2 Samuel 2–4

¹And it cometh to pass afterwards, that David asketh at Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I go up into one of the cities of Judah?’ and Jehovah saith unto him, ‘Go up.’ And David saith, ‘Whither do I go up?’ and He saith, ‘To Hebron.’ ²And David goeth up thither, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite; ³and his men who are with him hath David brought up—a man and his household—and they dwell in the cities of Hebron. ⁴And the men of Judah come, and anoint there David for king over the house of Judah; and they declare to David, saying, ‘The men of Jabesh-Gilead are they who buried Saul.’ ⁵And David sendeth messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and saith unto them, ‘Blessed are ye of Jehovah, in that ye have done this kindness with your lord, with Saul, that ye bury him.

⁶‘And, now, Jehovah doth with you kindness and truth, and also, I do with you this good because ye have done this thing; ⁷and now, are your hands strong, and be ye for sons of valour, for your lord Saul. is dead, and also—me have the house of Judah anointed for king over them.’

⁸And Abner, son of Ner, head of the host which Saul hath, hath taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and causeth him to pass over to Mahanaim, ⁹and causeth him to reign over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over Israel—all of it. ¹⁰A son of forty years, is Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after David. ¹¹And the number of the days that David hath been king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, is seven years and six months. ¹²And Abner son of Ner goeth out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³And Joab son of Zeruiah, and servants of David, have gone out, and they meet by the pool of Gibeon together, and sit down, these by the pool on this side, and these by the pool on that. ¹⁴And Abner saith unto Joab, ‘Let the youths rise, I pray thee, and they play before us;’ and Joab saith, ‘Let them rise.’ ¹⁵And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶And they lay hold, each on the head of his companion, and his sword is in the side of his companion, and they fall together, and one calleth that place Helkath-Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon, ¹⁷and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁸And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel is light on his feet, as one of the roes which are in the field, ¹⁹And Asahel pursueth after Abner, and hath not turned aside to go to the right or to the left, from after Abner. ²⁰And Abner looketh behind him, and saith, ‘Art thou he—Asahel?’ and he saith, ‘I am.’ ²¹And Abner saith to him, ‘Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and seize for thee one of the youths, and take to thee his armour;’ and Asahel hath not been willing to turn aside from after him. ²²And Abner addeth again, saying unto Asahel, ‘Turn thee aside from after me, why do I smite thee to the earth? and how do I lift up my face unto Joab thy brother?’ ²³And he refuseth to turn aside, and Abner smiteth him with the hinder part of the spear unto the fifth rib, and the spear cometh out from behind him, and he falleth there, and dieth under it; and it cometh to pass, every one who hath come unto the place where Asahel hath fallen and dieth—they stand still. ²⁴And Joab and Abishai pursue after Abner, and the sun hath gone in, and they have come in unto the height of Ammah, which is on the front of Giah, the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵And the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together after Abner, and become one troop, and stand on the top of a certain height, ²⁶and Abner calleth unto Joab, and saith, ‘For ever doth the sword consume? hast thou not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? and till when dost thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?’ ²⁷And Joab saith, ‘God liveth! for unless thou hadst spoken, surely then from the morning had the people gone up each from after his brother.’ ²⁸And Joab bloweth with a trumpet, and all the people stand still, and pursue no more after Israel, nor have they added any more to fight. ²⁹And Abner and his men have gone through the plain all that night, and pass over the Jordan, and go on through all Bithron, and come in to Mahanaim. ³⁰And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel; ³¹and the servants of David have smitten of Benjamin, even among the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men—they died. ³²And they lift up Asahel, and bury him in the burying-place of his father, which is in Beth-Lehem, and they go all the night—Joab and his men—and it is light to them in Hebron.

Chapter 3

¹And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and is strong, and the house of Saul are going on and are weak. ²And there are born to David sons in Hebron, and his first-born is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, ³and his second is Chileab, of Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite, and the third is Absalom son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, ⁴and the fourth is Adonijah son of Haggith, and the fifth is Shephatiah son of Abital, ⁵and the sixth is Ithream, of Eglah wife of David; these have been born to David in Hebron. ⁶And it cometh to pass, in the war being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner hath been strengthening himself in the house of Saul.

⁷And Saul hath a concubine, and her name is Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth saith unto Abner, ‘Wherefore hast thou gone in unto the concubine of my father?’ ⁸And it is displeasing to Abner exceedingly, because of the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he saith, ‘The head of a dog am I—that in reference to Judah to-day I do kindness with the house of Saul thy father, unto his brethren, and unto his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David—that thou chargest against me iniquity concerning the woman to-day? ⁹thus doth God to Abner, and thus He doth add to him, surely as Jehovah hath sworn to David—surely so I do to him: ¹⁰to cause the kingdom to pass over from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba.’ ¹¹And he is not able any more to turn back Abner a word, because of his fearing him. ¹²And Abner sendeth messengers unto David for himself, saying, ‘Whose is the land?’ saying, ‘Make thy covenant with me, and lo, my hand is with thee, to bring round unto thee all Israel.’ ¹³And he saith, ‘Good—I make with thee a covenant; only, one thing I am asking of thee, that is, Thou dost not see my face, except thou dost first bring in Michal, daughter of Saul in thy coming into see my face.’ ¹⁴And David sendeth messengers unto Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, saying, ‘Give up my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.’ ¹⁵And Ish-Bosheth sendeth, and taketh her from a man, from Phaltiel son of Laish, ¹⁶and her husband goeth with her, going on and weeping behind her, unto Bahurim, and Abner saith unto him, ‘Go, turn back;’ and he turneth back. ¹⁷And the word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, ‘Heretofore ye have been seeking David for king over you, ¹⁸and now, do it, for Jehovah hath spoken of David saying, By the hand of David my servant—to save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.’ ¹⁹And Abner speaketh also in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner goeth also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that is good in the eyes of Israel, and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin, ²⁰and Abner cometh in unto David, to Hebron, and with him twenty men, and David maketh for Abner, and for the men who are with him, a banquet. ²¹And Abner saith unto David, ‘I arise, and go, and gather unto my lord the king the whole of Israel, and they make with thee a covenant, and thou hast reigned over all that thy soul desireth;’ and David sendeth away Abner, and he goeth in peace.

²²And lo, the servants of David, and Joab, have come from the troop, and much spoil have brought with them, and Abner is not with David in Hebron, for he hath sent him away, and he goeth in peace; ²³and Joab and all the host that is with him have come, and they declare to Joab, saying, ‘Abner son of Ner hath come unto the king, and he sendeth him away, and he goeth in peace.’ ²⁴And Joab cometh unto the king, and saith, ‘What hast thou done? lo, Abner hath come unto thee! why is this—thou hast sent him away, and he is really gone? ²⁵Thou hast known Abner son of Ner, that to deceive thee he came, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou art doing.’ ²⁶And Joab goeth out from David, and sendeth messengers after Abner, and they bring him back from the well of Sirah, and David knew not. ²⁷And Abner turneth back to Hebron, and Joab turneth him aside unto the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smiteth him there in the fifth rib—and he dieth—for the blood of Asahel his brother. ²⁸And David heareth afterwards and saith, ‘Acquitted am I, and my kingdom, by Jehovah, unto the age, from the blood of Abner son of Ner; ²⁹it doth stay on the head of Joab, and on all the house of his father, and there is not cut off from the house of Joab one having an issue, and leprous, and laying hold on a staff, and falling by a sword, and lacking bread.’ ³⁰And Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because that he put to death Asahel their brother, in Gibeon, in battle. ³¹And David saith unto Joab, and unto all the people who are with him, ‘Rend your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner;’ and king David is going after the bier. ³²And they bury…