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1 Samuel 17

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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1 Joab answered, "Far be it, far be it from me that I would swallow up or destroy!
2 That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand [in rebellion] against King David. Only hand him over, and I will leave the city." And the woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall."
3 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people [to inform them of the agreement]. And they beheaded Sheba the son of Bichri and threw his head [down] to Joab. So he blew the trumpet [signaling the end of the attack], and they dispersed from the city, every man to his own tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to [David] the king.
4 Now Joab was [commander] over the entire army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was [commander] over the Cherethites and Pelethites [the king's bodyguards];
5 Adoram was over the forced labor; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
6 Sheva was the scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
7 also Ira the Jairite was a priest to David.
8 There was famine in the days of David for three consecutive years; and David sought the presence (face) of the LORD [asking the reason]. The LORD replied, "It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because[1] he put the Gibeonites to death."
9 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons (descendants) of Israel but of the remnant (survivors) of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn [an oath] to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah had sought to strike down the Gibeonites).
10 So David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I make it good so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance (Israel)?"
11 The Gibeonites said to him, "We will not accept silver or gold belonging to Saul or his household (descendants); nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." David said, "I will do for you whatever you say."
12 So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us and planned to exterminate us from remaining in any territory of Israel,
13 let seven men [chosen] from his sons (descendants) be given to us and we will hang them before the LORD [that is, put them on display, impaled with broken legs and arms] in[2] Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."
14 But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between David and Saul's son Jonathan.
15 So 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[3] Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
16 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD, and the seven died together. They were put to death in the first days of the grain harvest, the beginning of the barley harvest [in the spring].
17 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest [in the spring] until [the autumn] rain fell on them; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on their bodies by day, nor the beasts of the field [to feed on them] by night.
18 David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the[4] concubine of Saul, had done.
19 Then David went and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines had killed Saul in Gilboa.
20 He brought up the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged [with their arms and legs broken].
21 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. After that, God was moved by prayer for the land.
22 Now the Philistines were at war again with Israel. David went down with his servants, and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary.
23 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels (six pounds) of bronze, was armed with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.
24 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, and struck and killed the Philistine. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."
25 After this, there was war again with the Philistines at Gob (Gezer). At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph (Sippai), who was among the descendants of the giant.
26 There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam.
27 There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also was a descendant of the giants.
28 And when he taunted and defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.
29 These four [warriors] were descended from the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.
30 David spoke the words of this song to the LORD when the LORD rescued him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
31 He said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress [on the mountain] and my rescuer;
32 [1] My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, My Savior—You save me from violence.
33 "I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.
34 "For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of[2] destruction overwhelmed and terrified me.
35 "The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.
36 "In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God, And from His temple [in the heavens] He heard my voice; My cry for help came into His ears.
37 "Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of the heavens trembled And were shaken, because He was angry.
38 "Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.
39 "He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.
40 "He rode on a cherub and flew; He appeared upon the wings of the wind.
41 "He made darkness[3] canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
42 "Out of the brightness before Him Coals of fire were set aflame.
43 "The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.
44 "He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning, and confused them.
45 "The channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were uncovered At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
46 "He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of great waters.
47 "He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
48 "They came upon me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.
49 "He also brought me out to an open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
50 "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
51 "For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.
52 "For all His judgments (legal decisions) were before me, And from His statutes I did not turn aside.
53 "I was also blameless before Him, And kept myself from wrongdoing.
54 "Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His sight.
55 "With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless.
56 "With the pure You show Yourself pure, With the perverted You show Yourself astute.
57 "And You save the afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase (humiliate).
58 "For You, O LORD, are my lamp; The LORD illumines and dispels my darkness.