2 Samuel 4:1-12
1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the othera Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:
3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.b
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
Now when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all of Israel was troubled. And Saul's son had two men that were the captains of his bands (2 Samuel 4:1-2):
These two men came into the palace as though they were gonna get some wheat, and then they jumped on him while he was taking his afternoon nap. They smote him under the fifth rib, a common phrase, it means they ran him through the heart. They escaped, they cut off his head and escaped. They came running to David with the head of Ishbosheth.
So they said to David, Behold here is the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul your enemy, which sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. And David answered [these two generals] Rechab and Baanah his brother, and said to them, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, When a young man told me that Saul was dead, thinking that he was bringing good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him there at Ziklag, when he thought that I was gonna give him a reward for those tidings: How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hands, and take you away from the earth? And so David commanded his young men, and they slew them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and they buried it there in the grave of Abner there in Hebron (2 Samuel 4:8-12).
So David again showed that he was not trying to promote himself, and punished these men who did this dastardly deed to Ishbosheth. "