2 Samuel 1–20

RESPONSES TO SAUL’S DEATH

1After the death of Saul,^a David returned from defeating the Amalekites^b and stayed at Ziklag two days. ²On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head^c came from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. ³David asked him, “Where have you come from?”

He replied to him, “I’ve escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴“What was the outcome? Tell me,” David asked him.

“The troops fled from the battle,” he answered. “Many of the troops have fallen and are dead. Also, Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”^d

⁵David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,”^e he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear. At that very moment the chariots and the cavalry were closing in on him. ⁷When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, so I answered: I’m at your service. ⁸He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I told him: I’m an Amalekite.^{f 9}Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for I’m mortally wounded,^A but my life still lingers.’^{g 10}So I stood over him and killed him because I knew that after he had fallen he couldn’t survive. I took the crown that was on his head and the armband that was on his arm, and I’ve brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them,^h and all the men with him did the same. ¹²They mourned, wept, and fasted until the eveningⁱ for those who died by the sword—for Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s people, and the house of Israel.

¹³David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?”

“I’m the son of a resident alien,” he said. “I’m an Amalekite.”

¹⁴David questioned him, “How is it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”^{j 15}Then David summoned one of his servants and said, “Come here and kill him!” The servant struck him, and he died.^{k 16}For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood is on your own head^l because your own mouth testified against you by saying, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

¹⁷David sang the following lament^m for Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸and he ordered that the Judahites be taught The Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of Jashar:^Bn

¹⁹The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights.

How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰Do not tell it in Gath,

don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon,

or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,^o

and the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.

²¹Mountains of Gilboa,

let no dew or rain be on you,

or fields of offerings,^A

for there the shield of the mighty was defiled^p—

the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.^q

²²Jonathan’s bow never retreated,

Saul’s sword never returned unstained,^B

from the blood of the slain,

from the flesh^C of the mighty.

²³Saul and Jonathan,

loved and delightful,

they were not parted in life or in death.

They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

²⁴Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet, with luxurious things,

who decked your garments with gold ornaments.^r

²⁵How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle!

Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

²⁶I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother.

You were such a friend to me.

Your love for me was more wondrous

than the love of women.^a

²⁷How the mighty have fallen

and the weapons of war have perished!

DAVID, KING OF JUDAH

2Some time later, David inquired of the Lord:^b “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?”

The Lord answered him, “Go.”

Then David asked, “Where should I go?”

“To Hebron,”^c the Lord replied.

²So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.^{d 3}In addition, David brought the men who were with him, each one with his family, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.^{e 4}Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.^f They told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”^g

⁵David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him. ⁶Now, may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed. ⁷Therefore, be strong^D and valiant, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

⁸Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army,^h took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth^F and moved him to Mahanaim. ⁹He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin—over all Israel. ¹⁰Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel; he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ¹¹The length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.ⁱ

¹²Abner son of Ner and soldiers of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³So Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s soldiers marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon.^j The two groups took up positions on opposite sides of the pool.

¹⁴Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young men get up and compete in front of us.”

“Let them get up,” Joab replied.

¹⁵So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s soldiers. ¹⁶Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.^A

¹⁷The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers. ¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.^k Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.^{l 19}He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him. ²⁰Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“Yes it is,” Asahel replied.

²¹Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him. ²²Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face?”^m

²³But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the butt of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. As they all came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped,^{* 24}but Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵The Benjaminites rallied to Abner; they formed a unit and took their stand on top of a hill. ²⁶Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”

²⁷“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”^{n 28}Then Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight. ²⁹So Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning,^B and arrived at Mahanaim.^a

³⁰When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, ³¹but they had killed 360 of the Benjaminites and Abner’s men. ³²Afterward, they carried Asahel to his father’s tomb in Bethlehem and buried him. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at dawn.

CIVIL WAR

3During the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David,^b David was growing stronger^c and the house of Saul was becoming weaker.

²Sons were born to David in Hebron:

His firstborn was Amnon,^d

by Ahinoam^e the Jezreelite;

³his second was Chileab,

by Abigail,^f the widow of Nabal the Carmelite;

the third was Absalom,^g

son of Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;^h

⁴the fourth was Adonijah,ⁱ

son of Haggith;

the fifth was Shephatiah,

son of Abital;

⁵the sixth was Ithream,

by David’s wife Eglah.

These were born to David in Hebron.^j

⁶During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner kept acquiring more power in the house of Saul.^{k 7}Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah^l daughter of Aiah, and Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

⁸Abner was very angry about Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I a dog’s head^Am who belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I’ve been loyal to the family of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends and haven’t betrayed you to David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman! ⁹May God punish Abner and do so severely if I don’t do for David what the Lord swore to him: ¹⁰to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel and Judahⁿ from Dan to Beer-sheba.” ¹¹Ish-bosheth did not dare respond to Abner because he was afraid of him.

¹²Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to turn all Israel over to you.”

¹³David replied, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. However, there’s one thing I require of you: You will not see my face unless you first bring Saul’s daughter Michal^o when you come to see me.”

¹⁴Then David sent messengers to say to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife Michal. I was engaged to her for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”^p

¹⁵So Ish-bosheth sent someone to take her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish.^{q 16}Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he went back.

THE ASSASSINATION OF ABNER

¹⁷Abner…