مقتل إيشبوشث
1 وسمِعَ إيشبوشَثُ بنُ شاوُلَ بموتِ أبنيرَ في حَبرونَ، فخارت عزيمَتُهُ وارتاعَ جميعُ بـيتِ إِسرائيلَ. 2 وكانَ لإيشبوشثَ رجُلانِ يقودانِ الغُزاةَ، اسمُ الواحدِ بَعنَةُ والآخَرُ ريكابُ، وهُما ابنا رِمُّونَ البَئيروتيِّ مِنْ بَني بنيامينَ. وكانَت بَئيروتُ مِنْ مُدُنِ بَني بنيامينَ، 3 فهرَبَ أهلُها إلى جتَّايمَ وفيها نَزَلوا إلى هذا اليومِ.
4 وكانَ ليوناثانَ بنِ شاوُلَ ابنٌ اسمُه مَفيـبوشَثُ، وكانَ ابنَ خمْسِ سنينَ حينَ جاءَ خبَرُ موتِ شاوُلَ ويوناثانَ مِنْ يَزرَعيلَ، فحمَلَتهُ حاضِنتُهُ وهرَبَت بهِ، فوقَعَ وصارَ أعرَجَ.
5 فذهبَ ابنا رِمُّونَ البَئيروتيِّ، ريكابُ وبَعنَةُ، ودَخَلا بـيتَ إيشبوشثَ بنِ شاوُلَ في حَرِّ النَّهارِ وكانَ نائِما يَستريحُ. 6 وكانَتْ حارِسَةُ البَيتِ نامت وهيَ تُنَقِّي الحِنطَةَ. فتسَلَّلَ ريكابُ وأخوهُ 7 إلى داخِلِ البَيتِ حيثُ كانَ إيشبوشَثُ نائِما على سريرهِ في غُرفةِ نومِهِ، فضرَباهُ بالسَّيفِ وقَتلاهُ وقَطَعا رأسَهُ وأخَذاهُ وسارا في طريقِ غَورِ الأردُنِّ طولَ اللَّيلِ. 8 وأتَيا برأسِ إيشبوشثَ إلى داوُدَ المَلِكِ في حَبرونَ وقالا لَه: «ها رأسُ إيشبوشثَ بنِ شاوُلَ عدُوِّكَ الّذي طلبَ حياتَكَ. وبذلِكَ انتَقَمَ الرّبُّ لكَ اليومَ، يا سيّدَنا المَلِك، مِنْ شاوُلَ ومِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِه». 9 فقالَ لهما داوُدُ: «حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ الّذي خلَّصَني مِنْ كُلِّ ضيقٍ 10 إنَّ الّذي أخبَرَني بموتِ شاوُلَ، وهوَ يظُنُّ أنَّه يُبشِّرُني بِـخَيرٍ، قبَضتُ علَيهِ وقتَلتُهُ في صِقْلَغَ جَزاءً لِما قالَ. 11 فماذا يكونُ جَزاءُ رَجُلينِ ظالِمَينِ قتَلا بَريئا في بَيتِهِ على سريرِهِ؟ ألا أثأرُ لِدَمِه مِنكُما وأُبـيدُكُما مِنَ الأرضِ؟» 12 وأمرَ داوُدُ حرَسَهُ فقَتلوهُما وقطَعوا أيديَهما وأرجُلَهما وعَلَّقوهُما على بِركَةِ حَبرونَ. وأمَّا رأسُ إيشبوشثَ فأخَذوهُ ودفَنوهُ في قبرِ أبنيرَ بِـحَبرونَ.
Ishbosheth Is Killed
1 Ishbosheth felt like giving up after he heard that Abner had died in Hebron. Everyone in Israel was terrified.
2 Ishbosheth had put the two brothers Baanah and Rechab in charge of the soldiers who raided enemy villages. Rimmon was their father, and they were from the town of Beeroth, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. 3 The people who used to live in Beeroth had run away to Gittaim, and they still live there.
4 Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who had not been able to walk since he was five years old. It happened when someone from Jezreel told his nurse that Saul and Jonathan had died. She hurried off with the boy in her arms, but he fell and injured his legs.
5 One day about noon, Rechab and Baanah went to Ishbosheth's house. It was a hot day, and he was resting 6-7 in his bedroom. The two brothers went into the house, pretending to get some flour. But once they were inside, they stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach and killed him. Then they cut off his head and took it with them.
Rechab and Baanah walked through the Jordan River valley all night long. 8 Finally they turned west and went to Hebron. They went in to see David and told him, “Your Majesty, here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you! The Lord has let you get even with Saul and his family.”
9 David answered:
I swear that only the Lord rescues me when I'm in trouble! 10 When a man came to Ziklag and told me that Saul was dead, he thought he deserved a reward for bringing good news. But I grabbed him and killed him.
11 You evil men have done something much worse than he did. You've killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed. I'll make you pay for that. I'll wipe you from the face of the earth!
12 Then David said to his troops, “Kill these two brothers! Cut off their hands and feet and hang their bodies by the pool in Hebron. But bury Ishbosheth's head in Abner's tomb near Hebron.” And they did.