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2 Samuel 1

1

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amal'ekites, David remained two days in Ziklag;

2

and on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance.

3

David said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel."

4

And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."

5

Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

6

And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilbo'a; and there was Saul leaning upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.

7

And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.'

8

And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amal'ekite.'

9

And he said to me, 'Stand beside me and slay me; for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.'

10

So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen; and I took the crown which was on his head and the armlet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."

11

Then David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; and so did all the men who were with him;

12

and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13

And David said to the young man who told him, "Where do you come from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a sojourner, an Amal'ekite."

14

David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?"

15

Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, fall upon him." And he smote him so that he died.

16

And David said to him, "Your blood be upon your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the LORD'S anointed.'"

17

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,

18

and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:

19

"Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!

20

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ash'kelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

21

"Ye mountains of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor upsurging of the deep! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

22

"From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

23

"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24

"Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you daintily in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

25

"How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! "Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places.

26

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

27

"How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"

2 Samuel 2

1

After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."

2

So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahin'o-am of Jezreel, and Ab'igail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

3

And David brought up his men who were with him, every one with his household; and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.

4

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the men of Ja'besh-gil'ead who buried Saul,"

5

David sent messengers to the men of Ja'besh-gil'ead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him!

6

Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you! And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.

7

Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

8

Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bo'sheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahana'im;

9

and he made him king over Gilead and the Ash'urites and Jezreel and E'phraim and Benjamin and all Israel.

10

Ish-bo'sheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

11

And the time 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 Ish-bo'sheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahana'im to Gibeon.

13

And Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah, and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon; 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 Abner said to Jo'ab, "Let the young men arise and play before us." And Jo'ab said, "Let them arise."

15

Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bo'sheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

16

And each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Hel'kath-hazzu'rim, which is at Gibeon.

17

And the battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18

And the three sons of Zeru'iah were there, Jo'ab, Abi'shai, and As'ahel. Now As'ahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle;

19

and As'ahel pursued Abner, and as he went he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

20

Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, As'ahel?" And he answered, "It is I."

21

Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil." But As'ahel would not turn aside from following him.

22

And Abner said again to As'ahel, "Turn aside from following me; why should I smite you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Jo'ab?"

23

But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner smote him in the belly with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he fell there, and died where he was. And all who came to the place where As'ahel had fallen and died, stood still.

24

But Jo'ab and Abi'shai pursued Abner; and as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Gi'ah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

25

And the Benjaminites gathered themselves together behind Abner, and became one band, and took their stand on the top of a hill.

26

Then Abner called to Jo'ab, "Shall the sword devour for ever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you bid your people turn from the pursuit of their brethren?"

27

And Jo'ab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have given up the pursuit of their brethren in the morning."

28

So Jo'ab blew the trumpet; and all the men stopped, and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight any more.

29

And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole forenoon they came to Mahana'im.

30

Jo'ab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men besides As'ahel.

31

But the servants of David had slain of Benjamin three hundred and sixty of Abner's men.

32

And they took up As'ahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Jo'ab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

2 Samuel 3

1

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 Jezreel;

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, 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.

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, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?

34

Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen." 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!"

2 Samuel 4

1

When Ish-bo'sheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.

2

Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Ba'anah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Be-er'oth (for Be-er'oth also is reckoned to Benjamin;

3

the Be-er'othites fled to Gitta'im, and have been sojourners there to this day).

4

Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled; and, as she fled in her haste, he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephib'osheth.

5

Now the sons of Rimmon the Be-er'othite, Rechab and Ba'anah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bo'sheth, as he was taking his noonday rest.

6

And behold, the doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she grew drowsy and slept; so Rechab and Ba'anah his brother slipped in.

7

When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him. They took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night,

8

and brought the head of Ish-bo'sheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-bo'sheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring."

9

But David answered Rechab and Ba'anah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Be-er'othite, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity,

10

when one told me, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and slew him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

11

How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous man in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?"

12

And David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bo'sheth, and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

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