2 Samuel 2:1–5:5

1  And it came to pass after this that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. 2  So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jizreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3  And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4  And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, It is the men of Jabesh-Gilead that have buried Saul. 5  And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said to them, Blessed be ye of Jehovah, that ye have shewn this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him! 6  And now Jehovah shew kindness and faithfulness to you; and I also will requite you this good, because ye have done this thing. 7  And now let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

8  And Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9  and made him king over Gilead, and over the Asshurites, and over Jizreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10  Ishbosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. 11  And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12  And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13  And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out. And they met together by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, these on the one side of the pool, and those on the other side of the pool. 14  And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and make sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15  And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16  And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side, and they fell down together. And that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is by Gibeon. 17  And the battle that day was very severe; and Abner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David.

18  And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift of foot, as one of the gazelles that are in the field. 19  And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from behind Abner. 20  Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he said, I am. 21  And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside, to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay hold of one of the young men, and take for thyself his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22  And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: why should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? 23  But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the belly, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. 24  And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

25  And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill. 26  And Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? and how long shall it be ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? 27  And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. 28  And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither did they fight any more. 29  And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim. 30  And Joab returned from following Abner, and gathered all the people together; and there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men, and Asahel. 31  And the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men, who had died. 32  And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.

Chapter 3

1  And the war was long between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David became continually stronger, and the house of Saul became continually weaker. 2  And to David were sons born in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jizreelitess; 3  and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maachah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4  and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5  and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6  And it came to pass while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.

7  And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, Why hast thou gone in to my father’s concubine? 8  Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, I who against Judah do shew kindness this day to the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou reproachest me this day with the fault of this woman? 9  So do God to Abner, and more also, if, as Jehovah has sworn to David, I do not so to him; 10  to translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba! 11  And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him. 12  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with thee, to turn all Israel to thee. 13  And he said, Well, I will make a covenant with thee; only I require one thing of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face. 14  And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I espoused to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15  And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, from Phaltiel the son of Laish. 16  And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner to him, Go, return. And he returned. 17  Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David aforetime to be king over you; 18  and now do it, for Jehovah has spoken of David, saying, By my servant David will I save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. 19  And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. 20  So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a repast. 21  And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy heart desires. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

22  And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from an expedition, and brought in a great spoil with them; but Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23  And Joab and all the host that was with him came; and they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away; and he is gone in peace. 24  Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came to thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is gone? 25  Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. 26  And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him again from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it. 27  And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him secretly, and smote him there in the belly, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28  And afterwards David heard it, and he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before Jehovah for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: 29  let it fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that has an issue, or that is a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that lacks bread! 30  So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. 31  And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your garments, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David followed the bier. 32  And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. 33  And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Should Abner die as a fool dieth? 34  Thy hands were not bound, Nor thy feet put into …