2 Samuel 1–20

David Learns About Saul’s Death

1Now Saul was dead. After David had defeated the Amalekites, he returned to Ziklag and stayed there two days. ²On the third day a young man from Saul’s camp came to Ziklag. To show his sadness, his clothes were torn and he had dirt on his head. He came and bowed facedown on the ground before David.

³David asked him, “Where did you come from?”

The man answered, “I escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴David asked him, “What happened? Please tell me!”

The man answered, “The people have run away from the battle, and many of them have fallen and are dead. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.”

⁵David asked him, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶The young man answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul. ⁷When he looked back and saw me, he called to me. I answered him, ‘Here I am!’

⁸“Then Saul asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“I told him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

⁹“Then Saul said to me, ‘Please come here and kill me. I am badly hurt and am almost dead already.’

¹⁰“So I went over and killed him. He had been hurt so badly I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my master.”

¹¹Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow, and all the men with him did also. ¹²They were very sad and cried and fasted until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the Lord and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle.

David Orders the Amalekite Killed

¹³David asked the young man who brought the report, “Where are you from?”

The young man answered, “I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s appointed king?”

¹⁵Then David called one of his men and told him, “Go! Kill the Amalekite!” So the Israelite killed him. ¹⁶David had said to the Amalekite, “You are responsible for your own death. You confessed by saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s appointed king.’ ”

David’s Song About Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this song. It is called “The Bow,” and it is written in the Book of Jashar:

¹⁹“Israel, your leaders have been killed on the hills.

How the mighty have fallen in battle!

²⁰Don’t tell it in Gath.

Don’t announce it in the streets of Ashkelon.

If you do, the Philistine women will be happy.

The daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.

²¹“May there be no dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa,

and may their fields produce no grain,

because there the mighty warrior’s shield was dishonored.

Saul’s shield will no longer be rubbed with oil.

²²Jonathan’s bow did not fail

to kill many soldiers.

Saul’s sword did not fail

to wound many strong men.

²³“We loved Saul and Jonathan

and enjoyed them while they lived.

They are together even in death.

They were faster than eagles.

They were stronger than lions.

²⁴“You daughters of Israel, cry for Saul.

Saul clothed you with red dresses

and put gold decorations on them.

²⁵“How the mighty have fallen in battle!

Jonathan is dead on Gilboa’s hills.

²⁶I cry for you, my brother Jonathan.

I enjoyed your friendship so much.

Your love to me was wonderful,

better than the love of women.

²⁷“How the mighty have fallen!

The weapons of war are gone.”

David Is Made King of Judah

2Later, David prayed to the Lord, saying, “Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

The Lord said to David, “Go.”

David asked, “Where should I go?”

The Lord answered, “To Hebron.”

²So David went up to Hebron with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. ³David also brought his men and their families, and they all made their homes in the cities of Hebron. ⁴Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and appointed David king over Judah.

They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul. ⁵So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you. You have shown loyalty to your master Saul by burying him. ⁶May the Lord now be loyal and true to you. I will also treat you well because you have done this. ⁷Now be strong and brave. Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have appointed me their king.”

War Between Judah and Israel

⁸Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul’s army. Abner took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim ⁹and made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. ¹⁰Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ruled two years. But the people of Judah followed David. ¹¹David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.

¹²Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. ¹³Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men also went there and met Abner and Ish-Bosheth’s men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool; Joab’s group sat on the other.

¹⁴Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men have a contest here.”

Joab said, “Yes, let them have a contest.”

¹⁵Then the men got up and were counted—twelve from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s men. ¹⁶Each man grabbed the one opposite him by the head and stabbed him in the side with a knife. So the men fell down together. For that reason, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of Knives. ¹⁷That day there was a terrible battle, and David’s men defeated Abner and the Israelites.

Abner Kills Asahel

¹⁸Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a deer in the field. ¹⁹Asahel chased Abner, going straight toward him. ²⁰Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

Asahel said, “Yes, it is.”

²¹Then Abner said to Asahel, “Turn to your right or left and catch one of the young men and take his armor.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.

²²Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me! If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! Then I won’t be able to face your brother Joab again!”

²³But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So using the back end of his spear, Abner stabbed Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel died right there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.

²⁴But Joab and Abishai continued chasing Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the desert near Gibeon. ²⁵The men of Benjamin came to Abner, and all stood together at the top of the hill.

²⁶Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword kill forever? Surely you must know this will only end in sadness! Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”

²⁷Then Joab said, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning.” ²⁸Then Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not fight them anymore.

²⁹Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all day, arrived at Mahanaim.

³⁰After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David’s men were missing. ³¹But David’s men had killed three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner. ³²David’s men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up as they reached Hebron.

3There was a long war between the people who supported Saul’s family and those who supported David’s family. The supporters of David’s family became stronger and stronger, but the supporters of Saul’s family became weaker and weaker.

David’s Sons

²Sons were born to David at Hebron. The first was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. ³The second son was Kileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third son was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. ⁴The fourth son was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. ⁵The sixth son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were born to David at Hebron.

Abner Joins David

⁶During the war between the supporters of Saul’s family and the supporters of David’s family, Abner made himself a main leader among the supporters of Saul.

⁷Saul once had a slave woman named Rizpah, who was the daughter of Aiah. Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you have sexual relations with my father’s slave woman?”

⁸Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said, and he replied, “I have been loyal to Saul and his family and friends! I didn’t hand you over to David. I am not a traitor working for Judah! But now you are saying I did something wrong with this woman! ⁹May God help me if I don’t join David! I will make sure that what the Lord promised does happen! ¹⁰I will take the kingdom from the family of Saul and make David king of Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba!” ⁿ

¹¹Ish-Bosheth couldn’t say anything to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹²Then Abner sent messengers to ask David, “Who is going to rule the land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you unite all Israel.”

¹³David answered, “Good! I will make an agreement with you, but I ask you one thing. I will not meet with you unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal to me.” ¹⁴Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth, saying, “Give me my wife Michal. She was promised to me, and I killed a hundred Philistines to get her.”

¹⁵So Ish-Bosheth sent men to take Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. ¹⁶Michal’s husband went with her, crying as he followed her to Bahurim. But Abner said to Paltiel, “Go back home.” So he went home.

¹⁷Abner sent this message to the elders of Israel: “You have been wanting to make David your king. ¹⁸Now do it! The Lord…