0 SAB 2 Samuel 4

2 Samuel

CHAPTER 4

Baanah and Rechab kill Ishbosheth
4:1-6

1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin.

3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)

When Ishbosheth heard that Abner was dead, he was frightened and unable to do anything.

4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings 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 Mephibosheth.

(Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, was dropped by his nurse when she was fleeing after hearing about the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. The fall permanently injuring both of the five-year-old boy's feet.)

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

One day at noon, two of Ishbosheth's officers, Baanah and Rechab, went to Ishbosheth's house while he was lying in bed.

6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

While pretending to fetch wheat, they smote Ishbosheth under the fifth rib (of course!).
Ishbosheth's head is brought to David
4:7-8

7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

8And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.

After killing Ishbosheth, Baanah and Rechab cut off his head and brought it to David.

When presenting the head, they said to David:

Behold the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who wanted to kill you.

God has avenged you today of Saul and his descendants.

David kills Rechab and Baanah, cuts off their hands and feet, and hangs their bodies over the pool
4:9-12

9 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,

10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

David said to them:

This reminds me of the time this nice young Amalekite came to report Saul's death, thinking that I'd be glad ot hear it.

I killed him for it.

I'll do even worse to you, since you murdered a righteous man on his bed.

12 And David commanded his young 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 Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.

Then David commanded his young men and they killed Rechab and Baanah, cut off their hands and feet, and hung their bodies over the pool in Hebron. [2]

But they buried Ishbosheth's head in the sepulchre of Abner.

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