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
2 Samuel 3
Good News Translation
3 The fighting between the forces supporting Saul's family and those supporting David went on for a long time. As David became stronger and stronger, his opponents became weaker and weaker.
David's Sons
2 The following six sons, in order of their birth, were born to David at Hebron: Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam, from Jezreel; 3 Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel; Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4 Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital; 5 Ithream, whose mother was Eglah. All of these sons were born in Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6 As the fighting continued between David's forces and the forces loyal to Saul's family, Abner became more and more powerful among Saul's followers.
7 One day Ishbosheth son of Saul accused Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. 8 This made Abner furious. “Do you think that I would betray Saul? Do you really think I'm serving Judah?” he exclaimed. “From the very first I have been loyal to the cause of your father Saul, his brothers, and his friends, and I have kept you from being defeated by David; yet today you find fault with me about a woman! 9-10 (A)The Lord promised David that he would take the kingdom away from Saul and his descendants and would make David king of both Israel and Judah, from one end of the country to the other. Now may God strike me dead if I don't make this come true!” 11 Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not say a word.
12 Abner sent messengers to David, who at that time was at Hebron,[a] to say, “Who is going to rule this land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you win all Israel over to your side.”
13 “Good!” David answered. “I will make an agreement with you on one condition: you must bring Saul's daughter Michal to me when you come to see me.” 14 (B)And David also sent messengers to Ishbosheth to say, “Give me back my wife Michal. I paid a hundred Philistine foreskins in order to marry her.” 15 So Ishbosheth had her taken from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Paltiel followed her all the way to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. But when Abner said, “Go back home,” he did.
17 Abner went to the leaders of Israel and said to them, “For a long time you have wanted David to be your king. 18 Now here is your chance. Remember that the Lord has said, ‘I will use my servant David to rescue my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’” 19 Abner spoke also to the people of the tribe of Benjamin and then went to Hebron to tell David what the people of Benjamin and of Israel had agreed to do.
20 When Abner came to David at Hebron with twenty men, David gave a feast for them. 21 Abner told David, “I will go now and win all Israel over to Your Majesty. They will accept you as king, and then you will get what you have wanted and will rule over the whole land.” David gave Abner a guarantee of safety and sent him on his way.
Abner Is Murdered
22 Later on Joab and David's other officials returned from a raid, bringing a large amount of loot with them. Abner, however, was no longer there at Hebron with David, because David had sent him away with a guarantee of safety. 23 When Joab and his men arrived, he was told that Abner had come to King David and had been sent away with a guarantee of safety. 24 So Joab went to the king and said to him, “What have you done? Abner came to you—why did you let him go like that? 25 He came here to deceive you and to find out everything you do and everywhere you go. Surely you know that!”
26 After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to get Abner, and they brought him back from Sirah Well; but David knew nothing about it. 27 When Abner arrived in Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate, as though he wanted to speak privately with him, and there he stabbed him in the stomach. And so Abner was murdered because he had killed Joab's brother Asahel. 28 When David heard the news, he said, “The Lord knows that my subjects and I are completely innocent of the murder of Abner. 29 May the punishment for it fall on Joab and all his family! In every generation may there be some man in his family who has gonorrhea or a dreaded skin disease or is fit only to do a woman's work or is killed in battle or doesn't have enough to eat!” 30 So Joab and his brother Abishai took revenge on Abner for killing their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
Abner Is Buried
31 Then David ordered Joab and his men to tear their clothes, wear sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And at the funeral King David himself walked behind the coffin. 32 Abner was buried at Hebron, and the king wept aloud at the grave, and so did all the people. 33 David sang this lament for Abner:
“Why did Abner have to die like a fool?
34 His hands were not tied,
And his feet were not bound;
He died like someone killed by criminals!”
And the people wept for him again.
35 All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, “May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!” 36 They took note of this and were pleased. Indeed, everything the king did pleased the people. 37 All of David's people and all the people in Israel understood that the king had no part in the murder of Abner. 38 The king said to his officials, “Don't you realize that this day a great leader in Israel has died? 39 Even though I am the king chosen by God, I feel weak today. These sons of Zeruiah are too violent for me. May the Lord punish these criminals as they deserve!”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 3:12 One ancient translation at Hebron; Hebrew where he (Abner) was.
2 Samuel 3
New King James Version
Joab Kills Abner
3 Now there was a long (A)war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
Sons of David
2 Sons were born (B)to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon (C)by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3 his second, [a]Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, (D)Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king (E)of Geshur; 4 the fourth, (F)Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins Forces with David
6 Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.
7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was (G)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you (H)gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8 Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I (I)a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9 (J)May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David (K)as the Lord has sworn to him— 10 to transfer the kingdom from the [b]house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, (L)from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”
13 And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: (M)you shall not see my face unless you first bring (N)Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” 14 So David sent messengers to (O)Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself (P)for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from [c]Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 Then her husband went along with her to (Q)Bahurim, [d]weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.
17 Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. 18 Now then, do it! (R)For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David, [e]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’ ” 19 And Abner also spoke in the hearing of (S)Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.
20 So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 Then Abner said to David, “I will arise and go, and (T)gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may (U)reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
Joab Murders Abner
22 At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much [f]spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” 24 Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? 25 Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know (V)your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”
26 And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab (W)took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there [g]stabbed him (X)in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of (Y)Asahel his brother.
28 Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are [h]guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 (Z)Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the [i]house of Joab one (AA)who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother (AB)Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
David’s Mourning for Abner
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, (AC)“Tear your clothes, (AD)gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. 32 So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:
“Should Abner die as a (AE)fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound
Nor your feet put into fetters;
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”
Then all the people wept over him again.
35 And when all the people came (AF)to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, (AG)“God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else (AH)till the sun goes down!” 36 Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, (AI)are too harsh for me. (AJ)The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 3:3 Daniel, 1 Chr. 3:1
- 2 Samuel 3:10 family
- 2 Samuel 3:15 Palti, 1 Sam. 25:44
- 2 Samuel 3:16 Lit. going and weeping
- 2 Samuel 3:18 So with many Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Tg.; MT he
- 2 Samuel 3:22 booty
- 2 Samuel 3:27 Lit. struck
- 2 Samuel 3:28 innocent
- 2 Samuel 3:29 family
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
