2 Samuel 21

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 In the days of David there was a famine which lasted for three years on end. David consulted Yahweh,and Yahweh said, 'Saul and his family have incurred blood-guilt, by putting the Gibeonites to death.'	1 And there was a famine in the days of David for three years successively: and David consulted the oracle of the Lord. And the Lord said: It is for Saul, and his bloody house, because he slew the Gabaonites.
2 Then the king summoned the Gibeonites and said-now, the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but were aremnant of the Amorites, to whom the Israelites had bound themselves by oath; Saul, however, in his zeal for theIsraelites and for Judah, had done his best to exterminate them -- hence David said to the Gibeonites,	2 Then the king, calling for the Gabaonites, said to them: (Now the Gabaonites were not of the children of Israel, but the remains of the Amorrhites: I and the children of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul sought to slay them out of zeal, as it were for the children of Israel and Juda:)
3 'What can I do for you? How can I make amends, so that you wil cal a blessing down on Yahweh'sheritage?'	3 David therefore said to the Gabaonites: What shall I do for you? and what shall be the atonement for you, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
4 The Gibeonites replied, 'Our quarrel with Saul and his family cannot be settled for silver or gold, nor byputting to death one man in Israel.' David said, 'Say what you want and I wil do it for you.'	4 And the Gabaonites said to him: We have no contest about silver and gold, but against Saul and against his house: neither do we desire that any man be slain of Israel. And the king said to them: What will you then that I should do for you?
5 Then they replied to the king, 'The man who dismembered us and planned to annihilate us, so that weshould not exist anywhere in Israelite territory-	5 And they said to the king: The man that crushed us and oppressed us unjustly, we must destroy in such manner that there be not so much as one left of his stock in all the coasts of Israel.
6 we want seven of his descendants handed over to us; and we shal dismember them before Yahwehat Gibeon on Yahweh's hill.' 'I shal hand them over,' said the king.	6 Let seven men of his children be delivered unto us, that we may crucify them to the Lord in Gabaa of Saul, once the chosen of the Lord. And the king said: I will give them.
7 The king, however, spared Meribbaal son of Jonathan, son of Saul, on account of the oath by Yahwehbinding them together, binding David and Jonathan son of Saul.	7 And the king spared Miphiboseth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord, that had been between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 The king took the two sons born to Saul by Rizpah daughter of Aiah: Armoni and Meribbaal; and thefive sons borne by Merab daughter of Saul to Adriel son of Barzil ai, of Meholah.	8 So the king took the two sons of Respha the daughter of Aia, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni, and Miphiboseth: and the five sons of Michol the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Hadriel the son of Berzellai, that was of Molathi:
9 He handed these over to the Gibeonites who dismembered them before Yahweh on the hil . Theseven of them perished together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of thebarley harvest.	9 And gave them into the hands of the Gabaonites: and they crucified them on a hill before the Lord: and these seven died together in the first days of the harvest, when the barley began to be reaped.
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah, wearing sacking and spreading some out for herself on the rock, from thebeginning of the barley harvest until the rain fel on them from heaven, kept the birds of the sky away from themin the daytime, and the wild animals away at night.	10 And Respha the daughter of Aia took haircloth, and spread it under her upon the rock from the beginning of the harvest, till water dropped upon them out of heaven: and suffered neither the birds to tear them by day, nor the beasts by night.
11 David was told of what Saul's concubine, Rizpah daughter of Aiah, had done.	11 And it was told David, what Respha the daughter of Aia, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12 David went and recovered the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the notables of Jabesh inGilead. The latter had stolen them from the square in Beth-Shean, where the Philistines had hung them, whenthe Philistines had defeated Saul at Gilboa.	12 And David went, and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabes Galaad, who had stolen them from the street of Bethsan, where the Philistines had hanged them when they had slain Saul in Gelboe.
13 David fetched the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. The bones of the men who had beendismembered were col ected	13 And he brought from thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered up the bones of them that were crucified,
14 and these, with the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan, were buried in the territory of Benjamin, atZela, in the tomb of Saul's father, Kish. The king's orders were carried out to the letter and after that, God tookpity on the country.	14 And they buried them with the bones of Saul, and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in the side, in the sepulchre of Cis his father: and they did all that the king had commanded, and God shewed mercy again to the land after these things.
15 Once again the Philistines made war on Israel. David went down with his retainers; they fought thePhilistines and David began to tire.	15 And the Philistines made war again against Israel, and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David growing faint,
16 There was a champion, one of the sons of Rapha. His spear weighed three hundred shekels ofbronze; he was wearing a new sword and was confident of kil ing David.	16 Jesbibenob, who was of the race of Arapha, the iron of whose spear weighed three hundred ounces, being girded with a new sword, attempted to kill David.
17 Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his rescue, however, attacking the Philistine and kil ing him. Then itwas that David's men swore the fol owing oath to him, 'You are never to go into battle with us again, in case youshould extinguish the lamp of Israel!'	17 And Abisai the son of Sarvia rescued him, and striking the Philistine killed him. Then David's men swore unto him, saying: Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, lest thou put out the lamp of Israel.
18 After this, war with the Philistines broke out again at Gob. This was when Sibbecai of Hushah kil edSaph, one of the sons of Rapha.	18 There was also a second battle in Gob against the Philistines: then Sobochai of Husathi slew Saph of the race of Arapha of the family of the giants.
19 Again, war with the Philistines broke out at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair, of Bethlehem, kil ed Goliathof Gath, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.	19 And there was a third battle in Gob against the Philistines, in which Adeodatus the son of the Forrest an embroiderer of Bethlehem slew Goliath the Gethite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 There was further warfare at Gath, where there was a man of huge stature with six fingers on eachhand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in al . He too was a son of Rapha.	20 A fourth battle was in Geth. where there was a man of great stature, that had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, four and twenty in all, and he was of the race of Arapha.
21 When he defied Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, brother of David cut him down.	21 And he reproached Israel: and Jonathan the son of Samae the brother of David slew him.
22 These four were sons of Rapha in Gath and fel at the hands of David and his retainers.	22 These four were born of Arapha in Geth, and they fell by the hand of David, and of his servants.