David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; ^(A)I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight ^(B)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, ^(C)“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

²² And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon ^(A)neither good nor bad. For Absalom ^(B)hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

²³ And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom ^(C)had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴ Then Absalom came to the king and said, “Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant.”

²⁵ But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you.” Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.

²⁶ Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.”

And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s ^(D)heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and ^[a]valiant.”

²⁷ Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab ^(A)took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^[a]stabbed him ^(B)in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of ^(C)Asahel his brother.

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are ^[b]guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (D)Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the ^[c]house of Joab one ^(E)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 ^(F)Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

²¹ So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may ^[a]be a snare to him, and that ^(A)the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ^(B)“You shall be my son-in-law today.”

⁸ Now Cain ^[a]talked with Abel his ^[b]brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and ^(A)killed him.