2 Samuel 1–20

The Report of Saul’s Death by the Amalekite

1After^a the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and he stayed at Ziklag two days. ²On the third day, a man came from the camp from being with Saul, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he came^b to David, he fell to the ground and bowed down. ³David said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴Then David said to him, “How did things go?^c Please tell me.” He answered, “When^d the army fled from the battle, and many of the people fell; also, Saul and Jonathan his son died.” ⁵Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?” ⁶The young man who was reporting to him said, “I merely happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Here Saul was leaning on his spear, and look, the chariots and the horsemen were getting close to him. ⁷When he turned around and saw me, he called to me, and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹He said to me, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for convulsions have seized me, even though my life is still in me.’ ¹⁰So I stood over him and killed him, for I knew that he could not live after his falling; I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm; and here, I have brought them to my lord. ¹¹David grabbed at his clothes and tore them, as did all of the men who were with him. ¹²Then they mourned and wept and fasted over Saul and Jonathan his son until the evening, as well as over the people of Yahweh and over the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³Then David said to the young man who was reporting to him, “Where are you from?” And he said, “I am the son of an alien man. I am an Amalekite.” ¹⁴David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy Yahweh’s anointed one?” ¹⁵Then David called to one of the young men and said to him, “Come near; strike him.” So he struck him down and he died. ¹⁶David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you by saying, ‘I killed Yahweh’s anointed one!’ ”

David Laments Jonathan with the “Song of the Bow”

¹⁷Then David sang this funeral song over Saul and over Jonathan his son. ¹⁸And he ordered “The Bow” to be taught to the children of Judah. Look, it is written on the scroll of Jashar.^e

¹⁹“The glory of Israel is on your high places; how the mighty have fallen!

²⁰Do not tell it in Gath; do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,

lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

²¹O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you

or on the fields of grain for offerings,

for there the small shield of the mighty was defiled,

the small shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.

²²From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

and the sword of Saul did not return without effect.^f

²³Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives

and were not separated in their death.

They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

²⁴O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

the one who clothed you with crimson,

the one who adorned your clothing with golden ornaments.^g

²⁵How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle;

Jonathan lies slain on your high places.

²⁶I am distressed^h over you, my brother Jonathan.

you were very dear to me;

your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women.

²⁷How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of warfare perished.”

David Moves to Hebron

2It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” ²So David went up there along with^a his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel^b and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ³Also, David brought up his men who were with him, each with^c his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron.

David Anointed King over Judah at Hebron

⁴Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.” ⁵So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him. ⁶Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter. ⁷So then, let your hands be strong and be valiant,^d for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”

Ish-Bosheth over Israel

⁸But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it. ¹⁰Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old^e when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed^f David. ¹¹The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.

War between Judah and Israel

¹²Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side. ¹⁴Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come up and fight in our presence.” And Joab said, “Let them come up.” ¹⁵So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶Then each seized his opponent^g by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they^h called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim,ⁱ which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷Then the battle became increasingly fierce^j on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field. ¹⁹So Asahel pursued^k Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from going after Abner. ²⁰Abner turned around and said, “Are you this Asahel?” And he said, “Yes.” ²¹Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize for yourself one of the young men, and take his belongings for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from him. ²²So Abner said to Asahel once again,^l “For your own sake,^m turn aside from following me.ⁿ Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face^o to Joab your brother?” ²³But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, and the spear went out of his back. He fell there and he died on the spot.^p Then^q all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died just stood there.

²⁴So Joab and Abishai pursued^r Abner when^s the sun went down. And they came to the hill country of Ammah, which is before Giah^t on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵The descendants^u of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill. ²⁶Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long^v will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing^w their brothers?” ²⁷Joab said, “As God lives,^x for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after^y his brother.” ²⁸Then Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again.

²⁹Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed over the Jordan. They went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. ³⁰After Joab returned from pursuing^z Abner, he gathered all the people; nineteen of the servants of David were missing along with Asahel. ³¹The servants of David had killed some of the Benjaminites among the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty men had died. ³²Then they picked up Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all that night arriving in Hebron at first light.^a

The House of David Grows Stronger

3The battle was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David was growing stronger and stronger^a while the house of Saul was becoming weaker and weaker.^{b 2}And sons were born to David in Hebron; his firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam from Jezreel^c. ³His second was Kileab by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Absalom the son of Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur. ⁴The fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah the son of Abital. ⁵The sixth was Ithream by Eglah the wife of David. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was continuing, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. ⁷Saul had had a concubine, and her name was Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. Then Ish-Bosheth^d said to Abner, “Why did you have sex with^e my father’s concubine?” ⁸Abner became very angry^f at the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he said, “Am I the head of a dog which is for Judah today? Do I not continue to show loyal love with the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends? I have not let you fall into the hands of David, yet you have accused me of sin with this woman^g today. ⁹Thus may God punish Abner,^h if I do not accomplish what Yahweh has sworn to David;^{i 10}specifically, to transfer the kingdom from the house…