2 Samuel 3:22-5:25

New King James Version

Joab Murders Abner

²² At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much ^[a]spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? ²⁵ Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know ^(A)your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

²⁶ And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. ²⁷ Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab ^(B)took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^[b]stabbed him ^(C)in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of ^(D)Asahel his brother.

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are ^[c]guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (E)Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the ^[d]house of Joab one ^(F)who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother ^(G)Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

David’s Mourning for Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ^(H)“Tear your clothes, ^(I)gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. ³² So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:

Then all the people wept over him again.

³⁵ And when all the people came ^(K)to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, ^(L)“God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(M)till the sun goes down!” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, ^(N)are too harsh for me. ^(O)The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4 When Saul’s ^[e]son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, ^(P)he^[f] lost heart, and all Israel was ^(Q)troubled. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For ^(R)Beeroth also was ^[g]part of Benjamin, ³ because the Beerothites fled to ^(S)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

^4 (T)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came ^(U)from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was ^(V)Mephibosheth.^[h]

⁵ Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the ^(W)house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. ⁶ And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they ^[i]stabbed him ^(X)in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. ⁸ And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, ^(Y)who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(Z)who has redeemed my life from all adversity, ¹⁰ when ^(AA)someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now ^(AB)require his ^[j]blood at your hand and ^[k]remove you from the earth?” ¹² So David ^(AC)commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the ^(AD)tomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Reigns over All Israel^(AE)

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(AF)came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed ^(AG)we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^(AH)you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ^(AI)‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ^3 (AJ)Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(AK)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(AL)before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(AM)thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(AN)he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(AO)seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem^(AP)

^6 (AQ)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against ^(AR)the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion ^(AS)(that is, the City of David).

⁸ Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), ^(AT)he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it ^(AU)the City of David. And David built all around from ^[l]the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and ^(AV)the Lord God of hosts was with ^(AW)him.

¹¹ Then ^(AX)Hiram ^(AY)king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. ¹² So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had ^(AZ)exalted His kingdom ^(BA)for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ And ^(BB)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(BC)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: ^[m]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, ^(BD)Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, ^[n]Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated^(BE)

^17 (BF)Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it ^(BG)and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in ^(BH)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David ^(BI)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰ So David went to ^(BJ)Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place ^[o]Baal Perazim. ²¹ And they left their ^[p]images there, and David and his men ^(BK)carried them away.

^22 (BL)Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Therefore ^(BM)David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ²⁴ And it shall be, when you ^(BN)hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then ^(BO)the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from ^(BP)Geba^[q] as far as ^(BQ)Gezer.