2 Samuel 2
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17
18 19
20 21 22 23
24
1 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.
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