1 Quando Isbosete, o filho de Saul, soube que Abner tinha sido morto em Hebrom, as suas mãos desfaleceram; e todo o Israel ficou consternado. 2 Esse filho de Saul tinha a seu serviço dois homens, capitães de tropas. Um se chamava Baaná e o outro, Recabe. Eram filhos de Rimom, o beerotita, dos filhos de Benjamim, porque também a cidade de Beerote era considerada como pertencente a Benjamim. 3 Os beerotitas tinham fugido para Gitaim e ali vivem como estrangeiros até o dia de hoje.

4 Jônatas, filho de Saul, tinha um filho aleijado dos pés. Ele tinha cinco anos de idade quando de Jezreel chegaram as notícias da morte de Saul e de Jônatas. Então sua ama o pegou e fugiu. Aconteceu que, apressando-se ela a fugir, ele caiu e ficou manco. Seu nome era Mefibosete.

5 Recabe e Baaná, filhos de Rimom, beerotita, chegaram à casa de Isbosete, no maior calor do dia, estando este a dormir, ao meio-dia. 6 Ali, entraram para o interior da casa, como que vindo buscar trigo, e o feriram na barriga. Depois, Recabe e Baaná, seu irmão, fugiram. 7 Eles tinham entrado na casa enquanto Isbosete estava deitado em sua cama, no quarto de dormir, feriram-no e o mataram. Depois cortaram a cabeça dele e a levaram, andando toda a noite pelo caminho da planície. 8 Levaram a cabeça de Isbosete ao rei Davi, em Hebrom, e lhe disseram:

— Aqui está a cabeça de Isbosete, filho de seu inimigo Saul, que queria matá-lo. Assim, hoje o Senhor Deus vingou o rei, meu senhor, de Saul e da sua descendência.

9 Porém Davi respondeu a Recabe e a Baaná, seu irmão, filhos de Rimom, o beerotita, dizendo:

— Tão certo como vive o Senhor, que remiu a minha alma de toda a angústia, 10 quando alguém me trouxe a notícia de que Saul estava morto, pensando que me trazia uma boa notícia, como recompensa eu o agarrei e matei em Ziclague. 11 Muito mais agora que homens perversos mataram um homem justo em sua casa, deitado no seu leito, será que eu não requereria o sangue dele das mãos de vocês e não os exterminaria da face da terra?

12 Então Davi deu ordem aos seus moços e eles mataram Recabe e Baaná. Depois, cortaram as mãos e os pés deles, e os penduraram junto à cisterna em Hebrom. Porém pegaram a cabeça de Isbosete e a sepultaram no túmulo de Abner, em Hebrom.

1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.

2 Now Saul's son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin —Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,

3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.

6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,

10 when someone told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!

11 How much more —when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed —should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.