Famine And Restitution

1There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh said, “It is because of Saul and his bloodguilty house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the sons of Israel, but from the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them. But Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.

3David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you, and with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?”

4The Gibeonites said to him, “We have no claim for silver or gold against Saul or against his house, and it is not for us to put any man in Israel to death.” Then he said, “What do you say that I should do for you?”

5They said to the king, “The man who consumed us, and who planned against us, so that we should be destroyed from having a place within all the territory of Israel—”

6Let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will impale them before Yahweh at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Yahweh.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

7But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of Yahweh that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

8So the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul—Armoni and Mephibosheth—and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

9He gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before Yahweh, and the seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.