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2 Samuel 2
International Standard Version

David Becomes King over Judah

2 Some time later, David inquired of the Lord to ask, “Am I to move[a] to any one of the cities of Judah?”

The Lord told him, “Go.”

So David asked, “To which one?”

He replied, “To Hebron.”

2 So David went there, along with his two wives Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal from Carmel. 3 David brought his army[b] with him, each soldier accompanied by his household, and they settled in the cities of Hebron. 4 After this, the army of Judah arrived, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

There they informed David, “The men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul.”

5 So David sent messengers to the people[c] of Jabesh-gilead and told them, “May the Lord bless you, because you showed gracious love like[d] this to your lord Saul by burying him. 6 Now may the Lord reward you with gracious love, as well as faithfulness, to you, too! And I will also reward you because you did this good thing. 7 So strengthen yourselves, and be valiant in heart, because your lord Saul has died, and the household of Judah has anointed me to be king over them.”

Abner’s Rebellion and the Battle at Gibeon

8 Meanwhile, Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth[e] and brought him to Mahanaim. 9 He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all of the rest of[f] Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth began to reign over Israel at the age of 40 years, and he reigned for two years, even though Judah’s lineage followed David. 11 The period of David’s kingship in Hebron lasted seven years and six months.

12 Ner’s son Abner and the servants of Saul’s son Ish-bosheth set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon. 13 Zeruiah’s son Joab and some of David’s staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool.

14 Abner told Joab, “Let’s have the young men get up and fight in our presence.”

Joab replied, “Let them come.”

15 So they got up and twelve were counted to represent Benjamin and Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and twelve to represent members of David’s staff. 16 Each man grabbed his opponent by the head, plunged[g] his sword into his opponent’s side, and then they both fell together. That’s why the place at Gibeon was named The Field of Swords.[h] 17 The battle was very violent that day, with Abner and the men of Israel being defeated in the presence of David’s servants.

Abner Kills Joab’s Brother Asahel

18 Zeruiah’s three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles. 19 So Asahel ran straight[i] after Abner, following him. 20 When Abner looked behind him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

21 Abner told him, “Go off to your right or left after one of the young men and grab some war spoils.” But Asahel would not stop following him, 22 so Abner told Asahel again, “Stop following me. Why should I strike you down? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”

23 But Asahel[j] refused to turn away, so Abner struck Asahel in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He collapsed to the ground and died where he fell. Everyone gathered round the place where Asahel had collapsed and died, and stood still there.

24 Meanwhile, Joab and Abishai continued to chase Abner. At dusk, as they approached the hill of Ammah that is located near Giah on the way to the Gibeon desert, 25 the descendants of Benjamin rallied around Abner, forming a single military force. They took their stand on top of the hill.

26 Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever? Don’t you realize that the end result is bitterness? How long will it take for you to order your army[k] to stop pursuing their own relatives?”

27 Joab answered, “As God lives, if you hadn’t spoken up, by morning my army would have broken off their pursuit of their own relatives.” 28 So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting.

29 Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning. 30 Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David’s soldiers[l] were missing besides Asahel. 31 Meanwhile, other[m] soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner’s men from the tribe of[n] Benjamin. 32 They retrieved Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 2:1 Lit. to go up
  2. 2 Samuel 2:3 Lit. men
  3. 2 Samuel 2:5 Lit. men
  4. 2 Samuel 2:5 The Heb. lacks like
  5. 2 Samuel 2:8 MT means Shameful Man; cf. 1Chr 8:33, where he is named Esh-baal
  6. 2 Samuel 2:9 The Heb. lacks the rest of
  7. 2 Samuel 2:16 The Heb. lacks plunged
  8. 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit. Helkath-hazzurim
  9. 2 Samuel 2:19 Lit. ran turning neither to the right nor to the left
  10. 2 Samuel 2:23 Lit. he
  11. 2 Samuel 2:26 Lit. people; and so throughout the chapter
  12. 2 Samuel 2:30 Lit. servants
  13. 2 Samuel 2:31 The Heb. lacks other
  14. 2 Samuel 2:31 The Heb. lacks the tribe of
Close LEB

2 Samuel 2
Lexham English Bible

David Moves to Hebron

2 It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there along with[a] his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel[b] and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 Also, David brought up his men who were with him, each with[c] his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron.

David Anointed King over Judah at Hebron

4 Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him. 6 Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter. 7 So then, let your hands be strong and be valiant,[d] for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”

Ish-Bosheth over Israel

8 But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it. 10 Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed[e] David. 11 The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.

War between Judah and Israel

12 Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come up and fight in our presence.” And Joab said, “Let them come up.” 15 So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 Then each seized his opponent[f] by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they[g] called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim,[h] which is in Gibeon. 17 Then the battle became increasingly fierce[i] on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field. 19 So Asahel pursued[j] Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from going after Abner. 20 Abner turned around and said, “Are you this Asahel?” And he said, “Yes.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize for yourself one of the young men, and take his belongings for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from him. 22 So Abner said to Asahel once again,[k] “For your own sake,[l] turn aside from following me.[m] Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face[n] to Joab your brother?” 23 But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, and the spear went out of his back. He fell there and he died on the spot.[o] Then[p] all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died just stood there.

24 So Joab and Abishai pursued[q] Abner when[r] the sun went down. And they came to the hill country of Ammah, which is before Giah[s] on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The descendants[t] of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long[u] will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing[v] their brothers?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives,[w] for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after[x] his brother.” 28 Then Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again.

29 Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed over the Jordan. They went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. 30 After Joab returned from pursuing[y] Abner, he gathered all the people; nineteen of the servants of David were missing along with Asahel. 31 The servants of David had killed some of the Benjaminites among the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty men had died. 32 Then they picked up Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all that night arriving in Hebron at first light.[z]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 2:2 Literally “and also”
  2. 2 Samuel 2:2 Literally “the Jezreelitess”
  3. 2 Samuel 2:3 Literally “and”
  4. 2 Samuel 2:7 Literally “as sons of ability”
  5. 2 Samuel 2:10 Literally “were after”
  6. 2 Samuel 2:16 Literally “neighbor”
  7. 2 Samuel 2:16 Hebrew “he”
  8. 2 Samuel 2:16 Helkath Hazzurim possibly means “the slippery slope”
  9. 2 Samuel 2:17 Literally “and it was/became strong/fierce until very”
  10. 2 Samuel 2:19 Hebrew “pursued after”
  11. 2 Samuel 2:22 Literally “and he again did again”
  12. 2 Samuel 2:22 Literally “for yourself”
  13. 2 Samuel 2:22 Literally “from after me”
  14. 2 Samuel 2:22 Literally “lift up my face”
  15. 2 Samuel 2:23 Literally “in his place”
  16. 2 Samuel 2:23 Literally “And it happened”
  17. 2 Samuel 2:24 Hebrew “pursued after”
  18. 2 Samuel 2:24 Literally “and”
  19. 2 Samuel 2:24 Literally “lies on the face of Giah”
  20. 2 Samuel 2:25 Or “sons”
  21. 2 Samuel 2:26 Literally “And up to when”
  22. 2 Samuel 2:26 Literally “from after”
  23. 2 Samuel 2:27 Literally “The life of God”
  24. 2 Samuel 2:27 Literally “from after”
  25. 2 Samuel 2:30 Hebrew “after”
  26. 2 Samuel 2:32 Literally “it became light for them in Hebron”
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