2 Samuel 2–4

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 of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba!” ¹¹And Ish-Bosheth was no longer able to answer^j Abner because he feared him.^k

Abner Pledges Support for David

¹²Abner sent messengers to David where he was,^l saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me!^m Look, my hand is with you to bring all of Israel over to you!” ¹³Heⁿ said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you.^o I am asking only one thing from you: You shall not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul when you come to see me.”^{p 14}Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal whom I betrothed to myself^q for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵So Ish-Bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.^{r 16}But her husband went with her, weeping all along^s after her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go and return.” So he returned.

¹⁷The word of Abner came to^t the elders of Israel, saying, “For quite some time^u you were seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸So then, bring it about, because Yahweh had said to David, “Through the hand of David my servant I am about to save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.” ¹⁹Abner also spoke privately to Benjamin.^v Abner also went to speak to David^w in Hebron, all that was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin.

²⁰Then Abner came to David in Hebron and with him were twenty men. David had prepared a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. ²¹And Abner said to David, “Let me get up and go and gather all of Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant^x with you so you can reign over all which your soul desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he left in peace. ²²And look, the servants of David and Joab came from the raid, and they brought much plunder with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he^y had dismissed him, and he had gone in peace. ²³When Joab and all the army that was with him came, they told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he left in peace.”

Joab Assassinates Abner

²⁴Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came here to you? Why have you dismissed him that he actually went away?^{z 25}You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you. He came to learn about your going out and coming in and to know all which you are doing.” ²⁶Then Joab went out from David, and he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from Bor Hasirah, but David did not know it.

²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the middle of the gate to speak with him in private. Then he struck him in the stomach there and he died, for he had shed the blood of Asahel his brother.^{a 28}When David heard this afterwards, he said: “I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh^b forever for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹May the blood come down on the head of Joab and all the house of his father. May the house of Joab never lack^c one with a bodily discharge or one with leprosy or one who grasps the distaff or one who falls by the sword or one who is lacking food.”

³⁰So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed Asahel, their brother, at Gibeon in the battle. ³¹David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” Now King David was following after the bier. ³²And they buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner,…