2 Samuel 2
2
David Anointed King Over Judah
1#1Sa 23:2; 30:31After this, David consulted the Lord, asking, “Shall I go to one of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord responded to him, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
And He said, “Hebron.”
2#1Sa 25:42–43; 30:5So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3#1Sa 27:2–3; 30:1And David brought the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4#1Sa 31:11–13; 2Sa 5:5Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David as king over the house of Judah, and they informed David that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul.
5#1Sa 23:21; Ru 2:20So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead saying, “May you be blessed by the Lord, you who have shown this loyalty to your lord Saul by burying him. 6Now may the Lord show you loyalty and faithfulness, even as I deal kindly with you who have done this thing. 7Now may your hands be strong and may you be courageous, since your lord Saul is dead and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
War Between the Houses of David and Saul
1Ch 3:1–4
8#1Sa 14:50; Ge 32:2However, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Saul, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, over Israel in its entirety.
10Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he ruled for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. 11#1Ki 2:11The length of time during which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12#Jos 18:25; 10:12Abner the son of Ner, with the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim toward Gibeon. 13#2Sa 8:16; 1Ch 2:16And Joab the son of Zeruiah, with the servants of David, went out in order to meet together at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the side of the pool opposite them.
14#2Sa 2:17Abner suggested to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and compete before us.”
And Joab replied, “Let them come.”
15So they stepped forward and were counted, twelve from Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth and twelve from the servants of David. 16Each one grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
17#2Sa 3:1The fighting was very fierce that day, but Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
18#1Ch 12:8; Hab 3:19Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as fast as a wild gazelle. 19So Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. 20Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
He answered, “It is I.”
21Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or left, overtake one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself,” but Asahel was not willing to desist.
22#2Sa 3:27Abner continued still to reason with Asahel, “Abandon your pursuit. Why should I strike you down? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
23#2Sa 3:27; 4:6But he refused to desist. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out of his back. He fell there and died on the spot. When all of the others came to the place where Asahel fell and died, they halted.
24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is next to Giah on the way to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25The sons of Benjamin gathered to the rear of Abner into a single formation, and they took their stand atop one of the hills.
26#Jer 46:10; 46:14Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword consume forever? Do you not understand that a bitter taste will result in the end? How long will you refuse to command the people to withdraw from chasing their brothers?”
27#2Sa 2:14; Pr 17:14Joab responded, “As God lives, I assure you that if you had not said this, the people would have each pursued his brother throughout the night.”
28So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still. They pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.
29#2Sa 2:8So Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night, crossed the Jordan, and marched all morning until they returned to Mahanaim.
30Joab refrained from pursuing Abner, but instead mustered all of the people. There were nineteen men besides Asahel missing from among the servants of David. 31But the servants of David routed Benjamin and the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty of their men died. 32They carried Asahel back and interred him in his father’s tomb, which was at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled throughout the night and reached Hebron at dawn.
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2 Samuel 2: MEV
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Military Bible Association
2 Samuel 2
2
David Is Made King of Judah
1Later, David prayed to the Lord, saying, “Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord said to David, “Go.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
The Lord answered, “To Hebron.”
2So David went up to Hebron with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. 3David also brought his men and their families, and they all made their homes in the cities of Hebron. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and appointed David king over Judah.
They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul. 5So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you. You have shown loyalty to your master Saul by burying him. 6May the Lord now be loyal and true to you. I will also treat you well because you have done this. 7Now be strong and brave. Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have appointed me their king.”
War Between Judah and Israel
8Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul’s army. Abner took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim 9and made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ruled two years. But the people of Judah followed David. 11David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.
12Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men also went there and met Abner and Ish-Bosheth’s men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool; Joab’s group sat on the other.
14Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men have a contest here.”
Joab said, “Yes, let them have a contest.”
15Then the men got up and were counted—twelve from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s men. 16Each man grabbed the one opposite him by the head and stabbed him in the side with a knife. So the men fell down together. For that reason, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of Knives. 17That day there was a terrible battle, and David’s men defeated Abner and the Israelites.
Abner Kills Asahel
18Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a deer in the field. 19Asahel chased Abner, going straight toward him. 20Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it is.”
21Then Abner said to Asahel, “Turn to your right or left and catch one of the young men and take his armor.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.
22Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me! If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! Then I won’t be able to face your brother Joab again!”
23But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So using the back end of his spear, Abner stabbed Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel died right there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.
24But Joab and Abishai continued chasing Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the desert near Gibeon. 25The men of Benjamin came to Abner, and all stood together at the top of the hill.
26Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword kill forever? Surely you must know this will only end in sadness! Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”
27Then Joab said, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning.” 28Then Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not fight them anymore.
29Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all day, arrived at Mahanaim.
30After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David’s men were missing. 31But David’s men had killed three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner. 32David’s men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up as they reached Hebron.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.