2 Samuel 2
1 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."
Now after this, David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go up into any of the towns of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Where am I to go? And he said, To Hebron.
2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,
So David went there, taking with him his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
3 and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron.
And David took all his men with him, every man with his family: and they were living in the towns round Hebron.
4 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,
And the men of Judah came there, and with the holy oil made David king over the people of Judah. And word came to David that it was the men of Jabesh-gilead who put Saul's body in its last resting-place.
5 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.
And David sent to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, May the Lord give you his blessing, because you have done this kind act to Saul your lord, and have put his body to rest!
6 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.
May the Lord be good and true to you: and I myself will see that your kind act is rewarded, because you have done this thing.
7 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."
Then let your hands be strong, and have no fear: though Saul your lord is dead, the people of Judah have made me their king.
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
Now Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth over to Mahanaim,
9 and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
And made him king over Gilead and the Asherites and over Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin, that is, over all Israel.
10 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.
(Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was ruler for two years.) But Judah was on the side of David.
11 And the time that David ruled in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
And the time when David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
And Abner, the son of Ner, with the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 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.
And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and came face to face with them by the pool of Gibeon; and they took up their position, facing one another on opposite sides of the pool.
14 Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them arise."
And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men give a test of their strength before us. And Joab said, Let them do so.
15 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.
So they got up and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth and twelve of the servants of David.
16 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.
And every one got the other by the head, driving his sword into the other's side, so they all went down together: and that place was named the Field of Sides, and it is in Gibeon.
17 The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
And there was hard fighting that day; and Abner and the men of Israel gave way before the servants of David.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle.
There were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel: and Asahel was as quick-footed as a roe of the fields.
19 Asahel pursued after Abner, and as he went he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
Asahel went running after Abner, not turning to the right or to the left.
20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I."
Then Abner, looking back, said, Is it you, Asahel? And he said, It is I.
21 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.
And Abner said, Then go to the right or to the left and put your hands on one of the fighting-men and take his arms. But Asahel would not be turned away from going after Abner.
22 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?"
Then again Abner said to Asahel, Go to one side, do not keep on coming after me: why will you make me put an end to you? for then I will be shamed before your brother Joab.
23 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.
But still he did not go to one side: so Abner gave him a back blow in the stomach with his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he went down on the earth, wounded to death: and all those who came to the place where Asahel went down dead, came to a stop.
24 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.
But Joab and Abishai went after Abner: and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of the road through the waste land of Geba.
25 The sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and formed a single group, and stood on the top of a hill.
And the men of Benjamin came together after Abner in one band, and took their places on the top of a hill.
26 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?"
Then crying out to Joab, Abner said, Are fighting and destruction to go on for ever? do you not see that the end will only be bitter? how long will it be before you send the people back and make them give up attacking their countrymen?
27 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."
And Joab said, By the living God, if you had not given the word, the people would have gone on attacking their countrymen till the morning.
28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stopped, and no longer chased after Israel, and they no longer fought.
So Joab had a horn sounded, and all the people came to a stop, and gave up going after Israel and fighting them.
29 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.
And all that night Abner and his men went through the Arabah; they went over Jordan and through all Bithron and came to Mahanaim.
30 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.
And Joab came back from fighting Abner: and when he had got all his men together, it was seen that nineteen of David's men, in addition to Asahel, were not with them.
31 But the servants of David had struck of the people of Benjamin, from the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men who died.
But David's men had put to death three hundred and sixty of the men of Benjamin and of Abner's men
32 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.
And they took Asahel's body and put it in the last resting-place of his father in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men, travelling all night, came to Hebron at dawn.
