Chronological

1 Now it came to pass after the mot Sha’ul, when Dovid was returned from the slaughter of Amalek, and Dovid had abode two yamim in Tziklag;

² It came even to pass on Yom HaShlishi, that, hinei, an ish came out of the machaneh from Sha’ul with his clothes torn, and adamah upon his rosh; and so it was, when he came to Dovid, that he fell to the ground, and prostrated himself.

³ And Dovid said unto him, From where comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the machaneh Yisroel am I escaped.

⁴ And Dovid said unto him, How went the matter? Tell me now. And he answered, That the people are fled from the milchamah, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Sha’ul and Yonatan bno are dead also.

⁵ And Dovid said unto the na’ar that told him, How knowest thou that Sha’ul and Yonatan bno are dead?

⁶ And the na’ar that told him said, As I happened to be upon Mt Gilboa, hinei, Sha’ul leaned upon his khanit; and, hinei, the chariots and ba’alei haparashim followed hard after him.

⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Hineini.

⁸ And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amaleki.

⁹ He said unto me again, Stand, now, over me, and slay me; for shavatz (death through agony) is come upon me, because my nefesh is yet still in me.

¹⁰ So I stood over him, and slaughtered him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; and I took the nezer (crown, diadem) that was upon his rosh, and the etzadah (bracelet, band) that was on his zero’a, and have brought them here unto adoni.

¹¹ Then Dovid took hold on his clothes, and made the kri’ah on them; and likewise all the anashim that were with him;

¹² And they mourned, and wept, and did a tzom until the erev, for Sha’ul, and for Yonatan bno, and for the Am Hashem, and for Bais Yisroel; because they were fallen by the cherev.

¹³ And Dovid said unto the na’ar that told him, From where art thou? And he answered, I am ben ish ger, an Amaleki.

¹⁴ And Dovid said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine yad to destroy Hashem’s moshiach?

¹⁵ And Dovid called one of the ne’arim, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he struck him so that he died.

¹⁶ And Dovid said unto him, Thy dahm be upon thy rosh; for thine own peh hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Hashem’s moshiach.

¹⁷ And Dovid lamented with this kinah (lamentation) over Sha’ul and over Yonatan bno;

¹⁸ Also he bade them teach the Bnei Yehudah: The Keshet. Hinei, it is written in the Sefer HaYasher:

¹⁹ The glory of Yisroel is slain upon thy high places; how are the Gibborim fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gat, proclaim it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the banot Pelishtim rejoice, lest the banot ha’arelim triumph.

²¹ Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no tal, neither let there be matar, upon you, nor fields of terumot; for there the mogen Gibborim is defiled, the mogen of Sha’ul, as though he had not been mashiach (anointed) with shemen.

²² From the dahm of the slain, from the chelev of the Gibborim, the keshet Yonatan turned not back, and the cherev Sha’ul returned not empty.

²³ Sha’ul and Yonatan were beloved and gracious in their lives, and in their mot they were not parted; they were swifter than nesharim, they were stronger than arayot.

²⁴ Ye banot Yisroel, weep over Sha’ul, who clothed you in scarlet, with fineries, who put on ornaments of zahav upon your apparel.

²⁵ How are the Gibborim fallen in the midst of the milchamah! O Yonatan, thou wast slain on thine heights.

²⁶ I am distressed for thee, my brother Yonatan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy ahavah was wonderful to me, passing ahavat nashim.

²⁷ How are the Gibborim fallen, and the k’lei milchamah (weapons of war) perished!

2 And it came to pass after this, that Dovid inquired of Hashem, saying, Shall I go up into any of the towns of Yehudah? And Hashem said unto him, Go up. And Dovid said, To where shall I go up? And he said, Unto Chevron.

² So Dovid went up there, and his two nashim also, Achinoam the Yizre’elit, and Avigal eshet Nabal the Carmeli.

³ And his anashim that were with him did Dovid bring up, every ish with his household; and they dwelt in the towns of Chevron.

⁴ And anshei Yehudah came, and there they anointed Dovid Melech over Bais Yehudah. And they told Dovid, saying, The Anshei Yavesh-Gilead were they that buried Sha’ul.

⁵ And Dovid sent malachim unto the Anshei Yavesh-Gilead, and said unto them, Berukhim atem of Hashem, that ye have showed this chesed unto adoneichem, even unto Sha’ul, burying him.

⁶ And now Hashem show chesed and emes unto you; and I also will repay you this tovah, because ye have done this thing.

⁷ Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, be ye bnei chayil; for adoneichem Sha’ul is dead, and also the Bais Yehudah have anointed me Melech over them.

⁸ But Avner ben Ner, Sar Tzava of Sha’ul, took Ishboshet Ben Sha’ul, and brought him over to Machanayim;

⁹ And made him melech over Gil‘ad, and over the Ashuri, and over Yizre’el, and over Ephrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisroel.

¹⁰ Ishboshet ben Sha’ul was forty shanah when he began to reign over Yisroel, and reigned two shanim. But Bais Yehudah followed Dovid.

¹¹ And the time that Dovid was Melech in Chevron over Bais Yehudah was shivah shanah and shishah chodashim.

¹² And Avner ben Ner, and the avadim of Ishboshet Ben Sha’ul, went out from Machanayim to Giveon.

¹³ And Yoav Ben Tzeruyah, and the avadim of Dovid, went out, and met together by the pool of Giveon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

¹⁴ And Avner said to Yoav, Let the young men now arise for a contest before us. And Yoav said, Let them arise.

¹⁵ Then there arose and went over by mispar twelve of Binyamin, which pertained to Ishboshet ben Sha’ul, and twelve of the avadim of Dovid.

¹⁶ And they caught every one his re’a by the rosh, and thrust his cherev in his re’a’s side; so they fell down together; therefore that makom was called Chelkat-Hatzurim, which is in Giveon.

¹⁷ And there was a very fierce milchamah that day; and Avner was defeated, and the Anshei Yisroel, before the Avadim of Dovid.

¹⁸ And there were three Bnei Tzeruyah there: Yoav, Avishai, Asahel; Asahel was as swift of foot as a gazelle.

¹⁹ Asahel pursued after Avner; and in going he turned not to the right nor to the left from following Avner.

²⁰ Then Avner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

²¹ And Avner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the ne’arim, and capture thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

²² And Avner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me; why should I strike thee to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Yoav achicha?

²³ Howbeit he refused to turn aside; therefore Avner with the butt end of the khanit struck him under the fifth rib, that the khanit came out his back; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the makom where Asahel fell down and died, stopped.

²⁴ Yoav also and Avishai pursued after Avner; and the shemesh went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giach by the derech midbar Giveon.

²⁵ And the Bnei Binyamin gathered themselves together after Avner, and became aguddah echat (one unit), and stood on the top of one hill.

²⁶ Then Avner called to Yoav, and said, Shall the cherev devour lanetzach (forever)? Knowest thou not that it will be marah in the latter end? Ad mosai shall it be then, until thou bid the people return from pursuing their brethren?

²⁷ And Yoav said, As HaElohim liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, HaAm would have continued every one following his brother, not stopping until haboker.

²⁸ So Yoav blew a shofar, and kol haAm stood still, and pursued after Yisroel no more, neither fought they any more.

²⁹ And Avner and his anashim marched kol halailah through the Aravah, and passed over Yarden, and went through all Bitron, and they came to Machanayim.

³⁰ And Yoav returned from following Avner; and when he had gathered kol HaAm together, there lacked of Dovid’s avadim nineteen ish and Asahel.

³¹ But the avadim of Dovid had struck down of Binyamin, and of anshei Avner, so that three hundred and threescore ish died.

³² And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the kever of aviv, which was in Beit-Lechem. And Yoav and his men marched kol halailah, and they came to Chevron at dawn.

3 Now there was long milchamah between the Bais Sha’ul and the Bais Dovid; but Dovid grew stronger and stronger, and the Bais Sha’ul grew weaker and weaker.

² And unto Dovid were banim born in Chevron; and his bechor was Amnon, of Achinoam the Yizre’elit;

³ And his second, Kile’av, of Avigal eshet Naval the Carmeli; and the third, Avshalom ben Maachah bat Talmai Melech Geshur;

⁴ And the fourth, Adoniyah Ben Chaggit; and the fifth, Shephatyah Ben Avital;

⁵ And the sixth, Yitre’am, by Eglah eshet Dovid. These were born to Dovid in Chevron.

⁶ And it came to pass, while there was milchamah between the Bais Sha’ul and the Bais Dovid, that Avner was strengthening his grip on the Bais Sha’ul.

⁷ And Sha’ul had a pilegesh (concubine), whose shem was Ritzpah Bat Ayah; and he [Ishboshet] said to Avner, why hast thou gone in unto pilegesh avi?

⁸ Then was Avner very angry at the devarim of Ishboshet, and said, Am I Yehudah’s rosh kelev? Today do I show chesed unto the Bais Sha’ul avicha, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the yad Dovid, and then thou chargest me today with an avon concerning this isha?

⁹ So do Elohim to Avner, and more also! As Hashem hath sworn to Dovid, even so I do for him [Dovid];

¹⁰ To transfer the Mamlachah from the Bais Sha’ul, and to set up the Kisse Dovid over Yisroel and over Yehudah, from Dan even to Beer-Sheva.

¹¹ And he could not answer Avner a davar again, because he feared him.

¹² And Avner sent malachim to Dovid on his behalf, saying, Whose is the eretz? Saying also, Cut thy brit with me, and, hinei, my yad shall be with thee, to bring about kol Yisroel unto thee.

¹³ And he [Dovid] said Tov; I will make a brit with thee; but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Bat Sha’ul, when thou comest to see my face.

¹⁴ And Dovid sent malachim to Ishboshet Ben Sha’ul, saying, Deliver ishti Michal, which I took in erusin to me for a hundred arlot (foreskins) of the Pelishtim (Philistines).

¹⁵ And Ishboshet sent, and took her from her ish, even from Phaltiel Ben Layish.

¹⁶ And her ish went with her going along weeping behind her to Bachurim. Then said Avner unto him, Go, return. And he returned.

¹⁷ And Avner had communication with the Ziknei Yisroel, saying, Ye sought for Dovid in times past to be melech over you;

¹⁸ Now then do it; for Hashem hath spoken of Dovid, saying, By the yad of Avdi Dovid I will save My people Yisroel out of the yad Pelishtim, and out of the yad of all their oyevim.

¹⁹ And Avner also spoke in the oznayim of Binyamin; and Avner went also to speak in the oznayim of Dovid in Chevron all that seemed tov to Yisroel, and to the kol Bais Binyamin.

²⁰ So Avner came to Dovid to Chevron, and esrim anashim with him. And Dovid made Avner and the anashim that were with him a mishteh.

²¹ And Avner said unto Dovid, I will arise and go, and will gather kol Yisroel unto adoni HaMelech, that they may cut a Brit with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine lev desireth. And Dovid sent Avner away; and he went in shalom.

²² And, hinei, the avadim of Dovid and Yoav came from a raid, bringing in shalal rav (great plunder) with them; but Avner was not with Dovid in Chevron; he had sent him away, he was gone in shalom.

²³ When Yoav and all the tzava that was with him were come, they told Yoav, saying, Avner Ben Ner came to HaMelech, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in shalom.

²⁴ Then Yoav came to HaMelech, and said, What hast thou done? Hinei, Avner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?

²⁵ Thou knowest Avner Ben Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to have da’as of thy going out and thy coming in, and to have da’as of all that thou doest.

²⁶ And when Yoav was come out from Dovid, he sent malachim after Avner, which brought him back from the well of Sirah; but Dovid knew it not.

²⁷ And when Avner was returned to Chevron, Yoav took him aside in the sha’ar to speak with him privately, and struck him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the dahm of Asahel his brother.

²⁸ And afterward when Dovid heard it, he said, I and my mamlachah are naki (innocent) before Hashem ad olam from the dahm of Avner Ben Ner;

²⁹ Let it rest on the rosh Yoav, and on kol Bais Aviv; and let there never fail from the Bais Yoav one that hath a discharge, or that is a metzora (leper), or that leaneth on a pelech (stick, crutch), or that falleth on the cherev, or that lacketh lechem.

³⁰ So Yoav, and Avishai his brother slaughtered Avner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Giveon in the milchamah.

³¹ And Dovid said to Yoav, and to kol HaAm that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Avner. And Dovid HaMelech himself followed the mittah (bier, frame or bed holding corpse).

³² And they buried Avner in Chevron; and HaMelech lifted up his voice and wept at the kever of Avner; and kol HaAm wept.

³³ And in a dirge HaMelech lamented over Avner, and said, Died Avner as a naval (fool) dieth?

³⁴ Thy hands were not bound, nor thy raglayim put into fetters; as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And kol HaAm wept again over him.

³⁵ And when kol HaAm came to cause Dovid to eat lechem while it was yet day, Dovid swore a shevua (oath), saying, So do Elohim to me, and more also, if I taste lechem, or anything else, till the shemesh go down.

³⁶ And kol HaAm took notice of it, and it pleased them; whatsoever HaMelech did pleased kol HaAm.

³⁷ For kol HaAm and kol Yisroel had da’as that day that it was not of HaMelech to murder Avner Ben Ner.

³⁸ And HaMelech said unto his avadim, Know ye not that there is sar and gadol fallen this day in Yisroel?

³⁹ And I am this day weak, though moshuach melech (being anointed king); and these anashim the Bnei Tzeruyah are too harsh for me; Hashem shall reward the doer of evil according to his ra’ah (evil).

4 And when Ben Sha’ul [Ish-Boshet] heard that Avner was dead in Chevron, his hands fell limp; kol Yisroel became alarmed.

² And Ben Sha’ul had two anashim that were sarei gedudim (captains of raiding parties); the shem of the one was Ba’anah, and the shem of the other Rechav; these were the Bnei Rimmon HaBe’eroti, of the Bnei Binyamin: (for [the town of] Be’erot was reckoned as part of Binyamin.

³ And the Be’eroti fled to Gittayim, and were sojourners there until this day.)

⁴ And Yonatan Ben Sha’ul had a ben that was nekheh raglayim (lame in both feet). He was five years old when the news came of Sha’ul and Yonatan from Yizre’el (Jezreel), and his nurse took him up, and fled; and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame, and shmo Mephivoshet.

⁵ And the Bnei Rimmon HaBe’eroti, Rechav and Baanah, went, and came about chom hayom (the heat of the day) to the bais Ish-Boshet, who lay on a bed at tzahorayim (noon).

⁶ And they came into the midst of the bais, as though they would have been getting chittim; and they stabbed him under the fifth rib; and Rechav and Baanah achiv (his brother) escaped.

⁷ For when they had gone into the bais, he lay on his mittah (bed) in his chedar mishkav (bedroom), and they stabbed him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his rosh, and got away through the derech HaAravah kol halailah.

⁸ And they brought the rosh Ish-Boshet unto Dovid at Chevron, and said to HaMelech, Hinei the rosh Ish-Boshet Ben Sha’ul thine oyev (enemy), which sought thy nefesh; and Hashem hath given nekamot (vengeance) against Shaul unto adoni HaMelech this day, and of his zera.

⁹ And Dovid answered Rechav and Baanah achiv, the Bnei Rimmon HaBe’eroti, and said unto them, As Hashem liveth, who hath padah (ransomed, redeemed) my nefesh out of kol tzarah,

¹⁰ When one told me, saying, Hinei, Sha’ul is dead, thinking he was like mevaser (one who brings glad tidings, good news, evangelist), I took hold of him, and slaughtered him in Tziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his besorah (good news);

¹¹ How much more, when anashim resh’im have slain an ish tzaddik in his own bais upon his mishkav (bed)? Shall I not therefore now require his dahm of your yad, and take you away from HaAretz?

¹² And Dovid commanded his ne’arim (young men), and they slaughtered them, and cut off their yadayim and their raglayim, and hung them up over the berekhah (pool) in Chevron. But they took the rosh Ish-Boshet, and buried it in the kever of Avner in Chevron.