וַיְהִי רָעָב בִּימֵי דָוִד שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים שָׁנָה אַחֲרֵי שָׁנָה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת פְּנֵי ה'וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל שָׁאוּל וְאֶל בֵּית הַדָּמִים עַל אֲשֶׁר הֵמִית אֶת הַגִּבְעֹנִים

There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. In the Land of Israel, which lacks large sources of crops and water, three consecutive years of famine is a disaster. David entreated of the Lord, probably by means of the Urim and the Tumim, in order to discover the cause of the famine. The Lord said: For Saul, and for the bloody house of his, in that he put the Givonites to death.

וַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ לַגִּבְעֹנִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם וְהַגִּבְעֹנִים לֹא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה כִּי אִם מִיֶּתֶר הָאֱמֹרִי וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבְּעוּ לָהֶם וַיְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל לְהַכֹּתָם בְּקַנֹּאתוֹ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה

Since the famine was caused by a sin against the Givonites, it was necessary to atone for the wrongdoing by placating them. The king called the Givonites and spoke with them, and here the verse interjects with a parenthetical aside: The Givonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Emorites, and the children of Israel had taken an oath to them in the time of Joshua that they would not kill them. Although the Givonites had deceived Joshua, once the people of Israel had sworn not to harm them, they came under their protection and were assigned menial tasks in maintenance of the Tabernacle. Saul sought to smite them in his zealotry for the children of Israel and Judah.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל הַגִּבְעֹנִים מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם וּבַמָּה אֲכַפֵּר וּבָרְכוּ אֶת נַחֲלַת ה'

David said to the Givonites: What shall I do for you? With what shall I atone for the transgression that was committed against you, that you will bring blessing on the inheritance of the Lord? When you forgive us, salvation and blessing will return to Israel.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ הַגִּבְעֹנִים אֵין לָנוּ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב עִם שָׁאוּל וְעִם בֵּיתוֹ וְאֵין לָנוּ אִישׁ לְהָמִית בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר מָה אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם

The Givonites said to him: We have no silver or gold against Saul, or against his house. We have no monetary claim against Saul at all, and we are not interested in compensation. In practical terms, this meant that they would not be satisfied with a financial payment. And we would not have any man in Israel put to death. We have no claim against the nation as a whole, as it was not their fault. He said: You are still hurt. Sometimes a payment given to the relatives of victims can lessen their sense of grievance, but you claim that you will not accept any money from the house of Saul. What, then, do you say that I should do for you?

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כִּלָּנוּ וַאֲשֶׁר דִּמָּה לָנוּ נִשְׁמַדְנוּ מֵהִתְיַצֵּב בְּכָל גְּבֻל יִשְׂרָאֵל

They said to the king: The man who eliminated us, and who devised against us, so that we would be destroyed from standing, who sought to prevent us from existing within the entire border of Israel; he himself is no longer alive, only his descendants remain.

יֻתַּן לָנוּ שִׁבְעָה אֲנָשִׁים מִבָּנָיו וְהוֹקַעֲנוּם לַה' בְּגִבְעַת שָׁאוּל בְּחִיר ה' וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲנִי אֶתֵּן

Therefore, let seven men of his sons, descendants, be given to us, in revenge for those of us whom he killed, and we will kill them and impale them before the Lord, in Giva of Saul, chosen of the Lord. The king said: If there is no other choice, I will give them to you. It is likely that David tried to negotiate with the Givonites and to appease them with a monetary ransom, but they would be satisfied with nothing less than blood vengeance.

וַיַּחְמֹל הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל מְפִי בֹשֶׁת בֶּן יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן שָׁאוּל עַל שְׁבֻעַת ה' אֲשֶׁר בֵּינֹתָם בֵּין דָּוִד וּבֵין יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן שָׁאוּל

The king had compassion for Mefivoshet, son of Yehonatan, son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Yehonatan son of Saul. David protected Mefivoshet, due to the oath he had taken to his father.

וַיִּקַּח הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי רִצְפָּה בַת אַיָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְשָׁאוּל אֶת אַרְמֹנִי וְאֶת מְפִבֹשֶׁת וְאֶת חֲמֵשֶׁת בְּנֵי מִיכַל בַּת שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְעַדְרִיאֵל בֶּן בַּרְזִלַּי הַמְּחֹלָתִי

The king took the two sons of Ritzpa daughter of Aya, a concubine, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mefivoshet. Although these individuals did not have the full legal status of heirs, they were still Saul’s sons; and the five sons of Mikhal daughter of Saul, whom she had born to Adriel son of Barzilai the Meholatite.

וַיִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד הַגִּבְעֹנִים וַיֹּקִיעֻם בָּהָר לִפְנֵי ה' וַיִּפְּלוּ שְׁבַעְתָּם יָחַד וְהֵמָּה הֻמְתוּ בִּימֵי קָצִיר בָּרִאשֹׁנִים בִּתְחִלַּת קְצִיר שְׂעֹרִים

He gave them into the hand of the Givonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the Lord. The seven of them fell, were struck, together, and they were put to death during the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest, around the time of the festival of Passover.

וַתִּקַּח רִצְפָּה בַת אַיָּה אֶת הַשַּׂק וַתַּטֵּהוּ לָהּ אֶל הַצּוּר מִתְּחִלַּת קָצִיר עַד נִתַּךְ מַיִם עֲלֵיהֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם וְלֹא נָתְנָה עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם לָנוּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹמָם וְאֶת חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה לָיְלָה

Ritzpa daughter of Aya took sackcloth, and spread it as a tent for herself over the rock on the mountain on which they were impaled, and she slept there for a long period, from the beginning of harvest until water dripped upon them, the corpses, from the heavens, until the rainy season. She did not allow the birds of the heavens to rest upon them by day, and the beasts of the field by night. This mother passionately protected the corpses of her slain sons for many months, so that their bodies would not be disgraced and profaned.

וַיֻּגַּד לְדָוִד אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה רִצְפָּה בַת אַיָּה פִּלֶגֶשׁ שָׁאוּל

It was reported to David that which Ritzpa daughter of Aya, concubine of Saul, had done. Her dedicated protection of the bodies of her sons led David to think not only of the living, but of the dead as well. He therefore sought to take action to preserve the memory of Saul:

וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַיִּקַּח אֶת עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ מֵאֵת בַּעֲלֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֲשֶׁר גָּנְבוּ אֹתָם מֵרְחֹב בֵּית שַׁן אֲשֶׁר תְּלָאוּם שָׁמָּה פְּלִשְׁתִּים בְּיוֹם הַכּוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים אֶת שָׁאוּל בַּגִּלְבֹּעַ

David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Yehonatan his son from the men, the leaders, of Yavesh Gilad, who had stolen them from the square of Beit Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines smote Saul in Gilboa. In a public display designed to humiliate, similar to the hanging by the Givonites, the Philistines had suspended the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beit Shan, a Philistine stronghold at the time. A short while later, the men of Yavesh Gilad stole the bodies and brought them back to their city for burial. They did so as a mark of gratitude to Saul, who had saved them from the Amonites. After the passage of many stormy, bitter years, David decided to do what was right, in their memory.

וַיַּעַל מִשָּׁם אֶת עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹת הַמּוּקָעִים

He took up from there, Yavesh Gilad, the bones of Saul and the bones of Yehonatan his son, and they also collected the bones of the impaled, the sons of Saul.

וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן בְּצֵלָע בְּקֶבֶר קִישׁ אָבִיו וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּעָתֵר אֱלֹהִים לָאָרֶץ אַחֲרֵי כֵן

They buried the bones of Saul and Yehonatan his son in the land of Benjamin in Tzela, in the grave of Kish his father, while they buried the rest of Saul’s descendants nearby. They did everything that the king commanded, that Saul and Yehonatan should be buried in a dignified manner in their ancestral plots. And God acceded to the entreaty of the land thereafter. Once the Givonites had been mollified, and the bones of Saul and his family had been restored to their proper place, God responded by bringing rainfall to the land.

וַתְּהִי עוֹד מִלְחָמָה לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּרֶד דָּוִד וַעֲבָדָיו עִמּוֹ וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּעַף דָּוִד

There was another war of the Philistines with Israel, and David went down and his servants were with him; they waged war against the Philistines, and David grew faint [vayaaf]. The king weakened, and his ability to stand firm was diminished during the battles. Although vayaaf literally means that he grew tired, in many places in the Bible ayef refers to weakness and inability to maintain one’s position due to hunger, thirst, or a great expenditure of effort.

וְיִשְׁבִּי בְנֹב אֲשֶׁר בִּילִידֵי הָרָפָה וּמִשְׁקַל קֵינוֹ שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת מִשְׁקַל נְחֹשֶׁת וְהוּא חָגוּר חֲדָשָׁה וַיֹּאמֶר לְהַכּוֹת אֶת דָּוִד

Yishbi of Nov, the man Yishbi of the city of Nov, in Philistine territory, who was of the offspring of the giant [rafa], singular for Refaim, the race of giants mentioned on several occasions in the Bible, and the weight of his spearhead, or a similar weapon, was three hundred shekels in its weight of bronze, roughly 60 kg, and he was girded with new armor, said he would smite David. He intended to strike the king, who was not at his full strength at the time. After Joshua’s conquest of the land, the verse states: “No giants remained in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gat, and in Ashdod.” Yishbi might have been the last surviving member of his family.

וַיַּעֲזָר לוֹ אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן צְרוּיָה וַיַּךְ אֶת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיְמִיתֵהוּ אָז נִשְׁבְּעוּ אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד לוֹ לֵאמֹר לֹא תֵצֵא עוֹד אִתָּנוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא תְכַבֶּה אֶת נֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל

Avishai son of Tzeruya came to his, David’s, aid and smote the Philistine and put him to death. Then David’s men took an oath to him, saying: You will not go out with us to battle any longer and you will thereby not extinguish the lamp of Israel. We cannot allow you to expose yourself to further danger on the battlefield.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי כֵן וַתְּהִי עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹב עִם פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָז הִכָּה סִבְּכַי הַחֻשָׁתִי אֶת סַף אֲשֶׁר בִּילִדֵי הָרָפָה

It was thereafter that there was another war with the Philistines in Gov. Then Sibekhai the Hushatite, one of David’s mighty warriors, from a place called Husha, smote Saf, who was also of the offspring of the giant, a brother or some other relative of Yishbi.

וַתְּהִי עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹב עִם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ אֶלְחָנָן בֶּן יַעְרֵי אֹרְגִים בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי אֵת גָּלְיָת הַגִּתִּי וְעֵץ חֲנִיתוֹ כִּמְנוֹר אֹרְגִים

There was another war in Gov with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Yaarei Oregim, probably from a family of weavers [orgim], the Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gitite, and the shaft of his spear was very large, like a weaver’s beam, part of the loom, upon which the warp threads are wrapped.

וַתְּהִי עוֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגַת וַיְהִי אִישׁ מָדוֹן וְאֶצְבְּעֹת יָדָיו וְאֶצְבְּעֹת רַגְלָיו שֵׁשׁ וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע מִסְפָּר וְגַם הוּא יֻלַּד לְהָרָפָה

There was another war, in Gat. There was a ferocious man, whom the Philistines positioned prominently, in order to frighten the enemy. It is unclear whether the giants were truly the strongest or bravest of men, but whatever the case, all were scared by their size, as well as their unusual body proportions: And the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet were six each, twenty-four in number; he too was born to the giant.

וַיְחָרֵף אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכֵּהוּ יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן שִׁמְעָה אֲחִי דָוִד

He taunted Israel; he too, like Goliath, stood as a Philistine champion and insulted the army of Israel, and Yehonatan, son of Shima, David’s brother smote him.

אֶת אַרְבַּעַת אֵלֶּה יֻלְּדוּ לְהָרָפָה בְּגַת וַיִּפְּלוּ בְיַד דָּוִד וּבְיַד עֲבָדָיו

These four were born to the giant in Gat and fell in various battles at the hand of David, and at the hand of his servants.