II - Chapter 21

1There was a famine during the reign of David, year after year for three years. David inquired of Hashem, and Hashem replied, “It is because of the bloodguilt of Shaul and [his] house, for he put some Givonites to death.”

אוַיְהִי רָעָב בִּימֵי דָוִד שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים שָׁנָה אַחֲרֵי שָׁנָה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־שָׁאוּל וְאֶל־בֵּית הַדָּמִים עַל־אֲשֶׁר־הֵמִית אֶת־הַגִּבְעֹנִים׃

2The king summoned the Givonites and spoke to them.—Now the Givonites were not of Israelite stock, but a remnant of the Amorites, to whom the Israelites had given an oath; and Shaul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the people of Yisrael and Yehuda.

בוַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ לַגִּבְעֹנִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם וְהַגִּבְעֹנִים לֹא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה כִּי אִם־מִיֶּתֶר הָאֱמֹרִי וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבְּעוּ לָהֶם וַיְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל לְהַכֹּתָם בְּקַנֹּאתוֹ לִבְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה׃

3David asked the Givonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make expiation, so that you may bless Hashem's own people?”

גוַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־הַגִּבְעֹנִים מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם וּבַמָּה אֲכַפֵּר וּבָרְכוּ אֶת־נַחֲלַת יְהֹוָה׃

4The Givonites answered him, “We have no claim for silver or gold against Shaul and his household; and we have no claim on the life of any other man in Yisrael.” And [David] responded, “Whatever you say I will do for you.”

דוַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ הַגִּבְעֹנִים אֵין־לי [לָנוּ] כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב עִם־שָׁאוּל וְעִם־בֵּיתוֹ וְאֵין־לָנוּ אִישׁ לְהָמִית בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר מָה־אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם׃

5Thereupon they said to the king, “The man who massacred us and planned to exterminate us, so that we should not survive in all the territory of Yisrael

הוַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כִּלָּנוּ וַאֲשֶׁר דִּמָּה־לָנוּ נִשְׁמַדְנוּ מֵהִתְיַצֵּב בְּכָל־גְּבֻל יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

6let seven of his male issue be handed over to us, and we will impale them before Hashem in Giva of Shaul, the chosen of Hashem.” And the king replied, “I will do so.”

וינתן־[יֻתַּן־] לָנוּ שִׁבְעָה אֲנָשִׁים מִבָּנָיו וְהוֹקַעֲנוּם לַיהֹוָה בְּגִבְעַת שָׁאוּל בְּחִיר יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲנִי אֶתֵּן׃

7The king spared Mefiboshet son of Yehonatan son of Shaul, because of the oath before Hashem between the two, between David and Yehonatan son of Shaul.

זוַיַּחְמֹל הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־מְפִי־בֹשֶׁת בֶּן־יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שָׁאוּל עַל־שְׁבֻעַת יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּינֹתָם בֵּין דָּוִד וּבֵין יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שָׁאוּל׃

8Instead, the king took Armoni and Mefiboshet, the two sons that Rizpah daughter of Aiah bore to Shaul, and the five sons that Merab daughter of Shaul bore to Adriel son of Barzilai the Meholathite,

חוַיִּקַּח הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי רִצְפָּה בַת־אַיָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְשָׁאוּל אֶת־אַרְמֹנִי וְאֶת־מְפִבֹשֶׁת וְאֶת־חֲמֵשֶׁת בְּנֵי מִיכַל בַּת־שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְעַדְרִיאֵל בֶּן־בַּרְזִלַּי הַמְּחֹלָתִי׃

9and he handed them over to the Givonites. They impaled them on the mountain before Hashem; all seven of them perished at the same time. They were put to death in the first days of the harvest, the beginning of the barley harvest.

טוַיִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד הַגִּבְעֹנִים וַיֹּקִיעֻם בָּהָר לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה וַיִּפְּלוּ שבעתים [שְׁבַעְתָּם] יָחַד והם [וְהֵמָּה] הֻמְתוּ בִּימֵי קָצִיר בָּרִאשֹׁנִים תחלת [בִּתְחִלַּת] קְצִיר שְׂעֹרִים׃

10Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it on a rock for herself, and she stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until rain from the sky fell on the bodies; she did not let the birds of the sky settle on them by day or the wild beasts [approach] by night.

יוַתִּקַּח רִצְפָּה בַת־אַיָּה אֶת־הַשַּׂק וַתַּטֵּהוּ לָהּ אֶל־הַצּוּר מִתְּחִלַּת קָצִיר עַד נִתַּךְ־מַיִם עֲלֵיהֶם מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם וְלֹא־נָתְנָה עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם לָנוּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹמָם וְאֶת־חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה לָיְלָה׃

11David was told what Shaul's concubine Rizpah daughter of Aiah had done.

יאוַיֻּגַּד לְדָוִד אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה רִצְפָּה בַת־אַיָּה פִּלֶגֶשׁ שָׁאוּל׃

12And David went and took the bones of Shaul and of his son Yehonatan from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had made off with them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up on the day the Philistines killed Shaul at Gilboa.

יבוַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַיִּקַּח אֶת־עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל וְאֶת־עַצְמוֹת יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ מֵאֵת בַּעֲלֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֲשֶׁר גָּנְבוּ אֹתָם מֵרְחֹב בֵּית־שַׁן אֲשֶׁר תלום [תְּלָאוּם] שם הפלשתים [שָׁמָּה] [פְּלִשְׁתִּים] בְּיוֹם הַכּוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־שָׁאוּל בַּגִּלְבֹּעַ׃

13He brought up the bones of Shaul and of his son Yehonatan from there; and he gathered the bones of those who had been impaled.

יגוַיַּעַל מִשָּׁם אֶת־עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל וְאֶת־עַצְמוֹת יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת־עַצְמוֹת הַמּוּקָעִים׃

14And they buried the bones of Shaul and of his son Yehonatan in Zela, in the territory of Binyamin, in the tomb of his father Keesh. And when all that the king had commanded was done, Hashem responded to the plea of the land thereafter.

va-yik-b'-RU et atz-MOT sha-UL vee-ho-na-tan b'-NO b'-E-retz bin-ya-MIN b'-tzay-LA b'-KE-ver KEESH a-VEEV va-ya-a-SU KOL a-sher tzi-VAH ha-ME-lekh va-yay-a-TAYR e-lo-HEEM la-A-retz a-kha-ray KHAYN

ידוַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֶת־עַצְמוֹת־שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן־בְּנוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן בְּצֵלָע בְּקֶבֶר קִישׁ אָבִיו וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּעָתֵר אֱלֹהִים לָאָרֶץ אַחֲרֵי־כֵן׃

15Again war broke out between the Philistines and Yisrael, and David and the men with him went down and fought the Philistines; David grew weary,

טווַתְּהִי־עוֹד מִלְחָמָה לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּרֶד דָּוִד וַעֲבָדָיו עִמּוֹ וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּעַף דָּוִד׃

16and Ishbi-benob tried to kill David.—He was a descendant of the Raphah; his bronze spear weighed three hundred shekalim and he wore new armor.

טזוישבו [וְיִשְׁבִּי] בְּנֹב אֲשֶׁר בִּילִידֵי הָרָפָה וּמִשְׁקַל קֵינוֹ שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת מִשְׁקַל נְחֹשֶׁת וְהוּא חָגוּר חֲדָשָׁה וַיֹּאמֶר לְהַכּוֹת אֶת־דָּוִד׃

17But Avishai son of Tzeruya came to his aid; he attacked the Philistine and killed him. It was then that David's men declared to him on oath, “You shall not go with us into battle any more, lest you extinguish the lamp of Yisrael!”

יזוַיַּעֲזָר־לוֹ אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן־צְרוּיָה וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיְמִיתֵהוּ אָז נִשְׁבְּעוּ אַנְשֵׁי־דָוִד לוֹ לֵאמֹר לֹא־תֵצֵא עוֹד אִתָּנוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא תְכַבֶּה אֶת־נֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

18After this, fighting broke out again with the Philistines, at Gob; that was when Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of the Raphah.

יחוַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַתְּהִי־עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹב עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָז הִכָּה סִבְּכַי הַחֻשָׁתִי אֶת־סַף אֲשֶׁר בִּילִדֵי הָרָפָה׃

19Again there was fighting with the Philistines at Gob; and Elchanan son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver's bar.

יטוַתְּהִי־עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹב עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ אֶלְחָנָן בֶּן־יַעְרֵי אֹרְגִים בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי אֵת גָּלְיָת הַגִּתִּי וְעֵץ חֲנִיתוֹ כִּמְנוֹר אֹרְגִים׃

20Once again there was fighting, at Gath. There was a giant of a man, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all; he too was descended from the Raphah.

כוַתְּהִי־עוֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגַת וַיְהִי אִישׁ מדין [מָדוֹן] וְאֶצְבְּעֹת יָדָיו וְאֶצְבְּעֹת רַגְלָיו שֵׁשׁ וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע מִסְפָּר וְגַם־הוּא יֻלַּד לְהָרָפָה׃

21When he taunted Yisrael, Yehonatan, the son of David's brother Shim'i, killed him.

כאוַיְחָרֵף אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכֵּהוּ יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שמעי [שִׁמְעָה] אֲחִי דָוִד׃

22Those four were descended from the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his men.

כבאֶת־אַרְבַּעַת אֵלֶּה יֻלְּדוּ לְהָרָפָה בְּגַת וַיִּפְּלוּ בְיַד־דָּוִד וּבְיַד עֲבָדָיו׃