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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
8 And
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.
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?
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.
