2 Samuel 2
Expanded Bible
David Is Made King of Judah
2 Later, David ·prayed to [consulted; inquired of] the Lord, saying, “Should I ·go up [move back; return] to any of the ·cities [or towns] of Judah?”
The Lord said to David, “·Go [Move back; Return].”
David asked, “·Where [To which town] should I go?”
The Lord answered, “To Hebron [C in the heartland of Judah, David’s tribe].”
2 So David went up to Hebron with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel [1 Sam. 25:43] and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [1 Sam. 25:39–42]. 3 David also brought his men and their ·families [households], and they all ·made their homes in the cities of [settled in the villages near] Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and ·appointed [anointed] David king over [the people/house of] Judah.
They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul [1 Sam. 31:11–13]. 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you. You have shown ·loyalty [kindness; faithful love] to your master Saul by burying him. 6 May the Lord now ·be loyal [show kindness/faithful love] and ·true [faithfulness] to you. I will also ·treat you well [show this goodness to you; reward you] because you have done this. 7 Now ·be [L let your hands be] strong and ·brave [valiant]. Saul your ·master [lord] is dead, and the ·people [L house] of Judah have appointed me their king.”
War Between Judah and Israel
8 Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul’s army [1 Sam. 14:50–51; 17:55–57; 26:14–15]. Abner took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth [C “man of shame”] to Mahanaim 9 and ·made [proclaimed] him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ·ruled [reigned] two years. But the ·people [L house] of Judah followed David. 11 David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the ·servants [soldiers; men] of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah [C David’s general] and David’s men also went there and met Abner and Ish-Bosheth’s men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool; Joab’s group sat on the other.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men ·have a contest [perform; sport; L play] ·here [before us].”
Joab said, “Yes, let them ·have a contest [L come forward].”
15 Then the men got up and were counted—twelve from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s men. 16 Each man grabbed the one opposite him by the ·head [hair] and stabbed him in the side with a ·knife [dagger; sword]. So the men fell down together. For that reason, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of ·Knives [Daggers; Swords; or Sides]. 17 That day there was a ·terrible [fierce] battle, and David’s ·men [L servants] defeated Abner and the Israelites.
Abner Kills Asahel
18 Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was ·a fast runner, as fast as a deer [L as fleet-footed as a gazelle] in the field. 19 Asahel chased Abner, ·going straight toward him [L turning neither to the right or left]. 20 Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it is.”
21 Then Abner said to Asahel, “·Turn to your right or left [Go elsewhere] and catch one of the young men and ·take his armor [strip him of his weapons; L take his spoil].” But Asahel refused to ·stop [L turn away from] chasing him.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, “·Stop chasing me [L Turn another way]! ·If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! [L Why should I strike you down?] Then ·I won’t be able to [L how could I…?] face your brother Joab again!”
23 But Asahel refused to ·stop chasing Abner [L turn aside/back]. So using the ·back [butt] end of his spear, Abner ·stabbed [struck] Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel [L fell/stumbled and] died right there, and everyone ·stopped [stood still] when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.
24 But Joab and Abishai ·continued chasing [took up the pursuit of] Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, ·near [in front of] Giah on the way to the ·desert [wilderness] near Gibeon. 25 The men of Benjamin [C part of Abner’s troops] came to Abner, and ·all stood together [regrouped; reunited] at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword ·kill [L devour] forever? Surely you must know this will only end in ·sadness [bitterness]! ·Tell [L How long before you tell…?] the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”
27 Then Joab said, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning.” 28 Then Joab blew a ·trumpet [ram’s horn], and his people stopped chasing ·the Israelites [L Israel]. They did not fight them anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the ·Jordan Valley [Arabah]. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all ·day [morning], arrived at Mahanaim.
30 After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David’s ·men [soldiers; L servants] were missing. 31 But David’s ·men [L servants] had ·killed [L struck] three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner. 32 David’s men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. ·The sun came up as [At daybreak] they reached Hebron.
2 Samuel 2
Amplified Bible
David Made King over Judah
2 So it happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” And He said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there [to Hebron] with his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel [in Judah]. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, each one with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
Then they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”(A) 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you showed this graciousness and loyalty to Saul your lord (king), and buried him. 6 Now may the Lord show lovingkindness and truth and faithfulness to you. I too will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 So now, let your hands be strong and be valiant; for your lord Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel
8 Now [Saul’s cousin] Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to [a]Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, even over all Israel [except Judah]. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for 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.
Civil War
12 Now Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab [David’s nephew] the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, with one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now stand and [b]have a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them stand.” 15 So they stood up and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 Each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponents side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim [that is, the Field of Sides], which is in Gibeon. 17 There was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light and swift-footed as one of the [wild] gazelles in the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn to the right or to the left as he followed him. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is I.” 21 So Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or to your left, and grab one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn away from pursuing Abner. 22 Abner repeated again, “Turn away from following me. Why should I have to strike you to the ground? How would I [c]be able to face Joab your brother [and look him in the eye]?” 23 But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner struck him in the abdomen with the [d]butt end of his spear, and the spear came out his back; and he fell there and died on that spot. And it came about that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died, stood still [and reflected].
24 But Joab and Abishai [Asahel’s brothers] pursued Abner. When the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the sons of [the tribe of] Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long [will it be] before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people certainly would have stopped pursuing their brothers in the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah (desert region) all that night, crossed the Jordan, went through Bithron and walked the whole morning and came to Mahanaim [where Ish-bosheth ruled Israel].
30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen of David’s servants were missing, besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men; so that three hundred and sixty men died. 32 And they picked up [the body of] Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men walked all night and they arrived in Hebron at daybreak.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 2:8 A fortified city in Gilead east of the river Jordan.
- 2 Samuel 2:14 Lit make sport.
- 2 Samuel 2:22 Lit lift up my face.
- 2 Samuel 2:23 Abner’s strength was legendary—there was a saying in Jewish tradition that it was easier to move a wall six cubits (nine feet) thick than to move one of Abner’s limbs.
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