2 Samuel 2
1 And it comes to pass afterward, that David inquires of YHWH, saying, “Do I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And YHWH says to him, “Go up.” And David says, “To where do I go up?” And He says, “To Hebron.”
It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron."
2 And David goes up there, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite;
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,
3 and David has brought up his men who [are] with him—a man and his household—and they dwell in the cities of Hebron.
and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah come, and anoint David there for king over the house of Judah; and they declare to David, saying, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead [are] they who buried Saul.”
Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that the men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul,
5 And David sends messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and says to them, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH, in that you have done this kindness with your lord, with Saul, that you bury him.
then he sent messengers to the lords of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, since you showed loyalty towards your lord, Saul, and have buried him.
6 And now YHWH does kindness and truth with you, and I also do this good with you because you have done this thing;
Now may the LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.
7 and now your hands are strong, and be for sons of valor, for your lord Saul [is] dead, and the house of Judah has also anointed me for king over them.”
Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
8 And Abner, son of Ner, head of the host which Saul has, has taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and causes him to pass over to Mahanaim,
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
9 and causes him to reign over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over Israel—all of it.
and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul [is] a son of forty years in his reigning over Israel, and he has reigned [for] two years; only the house of Judah has been after David.
Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11 And the number of the days that David has been king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, is seven years and six months.
And the time that David ruled in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 And Abner son of Ner goes out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And 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 [side].
Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them 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.
14 And Abner says to Joab, “Now let the youths rise and they play before us”; and Joab says, “Let them rise.”
Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them arise."
15 And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve of the sons of Benjamin of Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 And they each lay hold on the head of his companion, and his sword [is] in the side of his companion, and they fall together, and [one] calls that place Helkath-Hazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon,
They each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Field of Blades, which is in Gibeon.
17 and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is struck, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
18 And there are three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel [is] light on his feet, as one of the roes which [are] in the field,
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle.
19 and Asahel pursues after Abner, and has not turned aside to go to the right or to the left, from after Abner.
Asahel pursued after Abner, and as he went he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 And Abner looks behind him and says, “Are you he—Asahel?” And he says, “I [am].”
Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I."
21 And Abner says to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the youths for yourself, and take his armor for yourself”; and Asahel has not been willing to turn aside from after him.
Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not stop from pursuing him.
22 And Abner adds again, saying to Asahel, “Turn aside from after me, why do I strike you to the earth? And how do I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”
Abner said again to Asahel, "Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?"
23 And he refuses to turn aside, and Abner strikes him with the back part of the spear to the fifth [rib], and the spear comes out from behind him, and he falls there, and dies under it; and it comes to pass, everyone who has come to the place where Asahel has fallen and dies—they stand still.
But he refused to stop. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it came about that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stopped there.
24 And Joab and Abishai pursue after Abner, and the sun has gone in, and they have come to the height of Ammah, which [is] on the front of Giah, the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together after Abner, and become one troop, and stand on the top of a certain height,
The sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and formed a single group, and stood on the top of a hill.
26 and Abner calls to Joab and says, “Does the sword consume forever? Have you not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? And until when do you not say to the people to turn back from after their brothers?”
Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to stop pursuing their brothers?"
27 And Joab says, “God lives! For unless you had spoken, surely then from the morning each of the people had gone up from after his brother.”
Joab said, "As the LORD lives, if you had not spoken, surely the people would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning."
28 And Joab blows with a horn, and all the people stand still, and no longer pursue after Israel, nor have they added to fight anymore.
So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stopped, and no longer chased after Israel, and they no longer fought.
29 And 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 to Mahanaim.
Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and marched the whole morning, and came to Mahanaim.
30 And Joab has turned back from after Abner, and gathers all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel;
Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
31 and the servants of David have struck of Benjamin, even among the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men—they died.
But the servants of David had struck of the people of Benjamin, from the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men who died.
32 And 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 [dawn’s light] shines on them in Hebron.
They took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.
