THE SECOND BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
2 Samuel 4 ©
Ishbosheth and his party are astonished at Abner’s death, v. 1. Two captains murder Ishbosheth, and bring his head unto David, 2. Who causes them to be put to death, and hanged, but Ishbosheth’s head to be buried, 9.
AND when Saul’s 1son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were 2feeble, and all the Israelites were 3troubled.
And Saul's son had two men that were captains of 4bands: the name of the one was 5Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for 6Beeroth also was 7reckoned to Benjamin:
And the Beerothites fled to 8Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
Anda9Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was 10lame of his feet. He was 11five years old when the 12tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was 13Mephibosheth.
And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, 14went, and came 15about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who 16lay on a bed at noon.
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched 17wheat; and they smote him under the 18fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and 19beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the 20plain all night.
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 thine enemy, which sought 21thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
¶And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
Whenb one told me, saying, Behold, 22Saul is dead, 23thinking to have brought good tidings, I 24took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, 25who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
26How much more, when wicked men have slain a 27righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now 28require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
And David commanded his 29young 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 sepulchrec of Abner in Hebron.