Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought mercy from before the LORD, and the LORD said, “It is because of Saul and because of the house of those deserving to be killed, because he killed the Gibeonites.”

So the king called the Gibeonites and said to them – now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; although the sons of Israel had sworn to them, Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.

And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make expiation?” And they blessed the heritage of the people of the LORD?”

The Gibeonites said to him, “We need to receive neither silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor a man to be killed in Israel.” And he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

They said to the king, “The man who nullified us and plotted against us – we have been stopped from dwelling in the territory of the Land of Israel –,

let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them up before the LORD at The Hill of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

The king took the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab – whom Michal the daughter of Saul raised –, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

And he surrendered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD. And the seven of them fell together; they were killed in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest upon them by day, or the beasts outside by night.

When David was told what Rizpah the daugther of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,

David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the inhabitants of Jabesh gilead, who had stolen them from the wall of Beth shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.

And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.

And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of the tribe of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. And after that the LORD accepted the prayer of the inhabitants of the land.

The Philistines had war again with Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they waged war with the Philistines. And David grew weary.

And Ishbi benob, one of the sons of the hero – whose shaft weighed three hundred selas of bronze and who was girded with a new sword belt – said to kill David.

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, for you shall not extinguish the kingship of Israel.”

After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai who was from Hushath killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the hero.

And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. And David the son of Jesse, weaver of the curtains of the sanctuary, killed Goliath the Gittite, the wood of whose spear was like a weaver’s heddle rod.

And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty four in number; and he also was born from the hero.

And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shima, David’s brother, killed him.

As regards these four, they were born from the giant in Gath, and they were surrendered into the hand of David and into the hand of his servants.