2 Samuel 2:24-32
International Standard Version
24 Meanwhile, Joab and Abishai continued to chase Abner. At dusk, as they approached the hill of Ammah that is located near Giah on the way to the Gibeon desert, 25 the descendants of Benjamin rallied around Abner, forming a single military force. They took their stand on top of the hill.
26 Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever? Don’t you realize that the end result is bitterness? How long will it take for you to order your army[a] to stop pursuing their own relatives?”
27 Joab answered, “As God lives, if you hadn’t spoken up, by morning my army would have broken off their pursuit of their own relatives.” 28 So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting.
29 Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning. 30 Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David’s soldiers[b] were missing besides Asahel. 31 Meanwhile, other[c] soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner’s men from the tribe of[d] Benjamin. 32 They retrieved Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.
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- 2 Samuel 2:26 Lit. people; and so throughout the chapter
- 2 Samuel 2:30 Lit. servants
- 2 Samuel 2:31 The Heb. lacks other
- 2 Samuel 2:31 The Heb. lacks the tribe of
2 Samuel 2:24-32
Lexham English Bible
24 So Joab and Abishai pursued[a] Abner when[b] the sun went down. And they came to the hill country of Ammah, which is before Giah[c] on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The descendants[d] of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long[e] will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing[f] their brothers?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives,[g] for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after[h] his brother.” 28 Then Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again.
29 Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed over the Jordan. They went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. 30 After Joab returned from pursuing[i] Abner, he gathered all the people; nineteen of the servants of David were missing along with Asahel. 31 The servants of David had killed some of the Benjaminites among the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty men had died. 32 Then they picked up Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all that night arriving in Hebron at first light.[j]
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- 2 Samuel 2:24 Hebrew “pursued after”
- 2 Samuel 2:24 Literally “and”
- 2 Samuel 2:24 Literally “lies on the face of Giah”
- 2 Samuel 2:25 Or “sons”
- 2 Samuel 2:26 Literally “And up to when”
- 2 Samuel 2:26 Literally “from after”
- 2 Samuel 2:27 Literally “The life of God”
- 2 Samuel 2:27 Literally “from after”
- 2 Samuel 2:30 Hebrew “after”
- 2 Samuel 2:32 Literally “it became light for them in Hebron”
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