2 Samuel 4:5-6 New English Translation

⁵Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite—Recab and Baanah—went at the hottest part of the day to the home of Ish Bosheth, as he was enjoying his midday rest. ⁶They^[a] entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat^[b] and mortally wounded him^[c] in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 4:6 tc For the MT’s וְהֵנָּה (v^ehennah, “and they,” feminine) read וְהִנֵּה (v^ehinneh, “and behold”). See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum.
2 Samuel 4:6 tc The LXX (followed by NLT) reads, “behold the house doorkeeper was cleaning wheat and became drowsy and fell asleep and the brothers Rekcha and Baana avoided notice.” Josephus refers to the LXX with a slight expansion on the tradition in Ant. 7:48. The last sentence appears to follow the Hebrew MT, although understanding the final verb נִמְלָטוּ (nimlatu; Niphal of מָלַט, malat) “to escape” as “escaping notice” is without parallel. The beginning of the verse in the LXX shares at least the words “midst of house” and “wheat” with the Hebrew MT. What sort of textual corruption through common scribal copying errors could lead to the different texts is unclear.tn Heb “taking wheat.” The reference to getting wheat is obscure and traditionally inferred to mean that they came under the pretense of obtaining wheat (KJV, ESV, NASB, NIV, Holman). However the plausibility of this scenario is not culturally certain.
2 Samuel 4:6 tn Heb “and they struck him down.”

New English Translation (NET)