2 Samuel 21:1-6
2 Samuel 21:1-6 MSG
There was a famine in David’s time. It went on year after year after year—three years. David went to GOD seeking the reason. GOD said, “This is because there is blood on Saul and his house, from the time he massacred the Gibeonites.” So the king called the Gibeonites together for consultation. (The Gibeonites were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites, and protected by a treaty with Israel. But Saul, a fanatic for the honor of Israel and Judah, tried to kill them off.) David addressed the Gibeonites: “What can I do for you? How can I compensate you so that you will bless GOD’s legacy of land and people?” The Gibeonites replied, “We don’t want any money from Saul and his family. And it’s not up to us to put anyone in Israel to death.” But David persisted: “What are you saying I should do for you?” Then they told the king, “The man who tried to get rid of us, who schemed to wipe us off the map of Israel—well, let seven of his sons be handed over to us to be executed—hanged before GOD at Gibeah of Saul, the holy mountain.” And David agreed, “I’ll hand them over to you.”