3 The struggle between the house of Saul and the house of David endured, but David grew stronger as Saul became weaker.

Abner Defects to David

⁶ While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”

⁸ Abner became very angry over the words of Ish-Bosheth. He said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Each day I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends by not allowing you to fall into the hand of David. Yet today you are charging me with guilt concerning this woman. ⁹ May God do so to Abner, and more also, for as the Lord has sworn to David, this I will do for him, ¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹ And he could not offer a response to Abner, for fear of him.

¹² So Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and my hand will be with you to bring over all of Israel to you.”

¹³ He responded, “Very well, I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.” ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred Philistine foreskins.”

¹⁵ So Ish-Bosheth sent for her, and he took her from her husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So he turned back.

¹⁷ Abner had a word with the elders of Israel, “In days past, you were seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸ So do it now, because the Lord said to David: By the hand of David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of every enemy.”

¹⁹ Abner also spoke privately with Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David privately at Hebron all that was received favorably by Israel and the entire house of Benjamin. ²⁰ So Abner, along with twenty men, went to David at Hebron, and David held a festival for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Abner said to David, “Let me arise, go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went peaceably.

Joab Murders Abner

²² Now the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them, but Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, because he had sent him away in peace. ²³ When Joab and the whole of the army that was with him arrived, they reported to Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he sent him away peaceably.”

²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away? Now he is long gone. ²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to learn of your coming and going, to discern all that you are doing.”

²⁶ When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. However, David was not aware of this. ²⁷ So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab pulled him aside in the gateway so as to speak with him undisturbed. There he struck him in the midsection so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel, his brother.

²⁸ Afterward when David heard of this, he said, “My kingdom and I are forever blameless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food.”

³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he killed Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹ David said to Joab and all of the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” As for King David, he followed behind the bier. ³² When they buried Abner at Hebron, the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all of the people wept.

³³ Then, the king lamented for Abner, saying,

And all of the people continued to weep over him.

³⁵ Then all of the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath, saying, “May God do to me, and more also, if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”

³⁶ All of the people recognized this, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did was pleasing to all of the people. ³⁷ That very day, all of the people, all of Israel, understood that it was not ordered from the king to have Abner the son of Ner killed.

³⁸ David said to his servant, “Do you not understand that a great leader has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Today, I am weak, even if an anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)

6 Again David gathered all of the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. ² David and all of the people who were with him arose and went from Baalah of Judah to bring up the ark of God, so named for the name of the Lord of Hosts who sits enthroned among the cherubim that are upon it. ³ They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart. ⁴ They brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill, and Ahio was walking in front of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and the entire house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all sorts of instruments made of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ The Lord became angry against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence. He died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ David became angry because of the outburst of the Lord against Uzzah; that place is called Perez Uzzah to this day.

⁹ David feared the Lord that day, and he thought, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David did not allow the ark of the Lord to be brought to him in the City of David. Instead, David redirected it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household.

¹² When it was reported to King David, “The Lord has blessed Obed-Edom and everything that belongs to him, for the sake of the ark of God,” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, David would sacrifice an ox and a fattened steer. ¹⁴ David danced before the Lord with all of his might, and he wore a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and the whole house of Israel escorted the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the horn.

¹⁶ When the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window, and upon seeing King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she thought contemptuously of him in her mind.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people before the Lord of Hosts. ¹⁹ He distributed to all of the people, the entire multitude of Israel, both men and women, one bread cake, one date cake, and one raisin cake to each one. Then all of the people left, each to his house.

²⁰ David returned to bless his household, but Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet him. She said, “How the king of Israel has dignified himself today, exposing himself this day in the sight of his servant’s slave girls like one of the rabble might shamelessly expose himself.”

²¹ Then David responded to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me over your father and over everyone in his household, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I was celebrating before the Lord. ²² I will humble myself even more than this and be abased in my own eyes. But by the maidservants, of whom you have spoken, I will be held in honor.”

²³ Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.