Open English Translation 2SA Chapter 4

4 When Sha’ul’s son Iysh-Boshet heard that Abner had been killed in Hebron, he lost courage and all Israel was horrified. 2 He had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. They were Rimmon’s sons Baanah and Rekav from Beerot in the Benyamite region, 3 but the people from Beerot had fled to Gittaim where they’ve stayed until now.

4 (Sha’ul’s son Yonatan had a son named Mefiboshet. He was five years old when the report about Sha’ul and Yonatan’s death came from Yezreel. Mefiboshet’s nanny picked him up to run to safety, but in her hurry he fell and became crippled in his legs.)[ref]

5 One day, Baanah and Rekav (the sons of Rimmon from Beerot) walked to Iysh-boshet’s house, arriving in the middle of the day when he was taking a nap.6-7 6-7They entered the middle of the house as if getting wheat, then entered the inner room where @Iysh-Boshet was on the bed. They struck him in the body, killing him, then they cut off his head. Then Rekav and Baanah took the head and escaped, and walked all night through the Arabah. 8 They took Iysh-Boshet’s head to David at Hebron and told the king, “Look, here’s the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Sha’ul who tried to kill you. Today Yahweh’s given vengeance to my master the king against Sha’ul and his descendants.”

9 Then David answered Rekav and his brother Baanah (the sons of Rimmon from Beerot), “As Yahweh lives, having delivered my life from every distress, 10 when the messenger came to Tsiklag thinking he was bringing me good news and told me that Sha’ul was dead, I had him seized and executed.[ref] 11 Now how much more when wicked men have killed an innocent man on his bed in his own house. Shouldn’t I avenge you two for his murder and remove you from the earth?” 12 Then David commanded some of the young men and they killed the two brothers and cut of their hands and feet and hung them[fn] beside the Hebron pool, but they took Iysh-Boshet’s head and buried it there in Hebron in Abner’s tomb.