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2 Samuel 3
EasyEnglish Bible

David's sons

3 David's men continued to fight against the men who were faithful to Saul's family. The war continued for a long time. David's army became stronger and stronger, but Saul's army became weaker and weaker.

2 While David lived in Hebron he had several sons:

The firstborn was Amnon. Ahinoam from Jezreel gave birth to him.

3 The second son was Kileab. Nabal's widow, Abigail, from Carmel gave birth to him.

The third son was Absalom. His mother was Maakah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.

4 The fourth son was Adonijah. His mother was Haggith.

The fifth son was Shephatiah. Abital was his mother.

5 The sixth son was Ithream. David's wife, Eglah, gave birth to him.

These sons of David were all born in Hebron.

Abner joins David's army

6 The war continued between David's men and the men who fought on behalf of Saul's family. Abner was becoming a more powerful leader among Saul's group. 7 Saul had had slave wife called Rizpah. She was Aiah's daughter. One day, Ish-Bosheth asked Abner, ‘Why did you sleep with my father's woman?’[a]

8 Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth had said to him. Abner said, ‘Do you think that I am a useless dog that belongs to Judah? I have always been faithful to your father Saul and to his family and his friends. I have not deceived you to put you under David's power. But now you say that I am guilty of a sin with this woman. 9 So I promise you this! Now I will help David to get what the Lord has promised to him. I ask God to punish me if I do not help David! 10 The Lord promised that David's family would rule as kings instead of Saul's family. He promised that David would be king over all the people of Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.’[b]

11 Ish-Bosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not say anything.

12 Then Abner sent men to David with this message: ‘Who should rule this country? If you make an agreement with me, I will help you. I will cause all Israel's people to be faithful to you.’

13 David said, ‘That is good! I will make an agreement with you. But you must do this for me: You must bring Saul's daughter, Michal, with you when you come to visit me. If you do not do that, I will not agree to see you.’

14 Then David sent men to Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth, with this message: ‘Give back to me my wife, Michal. I paid 100 Philistine foreskins to have her as my wife.’

15 So Ish-Bosheth sent his men to take Michal from her husband, Paltiel, son of Laish. 16 But her husband came with her. He wept while he followed her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, ‘Return to your home!’ So he returned home.

17 Then Abner talked to the leaders of Israel. He said, ‘For a long time you have wanted David to be your king. 18 So now is your chance to do something! Remember that the Lord promised, “I will use David's strength to save my people, Israel, from the Philistines and from all their enemies.” ’

19 Abner also went himself to speak to the men of Benjamin's tribe.[c] After that, he went to Hebron. He went to tell David what all Israel's people had agreed to do. All the people of Benjamin's tribe had also agreed the same thing. 20 Abner arrived in Hebron with 20 of his men to visit David. David prepared a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 Then Abner said to David, ‘Please let me go now to bring all the people of Israel together for my lord the king. Then they will make an agreement with you. Then you will rule over the whole land, as you really want to do.’ So David sent Abner away, with a promise that he would be safe.

Joab murders Abner

22 David's men and Joab had attacked some of the enemy's towns. Now they were returning home. They brought with them a lot of things that they had taken from the enemy. By this time Abner had left Hebron because David had sent him away safely. 23 When Joab and all his soldiers arrived in Hebron, people told him, ‘Ner's son Abner came to visit the king. The king sent him back home safely.’

24 Joab went to the king. He said, ‘Why did you do this? Abner came to visit you. You allowed him to go back home safely. Now he has gone. 25 You should know what Abner is like. He came here to deceive you. He wanted to find out everything that you do and everywhere that you go.’

26 Then Joab left David. He sent men to run after Abner with a message. They found him at the well at Sirah and they brought him back to Hebron. But David did not know that. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab met him at the city's gate. Then Joab took him into a corner, as if he wanted to speak with Abner alone. But he pushed his knife into Abner's stomach. Joab killed Abner because Abner had killed Asahel, Joab's brother.

28 Later, David heard about what Joab had done. He said, ‘The Lord knows this: I and the people of my kingdom are not guilty of Abner's murder. 29 I pray that Joab and all his father's family will pay for this murder! May God punish his descendants for ever! May somebody always have sores or leprosy. May there be men who are not brave enough to fight, men who die in battle, or people who have no food to eat!’

30 That is how Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner. They killed him because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

31 David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ‘Tear your clothes! Wear sackcloth to show that you are sad! Weep because of Abner's death.’ King David himself walked behind the men who carried Abner's dead body. 32 They buried Abner in a grave in Hebron. The king wept loudly beside Abner's grave. All the people wept too.

33 The king sang this song about Abner's death:

‘Abner, you should not have died like a fool.
34 Nobody had tied your hands.
Nobody had put chains on your feet.
It was murder by wicked people that killed you.’

Then all the people started to weep again for Abner.

35 The people came and they spoke to David. They said that he should eat some food before the end of the day. But David said, ‘I will not eat any food at all before sunset. May God punish me if I eat anything!’

36 All the people heard David say this. It made them happy. They were pleased with everything that the king did. 37 That day, everyone in Israel realized that David had not wanted the death of Ner's son, Abner.

38 The king said to his servants, ‘You must understand that a great leader has died today in Israel. 39 I am God's chosen king, but even I am weak today. I cannot control these sons of Zeruiah![d] They have done a wicked thing. I pray that the Lord will punish them as they deserve.’

Footnotes

  1. 3:7 Ish-Bosheth was King Saul's son. He was the king of the northern part of Israel. See 2 Samuel 2:8-11. If Abner had slept with Saul's woman, it would show that he wanted to be king himself.
  2. 3:10 Dan was at the north border of Israel. Beersheba was in the south, in Judah. So ‘from Dan to Beersheba’ means ‘everywhere’.
  3. 3:19 Saul belonged to Benjamin's tribe. David belonged to Judah's tribe. The people from Benjamin's tribe had always been faithful to Saul's family.
  4. 3:39 Zeruiah's sons were Joab and Abishai, as well as Asahel who was now dead.
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2 Samuel 3
New International Version

3 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time.(A) David grew stronger and stronger,(B) while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.(C)

2 Sons were born to David in Hebron:

His firstborn was Amnon(D) the son of Ahinoam(E) of Jezreel;

3 his second, Kileab the son of Abigail(F) the widow of Nabal of Carmel;

the third, Absalom(G) the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;(H)

4 the fourth, Adonijah(I) the son of Haggith;

the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

5 and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah.

These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner Goes Over to David

6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner(J) had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had had a concubine(K) named Rizpah(L) daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

8 Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, “Am I a dog’s head(M)—on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! 9 May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised(N) him on oath 10 and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.”(O) 11 Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

13 “Good,” said David. “I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.”(P) 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, “Give me my wife Michal,(Q) whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”

15 So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband(R) Paltiel(S) son of Laish. 16 Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim.(T) Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.

17 Abner conferred with the elders(U) of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines(V) and from the hand of all their enemies.(W)’”

19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin(X) wanted to do. 20 When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast(Y) for him and his men. 21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant(Z) with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.”(AA) So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner

22 Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

26 Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner(AB) returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him(AC) in the stomach, and he died.(AD)

28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent(AE) before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood(AF) fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family!(AG) May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore(AH) or leprosy[a] or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth(AI) and walk in mourning(AJ) in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept(AK) aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

33 The king sang this lament(AL) for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?
34     Your hands were not bound,
    your feet were not fettered.(AM)
You fell as one falls before the wicked.”

And all the people wept over him again.

35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,(AN) if I taste bread(AO) or anything else before the sun sets!”

36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part(AP) in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen(AQ) in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah(AR) are too strong(AS) for me.(AT) May the Lord repay(AU) the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 3:29 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
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