2 Samuel 4

Modern

Literal

The Murder of Ish-bosheth

¹Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.

¹And the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, and his hands failed, and all Israel was troubled.

²Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,

²And two men, captains of troops, were unto the son of Saul. The name of one was Baanah, and the name of the second Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin. For also Beeroth was reckoned to Benjamin,

³because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.

³and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and they have been there sojourning until this day.

⁴And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

⁴And Jonathan son of Saul had a son lame in the feet. He was a son of five years at the coming in of the report of Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel. And his nurse took him up and fled. And it came to pass, as she hurried to flee, that he fell and became lame; and His name was Mephibosheth.

⁵Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap.

⁵And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came in at the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, and he was lying the lying down of noon.

⁶They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

⁶And they came up to the midst of the house, as taking wheat, and they struck him in the fifth rib. And Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

⁷They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

⁷And they came into the house, and he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they struck him and killed him and beheaded him, and they took his head and were escaping by way of the plain all the night.

⁸They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

⁸And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life. And YHWH has given my lord the king vengeance this day of Saul and of his seed.”

The Execution of Rechab and Baanah

⁹But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

⁹And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, “As YHWH lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

¹⁰when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!

¹⁰when it was declared to me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and he was as a bearer of tidings in his own eyes, I arrested him and I killed him at Ziklag, which was instead of my giving to him for his news;

¹¹How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”

¹¹how much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not now seek his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth?”

¹²So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

¹²And David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. And the head of Ish-bosheth they took and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.