¹When Saul ’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron , his hands became feeble , and all the Israelites were troubled.

²Saul ’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands . The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab , the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is considered a part of Benjamin ;

³and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim , and have lived as foreigners there until today ).

⁴Now Jonathan , Saul ’s son , had a son who was lame in his feet . He was five years old when the news came about Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel ; and his nurse picked him up and fled . As she hurried to flee , he fell and became lame . His name was Mephibosheth .

⁵The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah , went out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth as he took his rest at noon .

⁶They came there into the middle of the house as though they would have fetched wheat , and they struck him in the body; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped .

⁷Now when they came into the house as he lay on his bed in his bedroom , they struck him , killed him , beheaded him , and took his head , and went by the way of the Arabah all night .

⁸They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron , and said to the king , “Behold , the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul , your enemy, who sought your life ! The LORD has avenged my lord the king today of Saul and of his offspring .”[#4:8 or, seed]

⁹David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them , “As the LORD lives , who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity ,

¹⁰when someone told me , ‘Behold , Saul is dead ,’ thinking that he brought good news , I seized him and killed him in Ziklag , which was the reward I gave him for his news .

¹¹How much more , when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed , should I not now require his blood from your hand , and rid the earth of you ?”

¹²David commanded his young men , and they killed them , cut off their hands and their feet , and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron . But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron .