*What has the best rendition of 2 Samuel 4:6-7? the Masoretic? LXX? Peshitta Tanakh?*
In his _The David Story_, 218, Robert Alter notes that the Masoretic Text "at this point is simply not viable." It literally reads, "and they [feminine pronoun!] came into the midst of the house, taking wheat [?], and they struck him in the belly, and Rechab and Baanah his brother got away." See
https://preview.tinyurl.com/yxeg3sz2
which redirects to
https://books.google.com/books?id=iYjlHa...g=PA218&dq="the+woman+who+kept+the+gate"&source=bl&ots=VEMYq_bJHi&sig=ACfU3U23y3vBrYvhVsAPaxHhTnl36ii4IQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizk6Ldt5bhAhXyuFkKHQgTAy0Q6AEwAXoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q="the%20woman%20who%20kept%20the%20gate"&f=false
2 Samuel 4 (JPS Tanakh 1917), https://biblehub.com/jps/2_samuel/4.htm
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the groin; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7 Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bed-chamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron....
2 Samuel 4 (Brenton Septuagint Translation), https://biblehub.com/sep/2_samuel/4.htm
5 And Rechab and Baana the sons of Remmon the Berothite went, and they came in the heat of the day into the house of Jebosthe; and he was sleeping on a bed at noon.
6 And, behold, the porter of the house winnowed wheat, and he slumbered and slept: and the brothers Rechab and Baana went privily into the house:
7 And Jebosthe was sleeping on his bed in his chamber: and they smite him, and slay him, and take off his head: and they took his head, and went all the night by the western road.
8 And they brought the head of Jebosthe to David to Chebron....
2 Samuel 4 (Peshitta Tanakh, Lamsa translation), http://superbook.org/LAMSA/2SA/2sa4.htm
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baana, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ashbashul as he was taking his noontide rest.
6 And behold, they came into the midst of the house;
then those sons of wickedness took and smote him in his abdomen;
and Rechab and Banna his brother escaped.
7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him and slew him and beheaded him, and took his head and fled by the way of the plain all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ashbashul to David at Hebron....
DSS: no data-- lost to the sands of time.
In his _The David Story_, 218, Robert Alter notes that the Masoretic Text "at this point is simply not viable." It literally reads, "and they [feminine pronoun!] came into the midst of the house, taking wheat [?], and they struck him in the belly, and Rechab and Baanah his brother got away." See
https://preview.tinyurl.com/yxeg3sz2
which redirects to
https://books.google.com/books?id=iYjlHa...g=PA218&dq="the+woman+who+kept+the+gate"&source=bl&ots=VEMYq_bJHi&sig=ACfU3U23y3vBrYvhVsAPaxHhTnl36ii4IQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizk6Ldt5bhAhXyuFkKHQgTAy0Q6AEwAXoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q="the%20woman%20who%20kept%20the%20gate"&f=false
2 Samuel 4 (JPS Tanakh 1917), https://biblehub.com/jps/2_samuel/4.htm
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the groin; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7 Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bed-chamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron....
2 Samuel 4 (Brenton Septuagint Translation), https://biblehub.com/sep/2_samuel/4.htm
5 And Rechab and Baana the sons of Remmon the Berothite went, and they came in the heat of the day into the house of Jebosthe; and he was sleeping on a bed at noon.
6 And, behold, the porter of the house winnowed wheat, and he slumbered and slept: and the brothers Rechab and Baana went privily into the house:
7 And Jebosthe was sleeping on his bed in his chamber: and they smite him, and slay him, and take off his head: and they took his head, and went all the night by the western road.
8 And they brought the head of Jebosthe to David to Chebron....
2 Samuel 4 (Peshitta Tanakh, Lamsa translation), http://superbook.org/LAMSA/2SA/2sa4.htm
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baana, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ashbashul as he was taking his noontide rest.
6 And behold, they came into the midst of the house;
then those sons of wickedness took and smote him in his abdomen;
and Rechab and Banna his brother escaped.
7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him and slew him and beheaded him, and took his head and fled by the way of the plain all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ashbashul to David at Hebron....
DSS: no data-- lost to the sands of time.