2 Samuel 4

1When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands slackened, and all Israel panicked.

2Two men were captains of bands for Saul's son—one's name Baanah, the other's Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the sons of Benjamin, for Beeroth too is reckoned to Benjamin.

3The Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.

4Jonathan, Saul's son, had a lame-footed son who was five years old when word of Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel, and his nurse lifted him and fled; as she hurried to escape, he fell and became lame, and his name was Mephibosheth.

5Rechab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at Ish-bosheth's house in the heat of the day, as he lay on the bed at noon.

6They came there into the middle of the house as if to take wheat and struck him at the fifth; Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7They entered the house where he lay on his bed in his bedroom, struck him and killed him, removed his head and took it, and went the way of the Arabah all night.

8They brought Ish-bosheth's head to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; Yahweh has granted vengeance to my lord the king today from Saul and his offspring."

9David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress."

10When a man told me, "Look, Saul is dead," considering himself a bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings.

11How much more, when wicked men killed a righteous man in his house on his bed? Will I not now require his blood from your hand and remove you from the earth?

12David commanded the young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up over the pool in Hebron. They took Ish-bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's grave in Hebron.