Chapter 3

¹ There followed a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, in which David grew ever stronger, but the house of Saul ever weaker.

Sons Born in Hebron. ^2 (A)Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam from Jezreel; ³ the second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom, son of Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;^{(B) 4} the fourth, Adonijah, son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah, son of Abital;^{(C) 5} and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Ishbaal and Abner Quarrel. ⁶ During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was gaining power in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal, son of Saul, said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”^{[a](D) 8} Enraged at the words of Ishbaal, Abner said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? As of today, I have been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, and I have kept you out of David’s clutches; and today you charge me with a crime involving a woman! ⁹ May God do thus to Abner, and more, if I do not carry out for David what the Lord swore to him—^{(E) 10} that is, take away the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.”^{(F) 11} Ishbaal was no longer able to say a word to Abner, he feared him so.

Abner and David Reconciled. ¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David in Telam, where he was at the moment, to say, “Make a covenant with me, and you have me on your side, to bring all Israel over to you.” ¹³ He replied, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you. You must not appear before me unless you bring back Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to present yourself to me.”^{(G) 14} At the same time David sent messengers to Ishbaal, son of Saul, to say, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed by paying a hundred Philistine foreskins.” ¹⁵ Ishbaal sent for her and took her away from her husband Paltiel, son of Laish,^{(H) 16} who followed her weeping as far as Bahurim. But Abner said to him, “Go back!” So he turned back.

¹⁷ Abner then had a word with the elders of Israel: “For some time you have been wanting David as your king. ¹⁸ Now take action, for the Lord has said of David: By David my servant I will save my people Israel from the power of the Philistines and from the power of all their enemies.” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke with Benjamin, and then went to speak with David in Hebron concerning all that would be agreeable to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. ²⁰ When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. ²¹ Then Abner said to David, “I will now go to assemble all Israel for my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you; you will then be king over all whom you wish to rule.” So David let Abner go on his way in peace.

Death of Abner. ²² Just then David’s servants and Joab were coming in from an expedition, bringing much plunder with them. Abner, having been dismissed by David, was no longer with him in Hebron but had gone on his way in peace. ²³ When Joab and the whole force he had with him arrived, he was informed, “Abner, son of Ner, came to David, and he let him go on his way in peace.” ²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said: “What have you done? Abner came to you! Why did you let him get away? ²⁵ Don’t you know Abner? He came to trick you, to learn your comings and goings, to learn everything you do.” ²⁶ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner to bring him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know. ²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside within the city gate to speak with him privately. There he stabbed him in the abdomen, and he died for the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother.^{(I) 28} Later David heard of it and said: “Before the Lord, I and my kingdom are forever innocent.^{(J) 29} May the blood of Abner, son of Ner, be on the head of Joab and all his family. May Joab’s family never be without one suffering from a discharge, or one with a skin disease, or a man who holds the distaff, or one falling by the sword, or one in need of food!”^{[b] 30} Joab and Abishai his brother had been lying in wait for Abner because he killed Asahel their brother in battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner. ³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your garments, put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner.” King David himself followed the bier.^{(K) 32} When they had buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And the king sang this lament over Abner:

And all the people continued to weep for him. ³⁵ Then they went to console David with food while it was still day. But David swore, “May God do thus to me, and more, if before the sun goes down I eat bread or anything else.”^{(L) 36} All the people noted this with approval, just as everything the king did met with their approval. ³⁷ So on that day all the people and all Israel came to know that it was not the king’s doing that Abner, son of Ner, was put to death. ³⁸ The king then said to his servants: “Do you not know that a prince, a great man, has fallen today in Israel. ³⁹ Although I am the anointed king, I am weak this day, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too ruthless for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer in accordance with his evil deed.”^(M)

Chapter 4

Death of Ishbaal. ¹ When Ishbaal, son of Saul, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, he lost his resolve and all Israel was alarmed. ² Ishbaal, son of Saul, had two company leaders named Baanah and Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth, too, was ascribed to Benjamin:^{(N) 3} the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, where they have been resident aliens to this day.^{(O) 4} (Jonathan, son of Saul, had a son with crippled feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; his nurse took him and fled, but in their hasty flight, he fell and became lame. His name was Meribbaal.)^{[c](P) 5} The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, came into the house of Ishbaal during the heat of the day, while he was lying on his bed in the afternoon. ⁶ The gatekeeper of the house had dozed off while sifting wheat, and was asleep. So Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped past her ⁷ and entered the house while Ishbaal was lying asleep in his bedroom. They struck and killed him, and cut off his head. Then, taking the head, they traveled on the Arabah road all night long.

The Murder Avenged. ⁸ They brought the head of Ishbaal to David in Hebron and said to the king: “This is the head of Ishbaal, son of your enemy Saul, who sought your life. Thus has the Lord this day avenged my lord the king on Saul and his posterity.” ⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite: “As the Lord lives, who rescued me from every distress: ¹⁰ the man who reported to me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, that man I seized and killed in Ziglag: that was the reward I gave him.^{(Q) 11} How much more now, when wicked men have slain an innocent man in bed at home, must I require his blood from you and purge you from the land!” ¹² So at David’s command, the young men killed them and cut off their hands and feet, hanging them up near the pool in Hebron. But he took the head of Ishbaal and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron.^(R)

Psalm 132^[a]

The Covenant Between David and God

¹ A song of ascents.

I

II

Chapter 12

Parable of the Tenants.^{[a] 1} He began to speak to them in parables.^(A) “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.^{(B) 2} At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. ⁵ He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. ⁶ He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹ What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you not read this scripture passage:^(C)

¹² They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to the Emperor. ^13 [b]They sent some Pharisees^(D) and Herodians to him to ensnare him^(E) in his speech.^{[c] 14} They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” ¹⁵ Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” ¹⁶ They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷ So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.^(F)

The Question About the Resurrection.^{[d] 18} Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and put this question to him, ¹⁹ saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’^{(G) 20} Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. ²¹ So the second married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. ²² And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. ²³ At the resurrection [when they arise] whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her.” ²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵ When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. ²⁶ As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, [the] God of Isaac, and [the] God of Jacob’?^{(H) 27} He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled.”

The Greatest Commandment.^[e]