2 Samuel 2

2 ¹Later, David inquired of our Father, "Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" Our Father said, "Go up." David said, "Where?" "Hebron," he said.

²David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal the Carmelite's widow. ³David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in Hebron's towns. ⁴Then Judah's men came and anointed David king over Judah's house there. They told David that Jabesh-gilead's men had buried Saul. ⁵He sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead: "May our Father bless you for this kindness to your lord Saul, burying him. ⁶Now may our Father show you kindness and faithfulness; I too will treat you well for doing this. ⁷Be strong and take courage, for your master Saul is dead, and Judah's house has also anointed me king over them."

Abner Makes Ish-Bosheth King Over Israel

⁸But Abner son of Ner, Saul's army commander, took Ish-bosheth son of Saul and brought him across to Mahanaim. ⁹He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin—over all Israel. ¹⁰Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty when he became king over Israel; he reigned two years. But Judah's house followed David. ¹¹David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.

Brother Against Brother at Gibeon

¹²Abner son of Ner, with Ish-bosheth son of Saul's servants, left Mahanaim for Gibeon. ¹³Joab son of Zeruiah and David's servants also went out and met them together at Gibeon's pool—one side sitting on one bank, the other on the opposite bank. ¹⁴Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men get up and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them get up."

¹⁵So they got up and crossed over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, twelve from David's servants. ¹⁶Each man gripped his opponent's head and drove his sword into his side, and they fell together. So the place in Gibeon was named Helkath-hazzurim. ^a a v16 Helkath-hazzurim means "field of sword-edges" — the place was named for the deadly hand-to-hand combat fought there. ¹⁷The fighting that day was very fierce; Abner and Israel's men fell before David's servants. ¹⁸Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—Asahel as fast-footed as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. ²⁰Abner looked back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It is," he answered.

²¹Abner told him, "Turn right or left, seize one of the young men, take his gear." But Asahel refused to stop chasing him. ²²Abner told Asahel again, "Turn back. Why force me to strike you down? How could I face your brother Joab?" ²³He refused to turn aside, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear; it came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. Everyone who came to where Asahel had fallen and died stood still. ²⁴Joab and Abishai pursued Abner; at sunset they reached the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵Benjamin's men gathered behind Abner, formed one band, and stood atop a hill. ²⁶Abner called to Joab: "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you know this will end bitterly? How long until you tell the people to turn back from chasing their brothers?"

²⁷Joab said, "As surely as our Father lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have kept pursuing their brothers until morning." ²⁸Joab blew the trumpet; all the troops stopped, no longer pursuing Israel or fighting. ²⁹Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night, crossed the Jordan, went through all Bithron, and reached Mahanaim.

³⁰Joab turned back from chasing Abner, gathered all the troops, and found nineteen of David's men missing, besides Asahel. ³¹But David's servants struck down 360 of the men of Benjamin who were with Abner. ³²They carried Asahel, buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem; Joab and his men walked all night, reaching Hebron by dawn.