2 Samuel 4 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost all his nerve, and everyone in Israel was shaken.

Now Ish-Bosheth's son Saul had two men who led raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab — sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, who were Benjaminites. (Beeroth is counted as part of Benjamin's territory,

because the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim, where they've lived as foreigners ever since.)

Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her rush to escape, he fell and became permanently lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

Rechab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at Ish-Bosheth's house during the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest.

They came right into the middle of the house, pretending to get wheat, and stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

They had come into the house while he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They struck him down, killed him, and cut off his head. Then they took his head and traveled all night through the Jordan Valley.

They brought Ish-Bosheth's head to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who was trying to kill you. Today Yahweh has given my lord the king payback against Saul and his whole family."

But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As Yahweh lives — the one who has rescued me from every threat —

when the man who told me 'Saul is dead' thought he was bringing good news, I grabbed him and executed him at Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his 'good news.'

How much more, then, when wicked men have murdered a good man in his own house, on his own bed! So now — shouldn't I demand his blood from your hands and wipe you off the earth?"

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