2 Samuel 4
1And
when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2And 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.
3And the Beerothites
fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
4And
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.
5And
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.
6And 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.
7For 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.
9And 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,
10When 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:
11How 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?
12And 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.
