2 Samuel 3
3
The House of David Strengthened
1There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David grew steadily stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker [to the point of being powerless].
2Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of [his wife] Maacah, daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur; 4the fourth, Adonijah the son of [his wife] Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of [his wife] Abital; 5and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These [sons] were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6Now while war continued between the houses of Saul and David, Abner was proving himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a #3:7 See note Gen 22:24.concubine whose name was Rizpah the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, #3:7 Being intimate with the former king’s concubine was a way for Abner to assert a claim on the throne.“Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” 8Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said, “Am I a dog’s head [a despicable traitor] that belongs to Judah? #3:8 Abner reminds Ish-bosheth that he put Ish-bosheth on the throne of Israel.Today I show loyalty and kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, by not having you handed over to David; and yet you charge me today with guilt concerning this woman. 9May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David just as the Lord has sworn to him, 10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south].” 11And Ish-bosheth could not say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
12Then Abner sent messengers to David [who was] in his place [at Hebron], saying, “Whose is the land? Make your covenant (treaty) with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.” 13David said, “Good! I will make a covenant (treaty) with you, but I require one thing of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see #3:13 Lit see my face.me.” 14So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “#3:14 Saul promised Michal to David as his wife. See 1 Sam 18:25-27.Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was #3:14 I.e. a legal and binding promise of marriage.betrothed for [the price of] a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15So Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish [to whom Saul had given her]. 16But her husband went with her, weeping continually behind her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner told him, “Go, return.” And he did so.
17Abner talked with the elders (tribal leaders) of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. 18Now then, do it [and make him king]! For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’ ” [1 Sam 9:16] 19Abner also spoke #3:19 Lit in the ears of Benjamin.to [the men of] Benjamin. Then he also went to #3:19 Lit speak in the ears of David.tell David at Hebron everything that seemed good #3:19 Lit in the eyes of Israel.to Israel and to the entire house of Benjamin.
20So Abner came to David at Hebron, and [brought] twenty men along with him. And David prepared a feast for Abner and the men with him. 21Abner said to David, “Let me stand up and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant (treaty) with you, and that you may reign over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
22Then the servants of David came with Joab from a raid and brought a great quantity of spoil with them; but Abner was not with David at Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” 24Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why did you send him away, so that he is already gone? 25You know Abner the son of Ner, that he [only] came to deceive you [with flattering words] and to learn of your going out and coming in, and to find out what you are doing.”
Joab Murders Abner
26When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David knew nothing [about Joab’s action]. 27So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the middle of the gate to speak to him privately, and there he struck Abner in the abdomen so that he died, #3:27 This was an act of murder, not justifiable revenge, because Abner had killed Asahel in self-defense during a battle.to avenge the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother. 28Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29Let #3:29 Lit it.the guilt fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house (family); and may there never disappear from the house of Joab one who suffers with a discharge or one who is a leper or one who walks with a crutch [being unfit for war], or one who falls by the sword, or one who lacks food.” 30So Joab and Abishai his brother murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
David Mourns Abner
31Then David said to Joab and to all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. 32They buried Abner in Hebron; and the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33And the king sang a dirge (funeral song) over Abner and said,
“Should Abner [the great warrior] die as a fool dies?
34“Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters;
As a man falls before the wicked, so you have fallen.”
And all the people wept again over him. 35All the people came to urge David to eat food while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets.” 36And all the people took notice of it and it #3:36 Lit was good in their eyes.pleased them, just as everything that the king did pleased all the people. 37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. 38Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39Today I am weak, though anointed king; these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer [Joab] in accordance with his wickedness!”
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2 Samuel 3
3
1The fighting between the forces supporting Saul's family and those supporting David went on for a long time. As David became stronger and stronger, his opponents became weaker and weaker.
David's Sons
2The following six sons, in the order of their birth, were born to David at Hebron: Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam, from Jezreel; 3Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel; Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital; 5Ithream, whose mother was Eglah. All of these sons were born in Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6As the fighting continued between David's forces and the forces loyal to Saul's family, Abner became more and more powerful among Saul's followers.
7One day Ishbosheth son of Saul accused Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. 8This made Abner furious. “Do you think that I would betray Saul? Do you really think I'm serving Judah?” he exclaimed. “From the very first I have been loyal to the cause of your father Saul, his brothers, and his friends, and I have saved you from being defeated by David; yet today you find fault with me about a woman! 9-10#1 Sam 15.28The LORD promised David that he would take the kingdom away from Saul and his descendants and would make David king of both Israel and Judah, from one end of the country to the other. Now may God strike me dead if I don't make this come true!” 11Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not say a word.
12Abner sent messengers to David, who at that time was at Hebron,#3.12 One ancient translation at Hebron; Hebrew where he (Abner) was. to say, “Who is going to rule this land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you win all Israel over to your side.”
13“Good!” David answered. “I will make an agreement with you on one condition: you must bring Saul's daughter Michal to me when you come to see me.” 14#1 Sam 18.27And David also sent messengers to Ishbosheth to say, “Give me back my wife Michal. I paid a hundred Philistine foreskins in order to marry her.” 15So Ishbosheth took her away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16Paltiel followed her all the way to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. But when Abner said, “Go back home,” he did.
17Abner went to the leaders of Israel and said to them, “For a long time you have wanted David to be your king. 18Now here is your chance. Remember that the LORD has said, ‘I will use my servant David to rescue my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’ ” 19Abner spoke also to the people of the tribe of Benjamin and then went to Hebron to tell David what the people of Benjamin and of Israel had agreed to do.
20When Abner came to David at Hebron with twenty men, David gave a feast for them. 21Abner told David, “I will go now and win all Israel over to Your Majesty. They will accept you as king, and then you will get what you have wanted and will rule over the whole land.” David gave Abner a guarantee of safety and sent him on his way.
Abner is Murdered
22Later on Joab and David's other officials returned from a raid, bringing a large amount of loot with them. Abner, however, was no longer there at Hebron with David, because David had sent him away with a guarantee of safety. 23When Joab and his men arrived, he was told that Abner had come to King David and had been sent away with a guarantee of safety. 24So Joab went to the king and said to him, “What have you done? Abner came to you — why did you let him go like that? 25He came here to deceive you and to find out everything you do and everywhere you go. Surely you know that!”
26After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to get Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David knew nothing about it. 27When Abner arrived in Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate, as though he wanted to speak privately with him, and there he stabbed him in the belly. And so Abner was murdered because he had killed Joab's brother Asahel. 28When David heard the news, he said, “The LORD knows that my subjects and I are completely innocent of the murder of Abner. 29May the punishment for it fall on Joab and all his family! In every generation may there be some man in his family who has gonorrhoea or a dreaded skin disease or is fit only to do a woman's work or is killed in battle or hasn't enough to eat!” 30So Joab and his brother Abishai took revenge on Abner for killing their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
Abner is Buried
31Then David ordered Joab and his men to tear their clothes, wear sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And at the funeral King David himself walked behind the coffin. 32Abner was buried at Hebron, and the king wept aloud at the grave, and so did all the people. 33David sang this lament for Abner:
“Why did Abner have to die like a fool?
34His hands were not tied,
And his feet were not bound;
He died like someone killed by criminals!”
And the people wept for him again.
35All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, “May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!” 36They took note of this and were pleased. Indeed, everything the king did pleased the people. 37All David's people and all the people in Israel understood that the king had no part in the murder of Abner. 38The king said to his officials, “Don't you realize that this day a great leader in Israel has died? 39Even though I am the king chosen by God, I feel weak today. These sons of Zeruiah are too violent for me. May the LORD punish these criminals as they deserve!”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.