2 Samuel 3
Expanded Bible
3 There was a long war between the ·people who supported Saul’s family [L the house of Saul] and ·those who supported David’s family [L the house of David]. ·The supporters of David’s family [L David] became stronger and stronger, but the ·supporters of Saul’s family [L house of Saul] became weaker and weaker.
David’s Sons(A)
2 Sons were born to David at Hebron. The first was Amnon [13:1–22], whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel [1 Sam. 25:43]. 3 The second son was Kileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [1 Sam. 25:39–42]. The third son was Absalom [13:23—18:33], whose mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. 4 The fourth son was Adonijah [1 Kin. 1:5–27], whose mother was Haggith. The fifth son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. 5 The sixth son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were born to David at Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6 During the war between the ·supporters of Saul’s family [L house of Saul] and the ·supporters of David’s family [L house of David], Abner made himself ·a main leader [strong] ·among the supporters [L in the house] of Saul.
7 Saul once had a ·slave woman [concubine; C a secondary wife of lower status than a primary wife, but higher than a common servant] named Rizpah, who was the daughter of Aiah. Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why ·did you have sexual relations with [L have you gone in to] my father’s ·slave woman [concubine]?”
8 Abner was ·very angry [furious; in a rage] because of what Ish-Bosheth said, and he replied, “I have ·been loyal [shown kindness/faithful love] to [L the house of your father] Saul and his ·family [L brothers] and friends! I didn’t hand you over to David. ·I am not a traitor working for Judah! [L Am I a Judean dog/dog’s head for Judah?] But now you are ·saying I did something wrong with [finding fault with me/charging me with wrong regarding] this woman! 9 May God ·help [deal severely with] me if I don’t ·join David! I will make sure that what the Lord promised does happen [L …accomplish for David everything the Lord has promised him]! 10 I will ·take [transfer] the kingdom from the ·family [L the house] of Saul and ·make David king of [L establish the throne of David over] Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba [C in the far north and south of Israel]!” 11 Ish-Bosheth ·couldn’t [dared not] say anything to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to ask David [L on his own behalf; or at his place], “·Who is going to rule the land [L Whose land is it]? Make an ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with me, and ·I will help you unite [L my hand will be with you to bring over to you] all Israel.”
13 David answered, “Good! I will make an ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with you, but I ·ask [demand/require of] you one thing. I will not ·meet with you [L allow you to see my face/in my presence] unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal to me [L when you come; C to strengthen his claim to the throne; 1 Sam. 18:26–29].” 14 Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth, saying, “Give me my wife Michal. She was ·promised [engaged; betrothed] to me, ·and I killed a hundred Philistines to get her [L for one hundred Philistine foreskins].”
15 So Ish-Bosheth sent men to take Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Michal’s husband went with her, crying as he followed her ·to [as far as] Bahurim. But Abner said to Paltiel, “Go back home.” So he went home.
17 Abner ·sent this message to [consulted/conferred with] the elders of Israel: “[L For some time now] You have been wanting to make David your king. 18 Now do it! The Lord said of David, ‘·Through [L By the hand of] my servant David, I will ·save [rescue; T deliver] my people Israel from the [L hand of the] Philistines and all their enemies.’”
19 Abner also said these things to the people of Benjamin. He then went to Hebron to tell David what the Benjaminites and Israel ·wanted [agreed] to do. 20 Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron. There David prepared a ·feast [banquet] for them. 21 Abner said to David, “·I will [Let me] go and ·bring all the Israelites [L gather all Israel] to my ·master [lord] and king. Then they will make an ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with you so you will rule over all ·Israel as you wanted [L that your soul desires].” So David let Abner go, and he left in peace.
Abner’s Death
22 Just then Joab and David’s ·men [L servants] came from a ·battle [raid], bringing ·many valuable things they had taken from the enemy [L much plunder/spoil with them]. David had let Abner leave in peace, so he was not with David at Hebron. 23 When Joab and all his army arrived at Hebron, the army said to Joab, “Abner son of Ner came to King David, and David let him leave in peace.”
24 Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he’s gone. 25 You know Abner son of Ner! He came to ·trick [deceive] you! He came to learn about [L your movements/coming and going and] everything you are doing!”
26 After Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the ·well [cistern] of Sirah. But David did not know this. 27 When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside into ·the gateway [an inner chamber]. He acted as though he wanted to talk with Abner in private, but Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and Abner died. ·Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel, so Joab killed Abner to pay him back [L …on account of/to revenge the blood/killing of Asahel his brother].
28 Later when David heard the news, he said, “My kingdom and I are innocent before the Lord forever of the ·death [L blood] of Abner son of Ner. 29 ·Joab and his family are responsible for this. [L May it/the guilt fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house.] May his family always have someone with [running] sores or ·with a skin disease [T leprosy; C the term covers a variety of skin diseases that would render a person ritually unclean; Lev. 13–14]. May they always have someone who must lean on a crutch. May ·some of his family be killed in war [L someone always fall by the sword]. May they always have someone without food to eat.”
30 (Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon [2:18–32].)
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people with Joab, “Tear your clothes and put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C a sign of mourning or distress]. ·Cry […lament; mourn] for Abner.” King David himself followed the ·body of Abner [L bier]. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and David and all the people cried at Abner’s grave.
33 King David ·sang [chanted; intoned; or composed] this ·funeral song [lament] for Abner.
“·Did [Should] Abner ·die [have died] like a fool?
34 ·His [L Your] hands were not tied.
·His [L Your] feet were not ·in chains [fettered].
·He [L You] fell ·at the hands of [as one falls before] evil men.”
Then all the people cried again for Abner. 35 They came to ·encourage [persuade] David to eat while it was still day. But he made a ·promise [vow], saying, “May God ·punish me terribly [deal severely with me] if I ·eat [taste] bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
36 All the people ·saw what happened [took note], and ·they agreed with what the king was doing [it pleased them; L it was good in their eyes], just as they ·agreed [were pleased] with everything ·he [L the king] did. 37 That day all the ·people of Judah [L people; C likely a reference to the people of Judah] and Israel understood that David ·did not order [had no part in] the killing of Abner son of Ner.
38 David said to his ·officers [L servants], “[L Don’t…?] You know that a [L prince and a] great man died today in Israel. 39 Even though I am the ·appointed [anointed] king, I ·feel empty [am weak/powerless]. These sons of Zeruiah are too ·much [strong; difficult] for me. May the Lord ·give them the punishment they should have [L repay the evildoer as his evil deserves].”
2 Samuel 3
New American Standard Bible
The House of David Strengthened
3 Now (A)there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.
2 (B)Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by (C)Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3 and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the [a]widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of (D)Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of (E)Geshur; 4 and the fourth, (F)Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These sons were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6 Now it happened that while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, (G)Abner was [b]strengthening himself in the house of Saul. 7 And Saul had a concubine whose name was (H)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and [c]Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” 8 Then Abner became very angry over Ish-bosheth’s [d]question and said, “(I)Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not let you fall into the hands of David; yet today you call me to account for wrongdoing with [e]that woman? 9 (J)May God do so to [f]me, and more so, if (K)as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him: 10 (L)to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, (M)from Dan even to Beersheba!” 11 And Ish-bosheth could no longer say a word in response to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to David at his place, saying, “Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.” 13 And he said, “Good! I will make a covenant with you, only I require one thing of you, [g]namely, that (N)you shall not see my face unless you (O)first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see [h]me.” 14 So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed (P)for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 Ish-bosheth sent men and [i]had her taken from her husband, from [j]Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, [k]following her as far as (Q)Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.
17 Now Abner had a [l]consultation with (R)the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. 18 Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken regarding David, saying, ‘(S)By the hand of My servant David [m]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hands of all their enemies.’” 19 Abner also spoke [n]to Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak [o]to David in Hebron everything that seemed good to Israel and to (T)the entire house of Benjamin.
20 Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David held a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 Abner said to David, “Let me set out and go and (U)gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that (V)you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David let Abner go, and he went in peace.
22 And behold, (W)the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought a large amount of plunder with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, since he had let him go, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they informed Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go on his way, and he has gone in peace.” 24 Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you let him go, so that he is already gone? 25 You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to gain your confidence, and to learn of (X)your [p]going out and coming in and to find out everything that you are doing.”
Joab Murders Abner
26 When Joab left David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know about it. 27 So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there (Y)he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. 28 Afterward, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 (Z)May it turn upon the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may there not be eliminated from the house of Joab (AA)someone who suffers a discharge, or has leprosy, or [q]holds the spindle, or falls by the sword, or lacks bread.” 30 So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner (AB)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
David Mourns Abner
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “(AC)Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. 32 And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king raised his voice and wept at (AD)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And (AE)the king sang a song of mourning for Abner and said,
“Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in bronze shackles;
As one falls before the [r]wicked, you have fallen.”
And all the people wept over him again. 35 Then all the people came (AF)to provide [s]food for David in his distress while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “(AG)May God do so to me, and more so, if I taste bread or anything else (AH)before the sun goes down.” 36 Now all the people took note of David’s vow, and it [t]pleased them, just as everything that the king did [u]pleased all the people. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood on that day that it had not been the desire of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. 38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a leader and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And I am (AI)weak today, though anointed king; and these men, (AJ)the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. (AK)May the Lord repay the evildoer in proportion to his evil.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 3:3 Lit wife
- 2 Samuel 3:6 Or remaining faithful to
- 2 Samuel 3:7 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT he
- 2 Samuel 3:8 Lit words
- 2 Samuel 3:8 Lit the
- 2 Samuel 3:9 Lit Abner
- 2 Samuel 3:13 Lit saying
- 2 Samuel 3:13 Lit my face
- 2 Samuel 3:15 Lit took her
- 2 Samuel 3:15 In 1 Sam 25:44, Palti
- 2 Samuel 3:16 Lit after her
- 2 Samuel 3:17 Lit a word
- 2 Samuel 3:18 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT he
- 2 Samuel 3:19 Lit in the ears of
- 2 Samuel 3:19 Lit in the ears of
- 2 Samuel 3:25 I.e., daily business
- 2 Samuel 3:29 I.e., an effeminate man; LXX holds on to a staff (prob. a crutch)
- 2 Samuel 3:34 Lit sons of wickedness
- 2 Samuel 3:35 Lit bread
- 2 Samuel 3:36 Lit was good in their eyes
- 2 Samuel 3:36 Lit was good in the eyes of all
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