The 3 Years of Famine During David’s Reign |
2 Samuel 21:1-22 The Book of 2 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks] |
In the days of David, there was a famine [for] 3 years [in a row.] David inquired of the Lord [God] & the Lord answered, [The famine is for] Saul & his bloody house, because he [killed] the Gibeonites. |
King [David] called the Gibeonites, (now the Gibeonites weren’t of the children [people] of Israel, but were [remaining from] the Amorites. The [people] of Israel had sworn [to protect them,] but Saul [tried to kill] them in his zeal for the [people] of Israel & Judah.) |
[For this reason,] David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? [How] shall I make atonement, [so] you may bless the inheritance of the Lord? The Gibeonites said to him, We [don’t want any] silver or gold of [Saul’s or his family,] neither do we [want to] kill any man of Israel. |
And [King David] said, What you say, I will do for you. They answered the king, Let 7 of [Saul’s male descendants] be delivered to us, [since] he is the man [who] consumed us & [plotted] against us, [to destroy us] in the coasts of Israel. |
We will hang them up [before] the Lord [in] Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord [chose.] And King [David] said, I will give them [to you.] But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, [Saul’s] son, because of the oath David & Jonathan made between them & the [Lord.] |
But king [David] took 2 of the sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she [bore] to Saul, Armoni & Mephibosheth & 5 sons, whom Michal [a.k.a. Merab,] [Saul’s] daughter, brought up for Adriel, [her previous husband, who was] [Barzillai’s] son, the Meholathite. |
[King David] delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites & they [hung] them [on] the hill before the Lord. All 7 [died] together & were put to death in the 1st days of the barley harvest. |
And Rizpah, [Aiah’s] daughter, took sackcloth & spread it for [herself] upon the rock. [She] didn’t [allow] the birds of the air to rest on them [during the] day, [nor the wild animals] of the field by night, from the beginning of the harvest until [rain] dropped on them [from] heaven. |
David was told what Rizpath, the daughter of Aiah, [Saul’s mistress,] had done. David went & took [Saul’s & Jonathan’s] bones from the men of Jabesh Gilead, [who] had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had [hung] them, [after they] had [killed] Saul in Gilboa. |
[David] brought up the bones of Saul, Jonathan & those [who] were [hung.] [David] buried the bones of Saul & Jonathan, his son, in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the [tomb] of Kish, [Saul’s] father. |
They [did] all king [David] commanded. After that, [inquiries of] God [could be made] for the land. [Additionally,] the Philistines [warred] again with Israel. David & his servants went down & fought the Philistines & David [grew] faint. |
And Ishbi Benob, [who] was of the sons of the giant, [with] a spear [that] weighed 300 shekels of brass & [was belted] with a new sword & [planned to kill] David. |
But Abishai, [Zeruiah’s] son, came to [David’s] aid & [struck] the Philistine & killed him. Then [David’s] men [swore] to him, saying, You shall [no longer] go out with us to battle, [so,] that you, the light of Israel won’t [be extinguished.] |
It [happened] after this, there was [another] battle with the Philistines [in] Gob. Then, Sibbechai, the Hushathite, [killed] Saph, [one] of the sons of the giant. Again, there was a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan, [Jaare Oregim’s] son, a Bethlemite, [killed] the brother of Goliath, the Gittite. |
The [stick portion of the spear] was like a beam [weavers use.] There was [still] a battle in Gath, where there was [an extremely tall] man [with] 6 fingers on [both hands] & 6 toes on [both feet,] 24 [total, who] was also born to Rapha,] the giant. |
When he defiled Israel, Jonathan, [Shimeah’s] son, the brother of David, [killed] him. These 4 were born to [Rapha,] the giant in Gath & all fell by the hand of David & his servants. |