1 When Ish-boshethtn The MT does not specify the subject of the verb here, but the reference is to Ish-bosheth, so the name has been supplied in the translation for clarity. 4QSama and the LXX mistakenly read “Mephibosheth.” the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened,tn Heb “his hands went slack.” and all Israel was afraid.

2 Now Saul’s sontc The present translation, “Saul’s son had two men,” is based on the reading “to the son of Saul,” rather than the MT’s “the son of Saul.” The context requires the preposition to indicate the family relationship. had two men who were in charge of raiding units; one was named Baanah and the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who was a Benjaminite. (Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin,

3 for the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have remained there as resident foreigners until the present time.)tn Heb “until this day.”

4 Now Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to get away, he fell and was injured.tn Heb “and was lame.” Mephibosheth was his name.

5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite – Recab and Baanah – went at the hottest part of the day to the home of Ish-bosheth, as he was enjoying his midday rest.

6 Theytc For the MT’s וְהֵנָּה (vÿhennah, “and they,” feminine) read וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and behold”). See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum. entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally wounded himtn Heb “and they struck him down.” in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.

7 They had enteredtn After the concluding disjunctive clause at the end of v. 6, the author now begins a more detailed account of the murder and its aftermath. the house while Ish-boshethtn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity. was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded himtn Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys. and then cut off his head.tn Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words. Taking his head,tc The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.” they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron, saying to the king, “Look! The head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life! The Lord has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day againsttn Heb “from.” Saul and his descendants!”

9 David replied to Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered my life from all adversity,

10 when someone told me that Saul was dead – even though he thought he was bringing good newstn Heb “and he was like a bearer of good news in his eyes.” – I seized him and killed him in Ziklag. That was the good news I gave to him!

11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slepttn Heb “on his bed.” in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and removetn See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער. Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to burn; to consume.” you from the earth?”

12 So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death. Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung themtn The antecedent of the pronoun “them” (which is not present in the Hebrew text, but implied) is not entirely clear. Presumably it is the corpses that were hung and not merely the detached hands and feet; cf. NIV “hung the (their NRSV, NLT) bodies”; the alternative is represented by TEV “cut off their hands and feet, which they hung up.” near the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-boshethtc 4QSama mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here. and buried it in the tomb of Abnertc The LXX adds “the son of Ner” by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere. in Hebron.tc Some mss of the LXX lack the phrase “in Hebron.”