¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field. ¹⁹ So Asahel pursued^[a] Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from going after Abner. ²⁰ Abner turned around and said, “Are you this Asahel?” And he said, “Yes.” ²¹ Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize for yourself one of the young men, and take his belongings for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from him. ²² So Abner said to Asahel once again,^[b] “For your own sake,^[c] turn aside from following me.^[d] Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face^[e] to Joab your brother?” ²³ But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, and the spear went out of his back. He fell there and he died on the spot.^[f] Then^[g] all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died just stood there.