1Lub sijhawm uas Daviv ua vajntxwv kav lub tebchaws muaj kev tshaib plab tau peb xyoo txwm nkaus. Yog li ntawd, Daviv thiaj mus nug tus TSWV txog zaj ntawd, tus TSWV hais tias, “Twb yog Xa-ules thiab nws tsevneeg ua txhaum vim lawv tua neeg; nws muab cov neeg hauv Nkinpe-oos tua tuag tas.” ( 2Cov neeg uas nyob hauv Nkinpe-oos tsis yog neeg Yixalayees; lawv yog cov neeg Amaules ib pab nyuag tsawg heev uas cov Yixalayees tau coglus rau lawv hais tias yuav tsomkwm lawv, tiamsis Xa-ules mus muab lawv tua tuag tas lawm, rau qhov Xa-ules mob siab heev rau cov Yixalayees thiab cov Yudas.) 3Yog li ntawd, Daviv caw cov Nkinpe-oos tuaj cuag nws thiab hais rau lawv hais tias, “Nej xav kom kuv ua dabtsi pab nej? Kuv yuav ua li cas thiaj pauj tau tej uas luag ua rau nej tas los lawm, nej thiaj yuav foom koob hmoov rau tus TSWV haivneeg.” 4Lawv teb hais tias, “Peb tau nrog Xa-ules thiab nws tsevneeg sib ceg txaus lawm, txawm yog yuav muab nyiaj muab kub los kho peb thiab muab cov Yixalayees ib tug twg tua pauj los peb yeej tsis txaus siab li.” Daviv thiaj nug hais tias, “Yog li ntawd, nej xav kom kuv ua dabtsi pab nej?” 5Lawv teb hais tias, “Xa-ules yeej xav muab peb tua kom tu noob nrho, tsis xav kom peb ib tug seem nyob rau hauv lub tebchaws Yixalayees no li. 6Yog li ntawd, yuav tsum muab nws xya tus tub xeebntxwv cob rau peb, thiab peb yuav muab lawv dai tabmeeg tus TSWV rau hauv lub nroog Nkinpe-as uas yog Xa-ules lub nroog uas tus TSWV tau xaiv nws ua vajntxwv.” Vajntxwv teb hais tias, “Kuv yuav muab lawv cob rau nej tes.” 7Tiamsis vim Daviv thiab Yaunathas tau coglus khov heev rau tus TSWV lawm, Daviv thiaj tseg Yaunathas tus tub Mefinpauses uas yog Xa-ules tus tub xeebntxwv cia. 8Txawm li ntawd, los Daviv tseem mus ntes Amaunis thiab Mefinpauses uas yog A-iyas tus ntxhais Lixepas ob tug tub uas nws yug rau Xa-ules; thiab Daviv mus ntes Xa-ules tus ntxhais Melas tsib tug tub uas Melas yug rau Npaxilais tus tub Aliyees hauv Mehaulas coj los rau lawv huv tibsi. 9Thiab Daviv muab lawv cob rau cov Nkinpe-oos. Cov Nkinpe-oos thiaj coj lawv mus dai tabmeeg tus TSWV, ces xya leej ntawd thiaj tuag ua ke huv tibsi lawm. Lawv raug tua tuag rau thaum lub caij ntuj nag tu uas tabtom pib hlais nplej. 10Xa-ules tus niamyau Lixepas uas yog A-iyas tus ntxhais thiaj muab ntaubtsaj coj mus rub ua ib lub tsev pheebsuab rau nws nyob saum lub pobzeb uas lawv tso cov tuag, thiab nws nyob hauv lub tsevntawd thaum pib hlais nplej mus txog rau thaum lub caij ntuj nag nqis. Nruab hnub nws zov tsis pub noog los ze cov tuag, thiab hmo ntuj nws zov tsis pub tej tsiaj los ze cov tuag ntawd. 11Thaum Daviv hnov tej uas Lixepas ua ntawd, 12Daviv thiaj mus muab Xa-ules thiab Xa-ules tus tub Yaunathas cov pobtxha ntawm cov Yanpes hauv Nkile-as los. (Lawv mus nyiag tej pob txha ntawd hauv lub plawv nroog Npethes Sas, ntawm qhov chaw uas cov Filitees muab Xa-ules thiab Yaunathas dai, hnub uas lawv tua Xa-ules tuag rau saum lub Roob Nkinpau-as ntag.) 13Daviv khaws Xa-ules, Yaunathas thiab xya tus txivneej uas luag muab dai nrog nkawd ua ke ntawd cov pobtxha nqa huv tibsi los. 14Ces lawv thiaj muab Xa-ules thiab Yaunathas nkawd cov pobtxha coj mus faus rau hauv Xa-ules txiv Kises lub qhov ntxa ntawm lub nroog Xelas hauv lub xeev Npeenyamees, lawv ua txhua yam raws li vajntxwv hais kom lawv ua. Tom qab ntawd Vajtswv thiaj teb tej lus uas lawv thov pab lawv lub tebchaws.
Ua Rog Rau Cov Filitees
15Cov Filitees thiab cov Yixalayees rov ua rog dua, ces Daviv thiab nws cov neeg thiaj mus tua cov Filitees. Thaum lawv tabtom sib tua ntawd Daviv tsaug muag heev. 16Muaj ib tug txivneej loj heev hu ua Inpinpenaus nqa ib rab hmuv tooj hnyav xya choj thiab rau las, thiab nws ris ib rab ntaj tshiab, nws xav hais tias nws yuav tua kom tau Daviv povtseg. 17Tiamsis Xeluyas tus tub Anpisais thiaj txav zog los pab Daviv ntaus tus neeg loj heev ntawd, thiab muab tua tuag kiag lawm. Daviv cov tubrog coglus rau Daviv kom nws tsis txhob nrog lawv mus tua rog ntxiv lawm. Lawv hais tias, “Peb cov Yixalayees cia siab rau koj xwb, peb tsis xav cia cov Yixalayees lub teeb tuag.” 18Tom qab no rov muaj kev sib tua nrog cov Filitees hauv lub nroog Nkaunpes dua, thaum ntawd Xinpekais uas nyob hauv Husas thiaj tua ib tug neeg loj heev uas hu ua Xelas tuag lawm thiab. 19Rov muaj kev sib tua nrog cov Filitees ntxiv hauv lub nroog Nkaunpes. Yailes tus tub Ehanas uas nyob hauv lub nroog Npelehees thiaj tua Nkauli-am uas nyob hauv lub nroog Nkas tuag, Nkauli-am muaj ib rab hmuv tus vos tuab ib yam li lub nqos ntos ntaub. 20Tseem rov muaj kev sib tua nyob hauv lub nroog Nkas, nyob hauv muaj ib tug txivneej loj siab nyiam sib tua heev. Nws ib sab tes muaj rau tus ntivtes thiab ib sab taw muaj rau tus ntivtaw. 21Nws tsawm foom cov Yixalayees, ces Yaunathas uas yog Daviv tijlaug tus tub Samas muab tus txivneej ntawd tua tuag kiag lawm. 22Plaub tug txivneej no yog cov neeg loj siab heev, lawv yeej yog cov neeg uas yug nyob hauv lub nroog Nkas, lawv raug Daviv thiab nws cov neeg muab tua tuag tas huv tibsi lawm.
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The Gibeonites Avenged
1During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?” 4The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.” “What do you want me to do for you?” David asked. 5They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.” So the king said, “I will give them to you.” 7The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,⚓ whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. 10Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. 11When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) 13David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. 14They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
Wars Against the Philistines
15Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels⚓ and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.” 18In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha. 19In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair⚓ the Bethlehemite killed the brother of⚓ Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod. 20In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him. 22These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.