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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
La Bible du Semeur
2 Samuel 2
La Bible du Semeur
David devient roi de Juda à Hébron
2 Après ces événements, David consulta l’Eternel et lui demanda s’il devait aller s’installer dans l’une des villes de Juda. L’Eternel lui répondit : Oui.
– Dans laquelle dois-je aller ?
– A Hébron.
2 David s’y rendit donc avec ses deux femmes Ahinoam de Jizréel et Abigaïl, veuve de Nabal, de Karmel. 3 Il emmena aussi ses compagnons et leurs familles, et ils s’établirent dans les localités aux alentours d’Hébron. 4 Les dirigeants de la tribu de Juda vinrent à Hébron pour y établir David roi de leur tribu en lui conférant l’onction d’huile.
On vint informer David que les hommes de Yabesh en Galaad avaient enterré Saül. 5 David leur envoya des messagers pour leur dire : Que l’Eternel vous bénisse pour avoir accompli cet acte de bonté envers votre seigneur Saül en l’ensevelissant dans un tombeau. 6 A présent, que l’Eternel vous témoigne à son tour sa grande bonté. Et moi-même, je veux aussi agir envers vous avec la même bonté que la vôtre. 7 Alors maintenant, soyez forts et montrez-vous vaillants ! Votre seigneur Saül est mort ; mais sachez que les gens de Juda m’ont établi roi sur eux par l’onction.
Ish-Bosheth est proclamé roi d’Israël
8 Cependant Abner, fils de Ner[a], général en chef de l’armée de Saül, avait emmené Ish-Bosheth, un des fils de Saül à Mahanaïm 9 et l’avait fait proclamer roi sur Galaad, sur les Ashourites[b], sur Jizréel, sur Ephraïm, sur Benjamin et sur tout Israël. 10 Ish-Bosheth, fils de Saül, avait quarante ans quand il devint roi sur Israël et il régna deux ans. Mais la tribu de Juda se rallia à David 11 qui régna sept ans et six mois à Hébron sur cette tribu.
La guerre civile
12 Abner, fils de Ner, et les hommes d’Ish-Bosheth, fils de Saül, quittèrent Mahanaïm pour marcher sur Gabaon[c]. 13 Joab, fils de Tserouya[d], et les hommes de David se mirent aussi en marche. Les deux troupes se rejoignirent près de l’étang de Gabaon, et elles prirent position l’une en face de l’autre, de part et d’autre de cet étang. 14 Abner proposa à Joab : Que quelques-uns de nos jeunes hommes se mesurent en combat singulier devant nous !
– D’accord, répondit Joab.
15 Douze soldats se présentèrent pour Benjamin et pour Ish-Bosheth, fils de Saül, et douze parmi les hommes de David. 16 Chaque soldat saisit son adversaire par la tête et lui plongea son épée dans le côté, si bien qu’ils tombèrent tous ensemble. On appela cet endroit près de Gabaon : le champ des Rocs[e].
17 Alors s’engagea un combat extrêmement violent. Abner et les hommes d’Israël furent battus ce jour-là par les hommes de David. 18 Parmi les combattants se trouvaient les trois fils de Tserouya : Joab, Abishaï et Asaël. Asaël était agile comme une gazelle sauvage. 19 Il se lança à la poursuite d’Abner et le suivit sans dévier ni à droite ni à gauche. 20 Abner se retourna et demanda : Est-ce toi, Asaël ?
– Oui, c’est moi !
21 – Passe à droite ou à gauche, lui dit Abner, attaque l’un de ces jeunes soldats et empare-toi de son équipement !
Mais Asaël ne voulut pas le laisser échapper. 22 Abner insista : Cesse de me poursuivre. Pourquoi m’obligerais-tu à t’abattre ? Comment oserais-je ensuite regarder ton frère Joab en face ?
23 Mais Asaël refusa de le lâcher. Alors Abner lui enfonça la pointe de sa lance dans le ventre et l’arme ressortit par le dos. Asaël s’affaissa sur place et mourut là. Tous ceux qui arrivèrent à l’endroit où Asaël était mort, s’arrêtèrent là.
24 Joab et Abishaï continuèrent à poursuivre Abner. Le soleil se couchait quand ils atteignirent la colline d’Amma en face de Guiah, sur le chemin du désert de Gabaon. 25 Alors les Benjaminites se rassemblèrent autour d’Abner en formation serrée et occupèrent le sommet d’une colline. 26 Abner cria en direction de Joab : N’allons-nous pas cesser de nous combattre par l’épée ? Ne comprends-tu pas que tout cela finira par beaucoup d’amertume ? Quand est-ce que tu diras à tes hommes de ne plus poursuivre leurs compatriotes ?
27 Joab répondit : Aussi vrai que Dieu est vivant, je t’assure que si tu n’avais pas parlé ainsi, mes gens vous auraient pourchassés jusqu’à demain matin.
28 Puis Joab sonna du cor[f], et toute la troupe s’arrêta et cessa de poursuivre et de combattre Israël.
29 Abner et ses hommes marchèrent toute la nuit dans la vallée du Jourdain, puis ils franchirent le Jourdain et traversèrent le Bitrôn[g] pour arriver à Mahanaïm. 30 Joab revint de la poursuite d’Abner et rassembla toute sa troupe ; en plus d’Asaël, dix-neuf hommes de David manquaient à l’appel. 31 Mais les hommes de David en avaient tué trois cent soixante parmi les Benjaminites et les hommes d’Abner. 32 Ils emportèrent le corps d’Asaël et l’enterrèrent dans le sépulcre de son père à Bethléhem[h]. Joab et ses hommes marchèrent toute la nuit et atteignirent Hébron au point du jour.
Footnotes
- 2.8 Abner, cousin de Saül (1 S 14.50), sera le principal défenseur de la dynastie du roi défunt.
- 2.9 C’est-à-dire sur les membres de la tribu d’Aser. La version syriaque a : Asser.
- 2.12 A 10 kilomètres au nord-ouest de Jérusalem (voir Jos 9.3). Abner veut empêcher David d’étendre son influence au nord de Juda.
- 2.13 Joab, comme Abishaï et Asaël (v. 18), était un neveu de David, fils de sa sœur.
- 2.16 En hébreu, le mot signifiant roc désigne aussi le tranchant d’une épée.
- 2.28 Marquait le début comme la fin des combats (18.16 ; 20.22).
- 2.29 Autres traductions : le ravin ou toute la matinée.
- 2.32 Patrie de David et de sa famille (1 S 16.1).
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
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.
La Bible du Semeur (BDS)
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.