2 Samuel 21:9-10

21:9 He turned them over to the Gibeonites, and they executed them on a hill before the Lord. The seven of them ¹  died ²  together; they were put to death during harvest time – during the first days of the beginning ³  of the barley harvest.

21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them, ⁴  she did not allow the birds of the air to feed ⁵  on them by day, nor the wild animals ⁶  by night.

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¹ tc The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁבַעְתָּם (shÿva’tam, “the seven of them”) rather than MT שִׁבַעְתִּים (shiva’tim, “seventy”).

² tn Heb “fell.”

³ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading בִּתְחִלַּת (bithkhillat, “in the beginning”) rather than MT תְחִלַּת (tÿkhillat, “beginning of”).

⁴ tn Heb “until water was poured on them from the sky.”

⁵ tn Heb “rest.”

⁶ tn Heb “the beasts of the field.”