligentes ossa eorum, qui affixi fuerant,
14 sepelierunt ea cum ossibus Saul et Ionathæ filii eius in Terra Beniamin, in latere, in sepulchro Cis patris eius: feceruntque omnia, quæ præceperat rex, et repropitiatus est Deus terræ post hæc.
15 Factum est autem rursum prælium Philisthinorum adversum Israel, et descendit David, et servi eius cum eo, et pugnabant contra Philisthiim. Deficiente autem David,
16 Iesbibenob, qui fuit de genere arapha, cuius ferrum hastæ trecentas uncias appendebat, et accinctus erat ense novo, nisus est percutere David.
17 Præsidioque ei fuit Abisai filius Sarviæ, et percussum Philisthæum interfecit. Tunc iuraverunt viri David, dicentes: Iam non egredieris nobiscum in bellum, ne extinguas lucernam Israel.
18 Secundum quoque bellum fuit in Gob contra Philisthæos: tunc percussit Sobochai de Husati, Saph de stirpe arapha de genere gigantum.
19 Tertium quoque fuit bellum in Gob contra Philisthæos, in quo percussit Adeodatus filius Saltus polymitarius Bethlehemites Goliath Gethæum, cuius hastile hastæ erat quasi liciatorium texentium.
20 Quartum bellum fuit in Geth: in quo vir fuit excelsus, qui senos in manibus pedibusque habebat digitos, id est viginti quattuor, et erat de origine arapha.
21 Et blasphemavit Israel: percussit autem eum Ionathan filius Samaa fratris David.
22 Hi quattuor nati sunt de arapha in Geth, et ceciderunt in manu David, et servorum eius.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 And there is a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, and David seeketh the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah saith, `For Saul and for the bloody house, because that he put to death the Gibeonites.'
2 And the king calleth for the Gibeonites, and saith unto them--as to the Gibeonites, they <FI>are<Fi> not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorite, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul seeketh to smite them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah--
3 yea, David saith unto the Gibeonites, `What do I do for you? and with what do I make atonement? and bless ye the inheritance of Jehovah.'
4 And the Gibeonites say to him, `We have no silver and gold by Saul and by his house, and we have no man to put to death in Israel;' and he saith, `What ye are saying I do to you.'
5 And they say unto the king, `The man who consumed us, and who devised against us--we have been destroyed from stationing ourselves in all the border of Israel--
6 let there be given to us seven men of his sons, and we have hanged them before Jehovah, in the height of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah.' And the king saith, `I do give;'
7 and the king hath pity on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of Jehovah that <FI>is<Fi> between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul;
8 and the king taketh the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul whom she bare to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite,
9 and giveth them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hang them in the hill before Jehovah; and the seven fall together, and they have been put to death in the days of harvest, in the first <FI>days<Fi> , the commencement of barley-harvest.
10 And Rizpah daughter of Aiah taketh the sackcloth, and stretcheth it out for herself on the rock, from the commencement of harvest till water hath been poured out upon them from the heavens, and hath not suffered a fowl of the heavens to rest upon them by day, or the beast of the field by night.
11 And it is declared to David that which Rizpah daughter of Aiah, concubine of Saul, hath done,
12 and David goeth and taketh the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the possessors of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the broad place of Beth-Shan, where the Philistines hanged them, in the day of the Philistines smiting Saul in Gilboa;
13 and he bringeth up thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gather the bones of those hanged,
14 and bury the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zelah, in the burying-place of Kish his father, and do all that the king commanded, and God is entreated for the land afterwards.
15 And again have the Philistines war with Israel, and David goeth down, and his servants with him, and they fight with the Philistines; and David is weary,
16 and Ishbi-Benob, who <FI>is<Fi> among the children of the giant--the weight of his spear <FI>is<Fi> three hundred <FI>shekels<Fi> weight of brass, and he is girded with a new one--speaketh of smiting David,
17 and Abishai son of Zeruiah giveth help to him, and smiteth the Philistine, and putteth him to death; then swear the men of David to him, saying, `Thou dost not go out again with us to battle, nor quench the lamp of Israel.'
18 And it cometh to pass afterwards, that the battle is again in Gob with the Philistines, then hath Sibbechai the Hushathite smitten Saph, who <FI>is<Fi> among the children of the giant.
19 And the battle is again in Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim, the Beth-Lehemite, smiteth <FI>a brother of<Fi> Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear <FI>is<Fi> like a beam of weavers.
20 And the battle is again in Gath, and there is a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands <FI>are<Fi> six, and the toes of his feet <FI>are<Fi> six, twenty and four in number, and he also hath been born to the giant,
21 and he reproacheth Israel, and smite him doth Jonathan son of Shimeah, brother of David;
22 these four have been born to the giant in Gath, and they fall by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).