at he would be reconciled to
them, and free the multitude from their miseries. As soon therefore as
the king understood that this it was which God sought, he sent for the
Gibeonites, and asked them what it was they should have; and when they
desired to have seven sons of Saul delivered to them to be punished, he
delivered them up, but spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan. So when
the Gibeonites had received the men, they punished them as they pleased;
upon which God began to send rain, and to recover the earth to bring
forth its fruits as usual, and to free it from the foregoing drought, so
that the country of the Hebrews flourished again. A little afterward
the king made war against the Philistines; and when he had joined battle
with them, and put them to flight, he was left alone, as he was in
pursuit of them; and when he was quite tired down, he was seen by one of
the enemy, his name was Achmon, the son of Araph, he was one of the sons
of the giants. He had a spear, the handle of which weighed three hundred
shekels, and a breastplate of chain-work, and a sword. He turned back,
and ran violently to slay [David] their enemy's king, for he was quite
tired out with labor; but Abishai, Joab's brother, appeared on the
sudden, and protected the king with his shield, as he lay down, and slew
the enemy. Now the multitude were very uneasy at these dangers of the
king, and that he was very near to be slain; and the rulers made him
swear that he would no more go out with them to battle, lest he should
come to some great misfortune by his courage and boldness, and thereby
deprive the people of the benefits they now enjoyed by his means, and
of those that they might hereafter enjoy by his living a long time among
them.

2. When the king heard that the Philistines were gathered together
at the city Gazara, he sent an army against them, when Sibbechai the
Hittite, one of David's most courageous men, behaved himself so as to
deserve great commendation, for he slew many of those that bragged they
were the posterity of the giants, and vaunted themselves highly on that
account, and thereby was the occasion of victory to the Hebrews. After
which defeat, the Philistines made war again; and when David had sent an
army against them, Nephan his kinsman fought in a single combat with
the stoutest of all the Philistines, and slew him, and put the rest to
flight. Many of them also were slain in the fight. Now a little while
after this, the P