Abner Defects to David

3 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

² And sons were born to David at Hebron: his first-born was Amnon, of Ahin′o-am of Jezre′el; ³ and his second, Chil′e-ab, of Ab′igail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Ab′salom the son of Ma′acah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; ⁴ and the fourth, Adoni′jah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephati′ah the son of Abi′tal; ⁵ and the sixth, Ith′re-am, of Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶ While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Ai′ah; and Ish-bo′sheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” ⁸ Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bo′sheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? This day I keep showing loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. ⁹ God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, ¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.” ¹¹ And Ish-bo′sheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹² And Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron,^[a] saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.” ¹³ And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you; but one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face, unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-bo′sheth Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed at the price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ And Ish-bo′sheth sent, and took her from her husband Pal′ti-el the son of La′ish. ¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahu′rim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return”; and he returned.

¹⁷ And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸ Now then bring it about; for the Lord has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke to Benjamin; and then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.

²⁰ When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

Abner Is Killed by Joab

²² Just then the servants of David arrived with Jo′ab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Jo′ab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Jo′ab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Jo′ab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone? ²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

²⁶ When Jo′ab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know about it. ²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Jo′ab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he smote him in the belly, so that he died, for the blood of As′ahel his brother. ²⁸ Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are for ever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Jo′ab, and upon all his father’s house; and may the house of Jo′ab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is leprous, or who holds a spindle, or who is slain by the sword, or who lacks bread!” ³⁰ So Jo′ab and Abi′shai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother As′ahel in the battle at Gibeon.

³¹ Then David said to Jo′ab and to all the people who were with him, “Rend your clothes, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier. ³² They buried Abner at Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. ³³ And the king lamented for Abner, saying,

And all the people wept again over him. ³⁵ Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” ³⁶ And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; as everything that the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s will to slay Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸ And 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 this day weak, though anointed king; these men the sons of Zeru′iah are too hard for me. The Lord requite the evildoer according to his wickedness!”

Descendants of David and Solomon

3 These are the sons of David that were born to him in Hebron: the first-born Amnon, by Ahin′o-am the Jez′reelitess; the second Daniel, by Ab′igail the Car′melitess, ² the third Ab′salom, whose mother was Ma′acah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth Adoni′jah, whose mother was Haggith; ³ the fifth Shephati′ah, by Abi′tal; the sixth Ith′ream, by his wife Eglah; ⁴ six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months. And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ⁵ These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shim′e-a, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four by Bath-shu′a, the daughter of Am′mi-el; ⁶ then Ibhar, Elish′ama, Eliph′elet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhi′a, ⁸ Elish′ama, Eli′ada, and Eliph′elet, nine. ⁹ All these were David’s sons, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰ The descendants of Solomon: Rehobo′am, Abi′jah his son, Asa his son, Jehosh′aphat his son, ¹¹ Joram his son, Ahazi′ah his son, Jo′ash his son, ¹² Amazi′ah his son, Azari′ah his son, Jotham his son, ¹³ Ahaz his son, Hezeki′ah his son, Manas′seh his son, ¹⁴ Amon his son, Josi′ah his son. ¹⁵ The sons of Josi′ah: Joha′nan the first-born, the second Jehoi′akim, the third Zedeki′ah, the fourth Shallum. ¹⁶ The descendants of Jehoi′akim: Jeconi′ah his son, Zedeki′ah his son; ¹⁷ and the sons of Jeconi′ah, the captive: She-al′ti-el his son, ¹⁸ Malchi′ram, Peda′iah, Shenaz′zar, Jekami′ah, Hosh′ama, and Nedabi′ah; ¹⁹ and the sons of Peda′iah: Zerub′babel and Shim′e-i; and the sons of Zerub′babel: Meshul′lam and Hanani′ah, and Shelo′mith was their sister; ²⁰ and Hashu′bah, Ohel, Berechi′ah, Hasadi′ah, and Ju′shab-he′sed, five. ²¹ The sons of Hanani′ah: Pelati′ah and Jesha′iah, his son^[a] Repha′iah, his son^[b] Arnan, his son^[c] Obadi′ah, his son^[d] Shecani′ah. ²² The sons of Shecani′ah: Shemai′ah. And the sons of Shemai′ah: Hattush, Igal, Bari′ah, Neari′ah, and Shaphat, six. ²³ The sons of Neari′ah: Eli-o-e′nai, Hizki′ah, and Azri′kam, three. ²⁴ The sons of Eli-o-e′nai: Hodavi′ah, Eli′ashib, Pela′iah, Akkub, Joha′nan, Delai′ah, and Ana′ni, seven.

Descendants of Judah

4 The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ² Re-a′iah the son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahu′mai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zor′athites. ³ These were the sons^[e] of Etam: Jezre′el, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelpo′ni, ⁴ and Penu′el was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the first-born of Eph′rathah, the father of Bethlehem. ⁵ Ashhur, the father of Teko′a, had two wives, Helah and Na′arah; ⁶ Na′arah bore him Ahuz′zam, Hepher, Te′meni, and Ha-ahash′tari. These were the sons of Na′arah. ⁷ The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. ⁸ Koz was the father of Anub, Zobe′bah, and the families of Ahar′hel the son of Harum. ⁹ Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that thou wouldst bless me and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldst keep me from harm so that it might not hurt me!” And God granted what he asked. ¹¹ Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹² Eshton was the father of Bethra′pha, Pase′ah, and Tehin′nah the father of Irna′hash. These are the men of Recah. ¹³ The sons of Kenaz: Oth′niel and Sera′iah; and the sons of Oth′niel: Hathath and Meo′nothai.^{[f] 14} Meo′nothai was the father of Ophrah; and Sera′iah was the father of Jo′ab the father of Ge-har′ashim,^[g] so-called because they were craftsmen. ¹⁵ The sons of Caleb the son of Jephun′neh: Iru, Elah, and Na′am; and the sons of Elah: Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehal′lelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tir′i-a, and As′arel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bith′i-ah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married;^[h] and she conceived and bore^[i] Miriam, Sham′mai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemo′a. ¹⁸ And his Jewish wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jeku′thiel the father of Zano′ah. ¹⁹ The sons of the wife of Hodi′ah, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Ke′ilah the Garmite and Eshtemo′a the Ma-ac′athite. ²⁰ The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-ha′nan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zo′heth. ²¹ The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, La′adah the father of Mare′shah, and the families of the house of linen workers at Beth-ashbe′a; ²² and Jokim, and the men of Coze′ba, and Jo′ash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and returned to Lehem^[j] (now the records^[k] are ancient). ²³ These were the potters and inhabitants of Neta′im and Gede′rah; they dwelt there with the king for his work.

Descendants of Simeon

²⁴ The sons of Simeon: Nem′uel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Sha′ul; ²⁵ Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Ham′mu-el his son, Zac′cur his son, Shim′e-i his son. ²⁷ Shim′e-i had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers had not many children, nor did all their family multiply like the men of Judah. ²⁸ They dwelt in Beer-sheba, Mola′dah, Ha′zar-shu′al, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethu′el, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-mar′caboth, Ha′zar-su′sim, Beth-biri, and Sha-ara′im. These were their cities until David reigned. ³² And their villages were Etam, A′in, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities, ³³ along with all their villages which were round about these cities as far as Ba′al. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record.

³⁴ Mesho′bab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amazi′ah, ³⁵ Jo′el, Jehu the son of Joshibi′ah, son of Sera′iah, son of As′i-el, ³⁶ Eli-o-e′nai, Ja-ako′bah, Jeshohai′ah, Asa′iah, Ad′i-el, Jesim′i-el, Bena′iah, ³⁷ Ziza the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jeda′iah, son of Shimri, son of Shemai′ah— ³⁸ these mentioned by name were princes in their families, and their fathers’ houses increased greatly. ³⁹ They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, ⁴⁰ where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful; for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. ⁴¹ These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezeki′ah, king of Judah, and destroyed their tents and the Me-u′nim who were found there, and exterminated them to this day, and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴² And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to Mount Se′ir, having as their leaders Pelati′ah, Neari′ah, Repha′iah, and Uz′ziel, the sons of Ishi; ⁴³ and they destroyed the remnant of the Amal′ekites that had escaped, and they have dwelt there to this day.

Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance

A Psalm of David.