1 Quando Isbosete, filho de Saul, soube da morte de Abner em Hebrom, perdeu completamente o ânimo, e todo o Israel ficou sem reação. 2 Dois de seus irmãos, Baaná e Recabe, eram capitães dos grupos de ataque de Isbosete. Eram filhos de Rimom, membro da tribo de Benjamim, que vivia em Beerote. A cidade de Beerote fazia parte do território de Benjamim, 3 pois seus habitantes originais fugiram para Gitaim, onde ainda vivem como estrangeiros.
4 (Jônatas, filho de Saul, tinha um filho chamado Mefibosete, que ficou aleijado quando era criança. Mefibosete tinha 5 anos quando chegou de Jezreel a notícia de que Saul e Jônatas haviam sido mortos na batalha. Ao ouvir isso, a ama do menino o tomou nos braços e fugiu. Na pressa, porém, deixou-o cair, e ele ficou aleijado.)
5 Certo dia, Recabe e Baaná, filhos de Rimom, de Beerote, foram à casa de Isbosete por volta do meio-dia, quando ele estava descansando. 6 A mulher que ficava à porta estava peneirando trigo, mas ficou sonolenta e cochilou. Então Recabe e Baaná passaram por ela sem serem notados 7 e entraram na casa, onde encontraram Isbosete dormindo em sua cama. Eles o feriram e o mataram, e depois cortaram sua cabeça. Então, levando a cabeça, fugiram durante a noite pelo vale do Jordão. 8 Chegando a Hebrom, entregaram a cabeça de Isbosete a Davi. "Veja!", disseram ao rei. "Aqui está a cabeça de Isbosete, filho de seu inimigo, Saul, que tentou matá-lo. Hoje o Senhor concedeu ao rei vingança sobre Saul e toda a sua família!"
9 Davi, porém, disse a Recabe e Baaná, filhos de Rimom, de Beerote: "O Senhor, que me tem livrado de todos os meus sofrimentos, é minha testemunha. 10 Quando alguém me informou que Saul estava morto, pensando que trazia uma boa notícia, eu o agarrei e o matei em Ziclague. Foi essa a recompensa que recebeu pela notícia! 11 Quanto mais devo recompensar os perversos que mataram um homem inocente em sua própria casa e em sua própria cama? Não devo responsabilizá-los pela morte dele e eliminá-los da face da terra?".
12 Então Davi ordenou a seus soldados que os matassem, e assim eles fizeram. Cortaram as mãos e os pés deles e penduraram os corpos junto à represa em Hebrom. Depois, 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.