2 After some time, David asked the Lord , ‘Should I go up to one of Judah's towns?’
The Lord said to him, ‘Go up.’
David asked, ‘Where should I go?’
The Lord replied, ‘Go to Hebron.’
2 So David went up to Hebron. He took his two wives with him. They were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel. 3 David also took the men who had been with him. Each man took his family. They lived in Hebron and in the towns near there. 4 Then the men of Judah's tribe came to Hebron. They anointed David as king over Judah's people.
David heard that the people from Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul's body. 5 So David sent men to them with a message. He said, ‘You were kind to Saul, your master, when you buried his body. So I pray that the Lord will bless you. 6 I pray that the Lord will keep you safe with his faithful love. I too will do good things for you, because of what you have done. 7 Saul, your master, is dead, so you must continue to be strong and brave. The people of Judah have now chosen me to rule them as king.’
8 Ner's son Abner was the leader of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim. 9 Abner gave Ish-Bosheth authority to rule as king over Gilead, Asher and Jezreel, as well as the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. So Ish-Bosheth became king of all Israel.
10 Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth, was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. He ruled Israel for two years. But Judah's people were faithful to David as their king. 11 David remained in Hebron as king of Judah for seven and a half years.
12 Then Ner's son, Abner, left Mahanaim and he went to Gibeon. He took with him the men who served Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth. 13 Zeruiah's son, Joab, took David's men to meet Abner's men at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool while the other group sat on the other side.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, ‘Some young men from each of our groups should fight against each other. Then we can watch them.’ Joab agreed.
15 So they chose 12 men to fight on behalf of Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth. They also chose 12 of David's men to fight against them. 16 As they fought, each man took hold of his enemy's head. And each man pushed his sword into his enemy's side. So they all fell down together and they were dead. So people called that place ‘The Field of Swords’. It is in Gibeon.
17 That day, the two groups fought a great battle against each other. David's men won the fight against Abner and the men of Israel.
18 Zeruiah's three sons were there. They were Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a wild deer. 19 He chased after Abner. He ran straight after him. He did not turn to the right or to the left. 20 Abner looked behind him and he asked, ‘Is that you, Asahel?’
‘Yes, it is,’ he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, ‘Turn away from me to the right or to the left. Then you can chase one of the young soldiers and you can take his weapons.’ But Asahel would not stop chasing after Abner.
22 Abner said again to Asahel, ‘Stop chasing after me. I do not want to knock you down to the ground. If I kill you, I will never be able to show myself to your brother Joab again!’
23 But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So Abner pushed the stick of his spear behind him into Asahel's stomach. It went through his body and came out of his back. Asahel fell to the ground immediately and he died there. When anyone came to that place, they stopped to look at Asahel's body.
24 But Joab and Abishai continued to chase after Abner. When the sun was going down, they reached Ammah hill, near Giah. That was on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin's tribe joined with Abner. They were all ready to fight as one group. They stood together at the top of a hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, ‘We should stop fighting. We do not want to continue killing one another for ever. In the end, we would all be very sad. Please tell your men to stop chasing after their brothers.’
27 Joab replied, ‘As surely as God lives, I agree! If you had not spoken, our men would have chased you all through the night. They would not have stopped until the morning.’
28 So Joab made a loud noise with the trumpet. [ a ] Then all his men stopped where they were. They did not continue to chase after the men of Israel. They stopped fighting.
29 Abner and his men marched all that night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed over the Jordan River. They continued to march all the next morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 Joab left the battle and he returned with David's men. They counted all the soldiers. Asahel had died, as well as 19 other men. 31 But David's soldiers had killed 360 men of Benjamin's tribe who were fighting in Abner's army.
32 They took Asahel's body from the place where he died. They buried him in his father's grave at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. They arrived home at Hebron at dawn.
2 Later David asked the Lord for advice. David said, “Should I take control [ a ] of any of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord said to David, “Yes.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
The Lord answered, “To Hebron.”
2 So David and his two wives moved to Hebron. (His wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal from Carmel.) 3 David also brought his men and their families. All of them made their homes in Hebron and the towns nearby.
4 The men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David to be the king of Judah. Then they told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul.”
5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead. These messengers told the men in Jabesh: “The Lord bless you, because you have shown kindness to your lord Saul by burying him. [ b ] 6 The Lord will be kind and true to you, and so will I. 7 Now be strong and brave. Your lord, Saul, is dead, but the tribe of Judah has anointed me to be their king.”
8 Abner son of Ner was the captain of Saul’s army. Abner took Ish Bosheth [ c ] son of Saul to Mahanaim 9 and made him king of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. [ d ]
10 Ish Bosheth son of Saul was 40 years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled Israel two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David. 11 David ruled over the tribe of Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the officers of Ish Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab, Zeruiah’s son, and the officers of David also went to Gibeon. They met Abner and Ish Bosheth’s officers at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool. Joab’s group sat on the other side.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young soldiers get up and have a contest here.”
Joab said, “Yes, let’s have a contest.”
15 So the young soldiers got up. The two groups counted their men for the contest. They chose twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin to fight for Ish Bosheth son of Saul, and they chose twelve men from David’s officers. 16 Each of the men grabbed his opponent’s head and stabbed him in the side with his sword, and then they fell down together. That is why this place in Gibeon is called “The Field of the Sharp Knives.” [ e ] 17 That contest turned into a terrible battle and David’s officers defeated Abner and the Israelites that day.
18 Zeruiah had three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a wild deer. 19 Asahel ran straight toward Abner and began chasing him. 20 Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it’s me.”
21 Abner didn’t want to hurt Asahel, so he said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me—go after one of the young soldiers. You could easily take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me, or I will have to kill you. Then I will not be able to look your brother Joab in the face again.”
23 But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So Abner used the back end of his spear and pushed it into Asahel’s stomach. The spear went deep into Asahel’s stomach and came out of his back. Asahel died right there.
Asahel’s body lay on the ground. Everyone who came that way stopped to look at Asahel, 24 but Joab and Abishai [ f ] continued chasing Abner. The sun was just going down when they came to Ammah Hill. (Ammah Hill is in front of Giah on the way to the desert of Gibeon.) 25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab and said, “Must we fight and kill each other forever? Surely you know that this will only end in sadness. Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers.”
27 Then Joab said, “As surely as God is alive, if you had not said something, people would still be chasing their brothers in the morning.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not try to fight the Israelites anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River and then marched all day until they came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab stopped chasing Abner and turned back. Joab had gathered his men and learned that 19 of David’s officers were missing, including Asahel. 31 But David’s officers had killed 360 of Abner’s men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 David’s officers took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem.
Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up just as they reached Hebron.
2 And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord , saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.
3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of 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.
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord , that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.
6 And now the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.
7 Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over 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.
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.
11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was 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.
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.
14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
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.
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: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
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.
19 And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.
21 And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.
22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?
23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore 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.
24 Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of 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.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?
27 And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.
28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
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.
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.
31 But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.
32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
2 Then it came about afterward that ( A ) David inquired of the Lord , saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “ ( B ) To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and ( C ) his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the [ a ] widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And ( D ) David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they ( E ) anointed David king over the house of Judah.
And they told David, saying, “It was ( F ) the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “ ( G ) May you be blessed of the Lord because you have [ b ] shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6 And now ( H ) may the Lord [ c ] show kindness and truth to you; and I also will [ d ] show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 Now then, let your hands be strong and be [ e ] valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
8 But ( I ) Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken [ f ] Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ( J ) Mahanaim. 9 And he made him king over ( K ) Gilead, over the ( L ) Ashurites, over ( M ) Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 And ( N ) the [ g ] time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Now Abner the son of Ner, went from Mahanaim to ( O ) Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. 13 And ( P ) Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met [ h ] them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, [ i ] Abner’s men on the one side of the pool and [ j ] Joab’s men on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Now have the young men arise and ( Q ) hold a martial skills match in our presence.” And Joab said, “Have them arise!” 15 So they got up and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one of them seized his [ k ] opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his [ l ] opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called [ m ] Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17 That day the battle was very severe, and ( R ) Abner and the men of Israel were defeated [ n ] by the servants of David.
18 Now ( S ) the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was ( T ) as [ o ] swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn [ p ] to the right or to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind himself and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “It is I!” 21 So Abner said to him, “Turn aside for your own good to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his equipment.” But Asahel was unwilling to turn aside from following him. 22 Then Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside for your own good from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? ( U ) How then could I [ q ] show my face to your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside; so Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came thereafter to the place where ( V ) Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah by way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and they stood on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Should the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that it will be bitter in the end? So how long will you [ r ] refrain from telling the people to turn back from pursuing their kinsmen?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people of Judah certainly would have withdrawn in the morning, each from pursuing his brother.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, ( W ) nor did they continue to fight anymore. 29 Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to ( X ) Mahanaim.
30 Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner; but he gathered all the people together, and [ s ] nineteen of David’s servants were missing, besides Asahel. 31 However, the servants of David had struck and killed many of Benjamin and Abner’s men; 360 men were dead. 32 And they carried Asahel away and buried him ( Y ) in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled all night until the day [ t ] dawned at Hebron.
2 In the course of time, David inquired ( A ) of the Lord . “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,” ( B ) the Lord answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, ( C ) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, ( D ) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, ( E ) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron ( F ) and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, ( G ) and there they anointed ( H ) David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead ( I ) who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless ( J ) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, ( K ) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong ( L ) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
8 Meanwhile, Abner ( N ) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth ( O ) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. ( P ) 9 He made him king over Gilead, ( Q ) Ashuri ( R ) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. ( S )
10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months. ( T )
12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. ( U ) 13 Joab ( V ) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger ( W ) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. [ a ]
17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated ( X ) by David’s men. ( Y )
18 The three sons of Zeruiah ( Z ) were there: Joab, ( AA ) Abishai ( AB ) and Asahel. ( AC ) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. ( AD ) 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?” ( AE )
23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, ( AF ) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. ( AG )
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour ( AH ) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
28 So Joab ( AI ) blew the trumpet, ( AJ ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. ( AK ) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours [ b ] and came to Mahanaim. ( AL )
30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb ( AM ) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.
