Study Desk

Now there was ^(C1)a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and ^(C2)David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and ^(C1)the sons of Israel had ^(F1)made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to ^(F2)kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make amends, so that you will bless ^(C1)the inheritance of the LORD?"

Then the Gibeonites said to him, "^(C1)For us it is not a matter of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put anyone to death in Israel." Nevertheless David said, "I will do for you whatever you say."

So they said to the king, "^(C1)The man who destroyed us and who planned ^(F1)to eliminate us so that we would not exist within any border of Israel—

let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will ^(F1)hang them ^(C1)before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, ^(C2)the chosen of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."

But the king spared ^(C1)Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, ^(C2)because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Saul's son Jonathan.

So the king took the two sons of ^(C1)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of ^(F1)(C2)Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the ^(C3)Meholathite.

Then he handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they ^(F1)hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at ^(C1)the beginning of barley harvest.

^(C1)And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until ^(F1)it rained on them from the sky; and ^(C2)she ^(F2)allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the wild animals by night.

When it was reported to David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,

then David went and took ^(C1)the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of ^(C2)Beth-shan, ^(C3)where the Philistines had hanged them on the day ^(C4)the Philistines struck and killed Saul in Gilboa.

He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan, and they gathered the bones of those who had been ^(F1)hanged.

Then they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the country of Benjamin in ^(C1)Zela, in the grave of his father Kish; so they did everything that the king commanded, and after that ^(C2)God responded to prayer for the land.

Now when ^(C1)the Philistines were at war with Israel again, David went down, and his servants with him; and when they fought against the Philistines, David became weary.

Then Ishbi-benob, who was ^(C1)among the descendants of the ^(F1)giant, the weight of whose spear was ^(F2)three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, ^(F3)had strapped on a new sword, and he ^(F4)intended to kill David.

But ^(C1)Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "^(C2)You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish ^(C3)the lamp of Israel."

^(C1)Now it came about after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then ^(C2)Sibbecai the Hushathite struck and killed Saph, who was among the descendants of the ^(F1)giant.

And there was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite ^(F1)killed ^(F2)Goliath the Gittite, ^(C1)the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

And 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; and he also had been born ^(C1)to the ^(F1)giant.

When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck and killed him.

^(C1)These four were born to the ^(F1)giant at Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

^(C1)Now David spoke ^(C2)the words of this song to the LORD on the day that the LORD had saved him from the ^(F1)hand of all his enemies and from the ^(F1)hand of Saul.

He said, "^(C1)The LORD is my ^(F1)rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

^(F1)(C1)My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My ^(C2)shield and ^(C3)the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and ^(C4)my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.

-"I call upon the LORD, ^(C1)who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

-"For ^(C1)the waves of death encompassed me; ^(C2)The floods of ^(F1)destruction terrified me;

^(C1)The ropes of ^(F1)Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

-"^(C1)In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I called out to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.

-"Then ^(C1)the earth shook and quaked, ^(C2)The foundations of heaven were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.

-"Smoke went up ^(F1)out of His nostrils, ^(C1)And fire from His mouth was devouring; ^(C2)Coals were kindled by it.

-"He also bowed the heavens down low, and came down With ^(C1)thick darkness under His feet.

-"^(C1)He rode on a cherub and flew; He ^(F1)appeared on ^(C2)the wings of the wind.

-"^(C1)He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

-"From the brightness before Him ^(C1)Coals of fire were kindled.

-"^(C1)The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.

-"^(C1)And He shot arrows and scattered them, Lightning, and ^(F1)routed them.

-"Then the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were exposed By the rebuke of the LORD, ^(C1)From the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

-"^(C1)He sent from on high, He took me; ^(C2)He drew me out of many waters.

-"He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

-"They confronted me on the day of my disaster, ^(C1)But the LORD was my support.

-"^(C1)He also brought me out into an open place; He rescued me, ^(C2)because He delighted in me.

-"^(C1)The LORD has treated me in accordance with my righteousness; ^(C2)In accordance with the cleanliness of my hands He has repaid me.

-"^(C1)For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

-"^(C1)For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not deviate from ^(F1)them.

-"^(C1)I was also ^(F1)blameless toward Him, And I have kept myself from my wrongdoing.

-"^(C1)So the LORD has repaid me in accordance with my righteousness, In accordance with my cleanliness before His eyes.

-"^(C1)With the one who is faithful You show Yourself faithful, With the ^(F1)blameless one You prove Yourself ^(F1)blameless;

^(C1)With the one who is pure You show Yourself pure, ^(C2)But with the perverted You ^(F1)show Yourself astute.

-"^(C1)And You save an afflicted people; ^(C2)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You humiliate.

-"^(C1)For You are my lamp, LORD; And the LORD illuminates my darkness.

-"^(C1)For by You I can run at a ^(F1)troop of warriors; By my God I can leap over a wall.

-"^(C1)As for God, His way is ^(F1)blameless; ^(C2)The word of the LORD is refined; ^(C3)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

-"^(C1)For who is God, except the LORD? ^(C2)And who is a rock, except our God?

-"^(C1)God is my strong fortress; And He ^(F1)sets the ^(F2)blameless on ^(F3)His way.

-"^(C1)He makes ^(F1)my feet like deer's feet, ^(C2)And sets me on my high places.

-"^(C1)He trains my hands for battle, ^(C2)So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

-"You have also given me ^(C1)the shield of Your salvation, And Your ^(F1)help makes me great.

-"^(C1)You enlarge my steps under me, And my ^(F1)feet have not slipped.

-"I pursued my enemies and ^(C1)eliminated them, And I did not turn back until they were finished off.

-"And I have devoured them and smashed them, so that they would not rise; And ^(C1)they fell under my feet.

-"For You have encircled me with strength for battle; You have forced ^(C1)those who rose up against me to bow down under me.

-"You have also ^(C1)made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I ^(F1)destroyed those who hated me.

-"^(C1)They looked, but there was no one to save them; ^(C2)Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

-"^(C1)Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth; ^(C2)I crushed and trampled them like the mud of the streets.

-"^(C1)You have also saved me from the contentions of my people; ^(C2)You have kept me as head of the nations; ^(C3)A people I have not known serve me.

-"^(C1)Foreigners pretend to obey me; As soon as they hear, they obey me.

-"Foreigners lose heart, ^(C1)And ^(F1)come trembling out of their fortresses.

-"The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock; And exalted be ^(F1)(C1)my God, the rock of my salvation,

^(C1)The God who executes vengeance for me, ^(C2)And brings down peoples under me,

Who also brings me out from my enemies; You also raise me above ^(C1)those who rise up against me; ^(C2)You rescue me from the violent person.

-"^(C1)Therefore I will ^(F1)give thanks to You, LORD, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.

-"^(C1)He is a tower of ^(F1)salvation to His king, And ^(C2)shows favor to His anointed, ^(C3)To David and his ^(F2)descendants forever."