³ choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom^(A) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.^(B) But now my kingdom is from another place.”^(C)

²⁰ When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.^(A)

²¹ When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war^(B) against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.

²⁴ Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? ²⁵ Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

¹² Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.^{(A) 13} Joab^(B) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

¹⁵ So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. ¹⁶ Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger^(C) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.^[a]

¹⁷ The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated^(D) by David’s men.^(E)

War Between the Houses of David and Saul^(A)

⁸ 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) 9} He made him king over Gilead,^(E) Ashuri^(F) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.^(G)

¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal^(A) and made Saul king^(B) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(A) There is no one like^(B) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(C) the king!”

The King

¹⁴ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession^(A) of it and settled in it,^(B) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”^{(C) 15} be sure to appoint^(D) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.^(E) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.