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2 Samuel 2
New King James Version
2 Samuel 2
New King James Version
David Anointed King of Judah
2 It happened after this that David (A)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”
And the Lord said to him, “Go up.”
David said, “Where shall I go up?”
And He said, “To (B)Hebron.”
2 So David went up there, and his (C)two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up (D)the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 (E)Then the men of Judah came, and there they (F)anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, (G)“The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, (H)“You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now may (I)the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Ishbosheth Made King of Israel
8 But (J)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took [a]Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to (K)Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over (L)Gilead, over the (M)Ashurites, over (N)Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. 11 And (O)the [b]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
Israel and Judah at War
12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to (P)Gibeon. 13 And (Q)Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by (R)the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.”
And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called [c]the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. 17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 Now the (S)three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was (T)as fleet of foot (U)as a wild gazelle. 19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”
He answered, “I am.”
21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him (V)in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood (W)still.
24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became [d]a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”
27 And Joab said, “As God lives, [e]unless (X)you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.
30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in (Y)Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 2:8 Esh-Baal, 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39
- 2 Samuel 2:11 Lit. number of days
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Heb. Helkath Hazzurim
- 2 Samuel 2:25 one band
- 2 Samuel 2:27 if you had not spoken
2 Samuel 2
New International Version
2 Samuel 2
New International Version
David Anointed King Over Judah
2 In the course of time, David inquired(A) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,”(B) the Lord answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives,(C) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,(D) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him,(E) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron(F) and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron,(G) and there they anointed(H) David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead(I) who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless(J) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness,(K) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong(L) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
War Between the Houses of David and Saul(M)
8 Meanwhile, Abner(N) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth(O) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.(P) 9 He made him king over Gilead,(Q) Ashuri(R) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.(S)
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.(T)
12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.(U) 13 Joab(V) 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(W) 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(X) by David’s men.(Y)
18 The three sons of Zeruiah(Z) were there: Joab,(AA) Abishai(AB) and Asahel.(AC) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.(AD) 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”(AE)
23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach,(AF) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.(AG)
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour(AH) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
28 So Joab(AI) blew the trumpet,(AJ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah.(AK) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours[b] and came to Mahanaim.(AL)
30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb(AM) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.
- 2 Samuel 2:29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
2 Samuel 2
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 2
English Standard Version
David Anointed King of Judah
2 After this David (A)inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To (B)Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and (C)his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up (D)his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David (E)king over the house of Judah.
When they told David, (F)“It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, (G)“May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and (H)the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel
8 But (I)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to (J)Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 (K)And the time that David was king in Hebron over (L)the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
The Battle of Gibeon
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at (M)the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim,[a] which is at Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 And the (N)three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was (O)as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him (P)in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if (Q)you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.
29 And Abner and his men went all that night through (R)the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to (S)Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Helkath-hazzurim means the field of sword-edges
2 Samuel 2
La Biblia de las Américas
2 Samuel 2
La Biblia de las Américas
David proclamado rey de Judá
2 Después de esto sucedió que David consultó al Señor(A), diciendo: ¿Subiré a alguna de las ciudades de Judá? Y el Señor le dijo: Sube. Y David dijo: ¿Adónde subiré? Y Él dijo: A Hebrón(B). 2 Entonces David subió allá, y también sus dos mujeres, Ahinoam jezreelita y Abigail(C), viuda[a] de Nabal, el de Carmel. 3 Y trajo David a los hombres que estaban con él, cada uno con su familia(D); y habitaron en las ciudades de Hebrón. 4 Vinieron los hombres de Judá y ungieron allí a David como rey sobre la casa de Judá(E).
Y avisaron a David, diciendo: Fueron los hombres de Jabes de Galaad los que sepultaron a Saúl(F). 5 Y David envió mensajeros a los hombres de Jabes de Galaad, a decirles: Benditos seáis del Señor, porque habéis mostrado[b] esta bondad a Saúl vuestro señor(G), y lo habéis sepultado. 6 Ahora, que el Señor os muestre[c] misericordia y verdad(H); y yo también os haré bien por esto que habéis hecho. 7 Fortaleced, pues, vuestras manos, y sed valientes[d] porque Saúl vuestro señor ha muerto, y[e] la casa de Judá me ha ungido rey sobre ellos.
Is-boset proclamado rey de Israel
8 Pero Abner, hijo de Ner(I), comandante del ejército de Saúl, había tomado a Is-boset[f], hijo de Saúl, y lo llevó a Mahanaim(J). 9 Y le hizo rey sobre Galaad(K), sobre Gesuri[g](L), sobre Jezreel(M), sobre Efraín, sobre Benjamín y sobre todo Israel. 10 Is-boset, hijo de Saúl, tenía cuarenta años cuando comenzó a reinar sobre Israel, y reinó dos años. La casa de Judá, sin embargo, siguió a David. 11 El tiempo[h] que David reinó en Hebrón sobre la casa de Judá fue siete años y seis meses(N).
12 Abner, hijo de Ner, salió de Mahanaim a Gabaón(O) con los siervos de Is-boset, hijo de Saúl. 13 Y Joab, hijo de Sarvia(P), y los siervos de David salieron y los encontraron[i] junto al estanque de Gabaón; y se sentaron, unos a un[j] lado del estanque y los otros al otro lado[k]. 14 Entonces Abner(Q) dijo a Joab: Que se levanten ahora los jóvenes y compitan[l] delante de nosotros. Y Joab respondió: Que se levanten. 15 Se levantaron y pasaron en igual número, doce por Benjamín e Is-boset, hijo de Saúl, y doce de los siervos de David. 16 Y cada uno asió a su adversario[m] por la cabeza, y metió su espada en el costado del adversario[n] de manera que cayeron juntos. Por eso aquel lugar fue llamado Helcat-hazurim[o], el cual está en Gabaón. 17 Aquel día la batalla fue muy reñida, y Abner y los hombres de Israel fueron derrotados delante de los siervos de David(R).
18 Estaban allí los tres hijos de Sarvia: Joab, Abisai y Asael(S). Y Asael era tan ligero de pies como una gacela del campo(T). 19 Y persiguió Asael a Abner, y no se desvió[p] ni a derecha ni a izquierda de ir tras Abner. 20 Y miró atrás Abner, y dijo: ¿Eres tú Asael? Y él respondió: Yo soy. 21 Abner le dijo: Desvíate a tu derecha o a tu izquierda, apodérate de uno de los jóvenes y toma para ti sus despojos. Pero Asael no quería dejar de perseguirlo. 22 Volvió a decir Abner a Asael: Deja de perseguirme. ¿Por qué he de derribarte en tierra? ¿Cómo podría entonces levantar mi rostro ante tu hermano Joab(U)? 23 Pero él rehusó apartarse; por tanto, Abner lo hirió en el estómago con el regatón de la lanza, y la lanza le salió por la espalda; allí cayó, y allí mismo murió. Y sucedió que todos los que venían al lugar donde Asael había caído y muerto, se detenían(V).
24 Joab y Abisai persiguieron a Abner, y cuando el sol se ponía, llegaron a la colina de Amma, que está frente a Gía junto al camino del desierto de Gabaón. 25 Los hijos de Benjamín se agruparon detrás de Abner formando una sola banda, y se detuvieron en la cumbre de una colina. 26 Abner llamó a Joab, y dijo: ¿Devorará la espada para siempre? ¿No sabes que el final será amargo? ¿Hasta cuándo esperarás para decirles[q] que se vuelvan de perseguir a sus hermanos? 27 Respondió Joab: Vive Dios, que si no hubieras hablado, ciertamente el pueblo no se hubiera ido hasta la mañana después de perseguir cada cual a su hermano. 28 Entonces Joab tocó la trompeta y todo el pueblo se detuvo; no persiguieron más a Israel ni continuaron peleando más(W). 29 Abner y sus hombres marcharon toda aquella noche por el Arabá, cruzaron el Jordán, y caminando toda la mañana[r], llegaron a Mahanaim(X).
30 Joab volvió también de perseguir a Abner, y cuando reunió a todo el pueblo, faltaban de los siervos de David, diecinueve hombres, además de Asael. 31 Pero los siervos de David habían herido de Benjamín y de los hombres de Abner, a trescientos sesenta hombres, los cuales murieron. 32 Se llevaron a Asael y lo sepultaron en el sepulcro de su padre, que estaba en Belén. Joab y sus hombres caminaron toda la noche hasta que les amaneció[s] en Hebrón(Y).
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 2:2 Lit., mujer
- 2 Samuel 2:5 Lit., hecho
- 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit., haga
- 2 Samuel 2:7 Lit., hijos de valor
- 2 Samuel 2:7 Lit., y también
- 2 Samuel 2:8 En 1 Crón. 8:33, Es-baal
- 2 Samuel 2:9 Heb., Ashuri
- 2 Samuel 2:11 Lit., número de días
- 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit., los encontraron juntos
- 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit., estos a este
- 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit., estos a este lado del estanque
- 2 Samuel 2:14 Lit., nos diviertan
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit., compañero
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit., compañero
- 2 Samuel 2:16 I.e., el campo de filos de espada
- 2 Samuel 2:19 Lit., no se desvió para ir
- 2 Samuel 2:26 Lit., no le dirás al pueblo
- 2 Samuel 2:29 Heb., bitrón
- 2 Samuel 2:32 Lit., los iluminó
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
