2 Samuel 3
1 And 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 is going on and [is] weak.
Now there was a long war between Saul's people and David's people; and David became stronger and stronger, but those on Saul's side became more and more feeble.
2 And there are sons born to David in Hebron, and his firstborn is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
While David was in Hebron he became the father of sons: the oldest was Amnon, son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
3 and 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,
And the second, Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom, son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;
4 and the fourth [is] Adonijah son of Haggith, and the fifth [is] Shephatiah son of Abital,
And the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah, the son of Abital;
5 and the sixth [is] Ithream, of Eglah wife of David; these have been born to David in Hebron.
And the sixth, Ithream, whose mother was David's wife Eglah. These were the sons of David, whose birth took place in Hebron.
6 And it comes to pass, in the war being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner has been strengthening himself in the house of Saul,
Now while there was war between Saul's people and David's people, Abner was making himself strong among the supporters of Saul.
7 and Saul has a concubine, and her name [is] Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and [Ish-Bosheth] says to Abner, “Why have you gone in to the concubine of my father?”
Now Saul had among his wives a woman named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you taken my father's wife?
8 And it is exceedingly displeasing to Abner, because of the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he says, “[Am] I the head of a dog—that in reference to Judah, today I do kindness with the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David—that you charge against me iniquity concerning the woman today?
And Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said, Am I a dog's head of Judah? I am this day doing all in my power for the cause of your father Saul and for his brothers and his friends, and have not given you up into the hands of David, and now you say I have done wrong with a woman.
9 Thus God does to Abner, and thus He adds to him, surely as YHWH has sworn to David—surely so I do to him:
May God's punishment be on Abner, if I do not for David as the Lord in his oath has said,
10 to 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 to Beer-Sheba.”
And if I do not take away the kingdom from the family of Saul and make David ruler over Israel and Judah from Dan as far as Beer-sheba!
11 And he is not able to return a word [to] Abner anymore, because of his fearing him.
And so great was Ish-bosheth's fear of Abner that he was not able to say a word in answer.
12 And Abner sends messengers to David for himself, saying, “Whose [is] the land?” [And] saying, “Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand [is] with you, to bring around all Israel to you.”
And Abner sent men to David at Hebron, saying, Make an agreement with me, and I will give you my support in getting all Israel on your side.
13 And [David] says, “Good—I make a covenant with you; only, one thing I am asking of you, that is, you do not see my face, except [that] you first bring in Michal daughter of Saul in your coming in to see my face.”
And he said, It is well; I will make an agreement with you, but on one condition, which is, that when you come before me, Saul's daughter Michal is to come with you; till she comes you will not see my face.
14 And David sends messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, saying, “Give up my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
And David sent men to Saul's son Ish-bosheth, saying, Give me back Michal, my wife, whom I made mine for the price of the private parts of a hundred Philistines.
15 And Ish-Bosheth sends, and takes her from a man, from Phaltiel son of Laish,
So Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel, the son of Laish.
16 and her husband goes with her, going on and weeping behind her, to Bahurim, and Abner says to him, “Go, return”; and he turns back.
And her husband went with her as far as Bahurim, weeping while he went. Then Abner said to him, Go back. And he went back.
17 And the word of Abner was with [the] elderly of Israel, saying, “Thus far you have been seeking David for king over you,
Then Abner had a talk with the chief men of Israel, saying, In the past it was your desire to make David your king: so now, do it:
18 and now, do [it], for YHWH has spoken of David saying, [It is] by the hand of my servant David to save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.”
For the Lord has said of David, By the hand of my servant David I will make my people Israel safe from the Philistines, and from all who are against them.
19 And Abner also speaks in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner also goes 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,
And Abner said the same things to Benjamin: and he went to David in Hebron to make clear to him what seemed good to Israel and to all the people of Benjamin.
20 and Abner comes to David, to Hebron, and twenty men [are] with him, and David makes a banquet for Abner and for the men who [are] with him.
So Abner, with twenty men, came to Hebron, to David. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
21 And Abner says to David, “I arise, and go, and gather the whole of Israel to my lord the king, and they make a covenant with you, and you have reigned over all that your soul desires”; and David sends Abner away, and he goes in peace.
And Abner said to David, Now I will go, and make all Israel come to my lord the king, so that they may make an agreement with you, and your kingdom may be as wide as your heart's desire. Then David sent Abner away and he went in peace.
22 And behold, the servants of David, and Joab, have come from the troop, and have brought much spoil with them, and Abner is not with David in Hebron, for he has sent him away, and he goes in peace;
Now the servants of David and Joab had been out attacking a band of armed men, and they came back with a great store of goods taken in the fight: but Abner was no longer in Hebron with David, for he had sent him away and he had gone in peace.
23 and Joab and all the host that [were] with him have come, and they declare to Joab, saying, “Abner son of Ner has come to the king, and he sends him away, and he goes in peace.”
When Joab and his men came, news was given them that Abner, the son of Ner, had come to the king, who had let him go away again in peace.
24 And Joab comes to the king and says, “What have you done? Behold, Abner has come to you! Why [is] this—you have sent him away, and he is really gone?
Then Joab came to the king, and said, What have you done? when Abner came to you why did you send him away and let him go?
25 You have known Abner son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”
Is it not clear to you that Abner, the son of Ner, came with deceit to get knowledge of your going out and your coming in and of all you are doing?
26 And Joab goes out from David, and sends messengers after Abner, and they bring him back from the well of Sirah, and David did not know.
And when Joab had come out from David, he sent men after Abner, and they overtook him at the water-spring of Sirah, and made him come back with them: but David had no knowledge of it.
27 And Abner turns back to Hebron, and Joab turns him aside to the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and strikes him there in the fifth [rib]—and he dies—for the blood of his brother Asahel.
And when Abner was back in Hebron, Joab took him on one side by the doorway of the town to have a word with him quietly, and there he gave him a wound in the stomach, causing his death in payment for the death of his brother Asahel.
28 And David hears afterward and says, “My kingdom and I [are] acquitted by YHWH for all time, from the blood of Abner son of Ner;
And when David had word of it he said, May I and my kingdom be clear for ever in the eyes of the Lord from the blood of Abner, the son of Ner:
29 it stays 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 who has discharging, and leprous, and laying hold on a staff, and falling by a sword, and lacking bread.”
May it come on the head of Joab and all his father's family: among the men of Joab's family may there ever be some who are diseased or lepers, or who do the work of women, or are put to the sword, or are wasted from need of food!
30 And Joab and his brother Abishai slew Abner because that he put their brother Asahel to death in Gibeon, in battle.
So Joab and Abishai his brother put Abner to death, because he had put to death their brother Asahel in the fight at Gibeon.
31 And David says to Joab, and to all the people who [are] with him, “Tear your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner”; and King David is going after the bier.
And David said to Joab and all the people who were with him, Go in grief and put haircloth about you, in sorrow for Abner. And King David went after the dead body.
32 And they bury Abner in Hebron, and the king lifts up his voice, and weeps at the grave of Abner, and all the people weep;
And they put Abner's body to rest in Hebron; and the king and all the people were weeping loudly by the resting-place of Abner's body.
33 and the king laments for Abner and says, “Does Abner die as the death of a fool?
And the king made a song of grief for Abner and said, Was the death of Abner to be like the death of a foolish man?
34 Your hands not bound, And your feet not brought near to chains! You have fallen as one falling before sons of evil!” And all the people add to weep over him.
Your hands were free, your feet were not chained: like the downfall of a man before evil men, so was your fall. And the weeping of the people over him went on again.
35 And all the people come to cause David to eat bread while yet day, and David swears, saying, “Thus God does to me, and thus He adds, for—before the going in of the sun, I taste no bread or any other thing.”
And the people came to make David take food, while it was still day, but David with an oath said, May God's punishment be on me if I take a taste of bread or any other thing till the sun has gone down!
36 And all the people have discerned [it], and it is good in their eyes, as all that the king has done is good in the eyes of all the people;
And all the people took note of it and were pleased: like everything the king did, it was pleasing to the people.
37 and all the people know, even all Israel, in that day, that it has not been from the king—to put Abner son of Ner to death.
So it was clear to Israel and to all the people on that day that the king was not responsible for the death of Abner, the son of Ner.
38 And the king says to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great one has fallen this day in Israel?
And the king said to his servants, Do you not see that a chief and a great man has come to his end today in Israel?
39 And today I [am] tender, and an anointed king: and these men, sons of Zeruiah, [are] too hard for me; YHWH repays to the doer of the evil according to his evil.”
While I, though I am crowned king, have little strength, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are out of my control: may the Lord give to the evil-doer the reward of his evil-doing!
