2 Samuel 2
1 And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron.
Sometime after this, David asked the Lord, “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes, do it,” the Lord replied. “Which one should I go to?” David asked. “Go to Hebron,” said the Lord.
2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
So David moved there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.
3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelled in the cities of Hebron.
He also brought the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king of the people of Judah. When David found out that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,
5 And David sent messengers to the men of Jabeshgilead, and said to them, Blessed be you of the LORD, that you have showed this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
he sent messengers to them, saying, “May the Lord bless you, because you demonstrated your loyal love to Saul your master, and you buried him properly.
6 And now the LORD show kindness and truth to you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
Now may the Lord show you loyal love and trustworthiness, and I will also be good to you because of what you did for Saul.
7 Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be you valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
So be strong and be brave, for even though Saul your master is dead, the people of Judah have anointed me as their king.”
8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
However, Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbosheth, son of Saul, to Mahanaim.
9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
Ishbosheth, son of Saul, was forty when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. However, the people of Judah were on David's side.
11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for 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.
One day Abner and Ishbosheth's men left Mahanaim and went to the town of Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
Joab, son of Zeruiah, and David's men set off and met them at the pool of Gibeon, where they all sat down, facing each other across the pool.
14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
Abner said to Joab, “Why not let's have some of the men fight in hand to hand combat before us.” “Fine,” Joab agreed.
15 Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
So twelve men came forward from each side—twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, and twelve for David.
16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: why that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
Each man grabbed his opponent's head and drove his sword into his opponent's side so that they all fell down dead together. That's why this place in Gibeon is called the Field of Sword-edges.
17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
The battle that followed was hard-fought, but eventually Abner and his men were defeated by David's men.
18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like a gazelle racing across the open countryside.
19 And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Are you Asahel? And he answered, I am.
Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it's me,” Asahel replied.
21 And Abner said to him, Turn you aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay you hold on one of the young men, and take you his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.
Abner told him, “Leave me alone! Go and fight somebody else and take his weapons for yourself!” But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.
22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn you aside from following me: why should I smite you to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?
Abner warned Asahel again. “Stop chasing me!” he shouted. “Why do you want me to kill you? How could I ever face your brother Joab?”
23 However, he refused to turn aside: why Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, 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.
But Asahel wouldn't stop chasing him, so Abner drove the handle of his spear into his belly. It came out the back, and he fell down dead right there. Everyone who passed by stopped at the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
But Joab and Abishai set off to chase after Abner. By the time the sun went down they had got as far as the hill of Ammah near 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 an hill.
Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin rallied to him there, forming a tight group around him standing at the top of the hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? know you not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, before you bid the people return from following their brothers?
Abner shouted to Joab: “Do we have to keep killing each other forever? Don't you realize that if we go on it'll only get worse? How long are you going to wait before you order your men to stop chasing their brothers?”
27 And Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not said anything, my men would have continued chasing their brothers until the morning.”
28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
Joab blew the horn so all the men stopped—they didn't continue chasing or fighting the Israelites.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.
All through the night Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, and continued all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.
When Joab got back from chasing Abner, he gathered all the men together. Nineteen of David's men were missing in addition to Asahel.
31 But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred and three score men died.
However, they had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
They took Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem. Then they marched all through the night and reached Hebron at dawn.
