Second Samuel Chapter 2
1 After this, David inquired of the Lord saying, Shall I go into any of the cities of Judah? The Lord said to him, Go. And David said, Where shall I go? The Lord said, To Hebron.
2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's wife.
3 David brought his men with him, each with his household and they lived in the cities of Hebron.
4 The men of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah there. They told David, The men of Jabeshgilead buried Saul.
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabeshgilead and said to them, Blessed are you of the Lord, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.
6 Now may the Lord do kindness and truth to you. And I also will do good to you because you have done this.
7 Now let your hands be strengthened and be brave. For your master Saul is dead and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.
8 But Abner, the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him to Mahanaim.
9 He made him king over Gilead and over the Ashurites, and Jezreel, and Ephraim, and Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was 40 years old when he began to reign over Israel and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11 The number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Abner, the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, went from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David met by the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
15 They arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul. And twelve of the servants of David.
16 Each one lay hold on the head, of his companion and thrust his sword in his companion's side, so that they fell together. And one called that place The Field of Rocks that is in Gibeon.
17 There was a very grievous battle that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 There were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was swift with his feet, like one of the gazelles in the field.
19 Asahel ran after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 Abner looked behind him and said, Are you Asahel? And he answered, I am.
21 Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
22 Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I then hold up my face to your brother Joab?
23 However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him with the blunt end of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out behind him. He fell down there, and died in the same place. And everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.
24 Joab and Abishai ran after Abner. And the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 The children of Benjamin gathered together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will it be then before you command the people to return from chasing their brothers?
27 Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up each one from following his brother.
28 Joab blew a ram's horn, and all the people stood still and did not pursue after Israel any more, nor did they fight any more.
29 Abner and his men went all that night through the plain and passed over Jordan, and went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab returned from following Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men and Asahel were missing from David's servants.
31 But the servants of David had stricken 360 men of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, who died.
32 They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father that was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at the break of day.