American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame of his feet.
And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, be witness: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee?
Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not;
but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David's enemies.
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, {Or, by his love toward him}for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took {Or, Metheg-ammah.}the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.
And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at {Another reading is, the river Euphrates.}the River.
And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
And when {Hebrew: Aram.}the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of {Hebrew: Aram.}the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.
Then David put garrisons in {Hebrew: Aram.}Syria of Damascus; and {Hebrew: Aram.}the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah {Or, saved David}gave victory to David whithersoever he went.
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
And from {In 1 Chronicles 18:8, Tibhath.}Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.
And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,
then Toi sent {In 1 Chronicles 18:10, Hadoram.}Joram his son unto king David, to {Hebrew: ask him of his welfare.}salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him: for Hadadezer {Hebrew: was a man of wars.}had wars with Toi. And {Hebrew: in his hand were.}Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:
these also did king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued;
of {Hebrew: Aram.}Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting {Edom, in 1 Chronicles 18:11, 12; Psalm 60 title.}the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men.
And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went.
And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.
And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was {Or, chronicler}recorder;
and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was {Or, secretary}scribe;
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada {So in chapter 20.23, and 1 Chronicles 18:17. The Hebrew text has, and the Cherethites &c.}was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were {Or, priests}chief ministers.
But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared,
For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
And when Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
And Ish-bosheth, 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 the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin:
and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until this day).
Now 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 {In 1 Chronicles 8:34; 9:40, Merib-baal.}Mephibosheth.
And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
And {Or, there came…men fetching wheat}they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life; and Jehovah hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
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, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings.
How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.
Now 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 {In 1 Chronicles 8:34; 9:40, Merib-baal.}Mephibosheth.