2 SamuelChapter 2

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¹Some time later, David asked the LORD, "Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" "Go up," the LORD said. Then David asked, "Where should I go?" "To Hebron," the LORD said. ²So David went there with his two wives. They were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel. Abigail was the widow of Nabal. ³David also took the men who were with him. Each man brought his family. They settled in the towns near Hebron. ⁴Then the men of Judah came to Hebron. There they anointed David king over the people of Judah. They told David, "The men of Jabesh-gilead are the ones who buried Saul." ⁵So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead. They told them, "May the LORD bless you. You showed kindness to Saul your master by burying him. ⁶Now may the LORD show you faithful love and be true to you. I will also be kind to you because you did this. ⁷So now, be strong and brave. For Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king." ⁸Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ish-bosheth and moved him to Mahanaim. ⁹He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. He made him king over all Israel. ¹⁰Saul's son Ish-bosheth was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. He ruled for two years. But the people of Judah followed David. ¹¹David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven years and six months. ¹²One day Abner son of Ner marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. The servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went with him. ¹³So Joab son of Zeruiah and David's servants marched out too. They met Abner's men by the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down on opposite sides of the pool. ¹⁴Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some young men get up and fight in front of us." "Let them get up," Joab said. ¹⁵So they got up and were counted off. There were twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul. And there were twelve for David. ¹⁶Each man grabbed the other man by the head. He stabbed his sword into the other man's side. And they all fell down together. So that place in Gibeon is called Helkath-hazzurim.a ¹⁷The fighting that day was fierce. David's servants beat Abner and the men of Israel. ¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there. They were Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹He chased Abner. He did not turn to the right or to the left as he chased him. ²⁰Abner looked back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It is," Asahel said. ²¹So Abner told him, "Turn to your right or your left. Grab one of the young men and take his gear for yourself." But Asahel would not stop chasing him. ²²Once more Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me. Why should I have to strike you down? How could I face your brother Joab then?" ²³But Asahel would not turn away. So Abner jabbed him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear came out his back. Asahel fell and died right there. Every man who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stopped and stood still. ²⁴But Joab and Abishai chased Abner. By sunset they came to the hill of Ammah. It was across from Giah, on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵The men of Benjamin gathered behind Abner. They formed one group and took their stand on top of a hill. ²⁶Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword keep killing forever? Don't you see that this will only end in bitterness? How long until you tell your troops to stop chasing their brothers?" ²⁷Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the troops would have kept chasing their brothers until morning." ²⁸So Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped. They did not chase Israel anymore. And they did not fight anymore. ²⁹All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan. They marched all morning and came to Mahanaim. ³⁰Joab came back from chasing Abner and gathered all the troops. Nineteen of David's servants were missing, and Asahel too. ³¹But David's servants had killed 360 men of Benjamin who were with Abner. ³²They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. They reached Hebron at dawn.