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II Samuel

Chapter 4

1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron,
his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands.
The name of the one was Baanah,
and the name of the other Rechab,
the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite,
of the children of Benjamin . . .

(for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin . . . 3
and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim,
and were sojourners there until this day).

4~~Now Jonathan, Saul's son,
had a son who was crippled in his feet.

He was five years old
when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel.

Consequently, his nurse picked him up, and fled.

Now, it came to pass,
in her hurry to flee . . . that he fell, and became lame.

And his name was Mephibosheth.

{Note: The nurse took the 5 year old boy out of love but ended up tossing him down violently and crippling both of his feet. See also II Samuel 9 for more on this son of Jonathan under the principal of blessing by association with his father Jonathan.}

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite,
Rechab and Baanah, went,
and came about the heat of the day
to the house of Ish-bosheth,
who lay on a bed at noon.

6 And they came there into the middle of the house,
as though they would have fetched wheat;
and they struck him 'in the guts'/'under the fifth rib'.
And Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house,
he lay on his bed in his bedchamber,
and they struck him, and slew him, and beheaded him,
and took his head,
and got themselves away through the plain all night.

8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth
unto David to Hebron,
and said to the king,
"Behold the head of Ish-bosheth
the son of Saul your enemy,
who sought your life.
And the Jehovah/God has avenged my lord/'adown the king
this day of Saul, and of his seed."

9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother,
the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them,
"As Jehovah/God lives,
Who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10
when one told me, saying, 'Behold, Saul is dead,
thinking to have brought good tidings,
I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag,
who thought that I would have given him
a reward for his tidings. 11

How much more,
when wicked men have slain a righteous person
in his own house upon his bed?

Shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand,
and take you away from the earth?"

12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them,
and cut off their hands and their feet,
and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron.

But they took the head of Ish-bosheth,
and buried it in the sepulcher/tomb of Abner in Hebron.