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David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.

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Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner(A) son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

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55 As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”

“I really don’t know,” Abner declared.

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55 As Saul watched David(A) going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner,(B) whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

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20 So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries.

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20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.

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50 Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul’s army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner. 51 Saul’s father, Kish, and Abner’s father, Ner, were both sons of Abiel.

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50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul’s army was Abner(A) son of Ner, and Ner was Saul’s uncle.(B) 51 Saul’s father Kish(C) and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.

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39 Ner was the father of Kish.
Kish was the father of Saul.
Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malkishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

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39 Ner(A) was the father of Kish,(B) Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan,(C) Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.[a](D)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 9:39 Also known as Ish-Bosheth

33 Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as fools die?
34 Your hands were not bound;
    your feet were not chained.
No, you were murdered—
    the victim of a wicked plot.”

All the people wept again for Abner. 35 David had refused to eat anything on the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May God strike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”

36 This pleased the people very much. In fact, everything the king did pleased them! 37 So everyone in Judah and all Israel understood that David was not responsible for Abner’s murder.

38 Then King David said to his officials, “Don’t you realize that a great commander has fallen today in Israel?

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33 The king sang this lament(A) for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?
34     Your hands were not bound,
    your feet were not fettered.(B)
You fell as one falls before the wicked.”

And all the people wept over him again.

35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,(C) if I taste bread(D) or anything else before the sun sets!”

36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part(E) in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen(F) in Israel this day?

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27 When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel.

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27 Now when Abner(A) returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him(B) in the stomach, and he died.(C)

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One day Ishbosheth,[a] Saul’s son, accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, a woman named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah.

Abner was furious. “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around like this?” he shouted. “After all I have done for your father, Saul, and his family and friends by not handing you over to David, is this my reward—that you find fault with me about this woman?

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Footnotes

  1. 3:7 Ishbosheth is another name for Esh-baal.

Now Saul had had a concubine(A) named Rizpah(B) daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, “Am I a dog’s head(C)—on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman!

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Ishbosheth Proclaimed King of Israel

But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had already gone to Mahanaim with Saul’s son Ishbosheth.[a] There he proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel.

10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king, and he ruled from Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the people of Judah remained loyal to David. 11 David made Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years.

War between Israel and Judah

12 One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:8 Ishbosheth is another name for Esh-baal.

War Between the Houses of David and Saul(A)

Meanwhile, Abner(B) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth(C) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.(D) He made him king over Gilead,(E) Ashuri(F) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.(G)

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.(H)

12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.(I)

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Saul Meets Samuel

There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin.

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Samuel Anoints Saul

There was a Benjamite,(A) a man of standing,(B) whose name was Kish(C) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.

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