2 Samuel 3
3
1There was a long war between those on the side of Saul and those on the side of David. David's side grew stronger, while Saul's side grew weaker.
2David's sons born at Hebron were: Amnon (firstborn), by Ahinoam from Jezreel; 3Chileab (second), by Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel; Absalom (third), by Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4Adonijah (fourth), by Haggith; Shephatiah (fifth), by Abital; 5Ithream (sixth), by David's wife Eglah. These were the sons born to David at Hebron.
6Abner had been strengthening his position among the supporters of Saul's dynasty during the war between those on the side of Saul and those on the side of David. 7Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah. One day Ishbosheth accused Abner, saying “Why have you been sleeping with my father's concubine?”
8Abner got extremely angry at Ishbosheth's accusation. “Am I a dog's head siding with Judah?” he replied. “Right up to the present day I have been loyal to your dynasty—to your father Saul, and to his brothers and friends. I haven't betrayed you to David. But now you dare to accuse me of sinning with this woman! 9So now may God punish me severely if I don't help David achieve what the Lord has promised him. 10I will hand over the kingdom from Saul's dynasty, and help set up David's rule over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11Ishbosheth didn't dare to say anything else to Abner because he was frightened of him.
12Then Abner sent messengers to speak for him to David, saying, “Who does the country belong to anyway? Make an agreement with me, and you can be sure I'll be on your side to have all of Israel follow you.”
13“Fine,” David replied, “I'll make an agreement with you. But I have one condition: I won't see you unless you bring Saul's daughter Michal when you come.”
14Then David sent messengers to tell Ishbosheth, son of Saul, “Give me back my wife Michal—I paid a dowry for her of one hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15Ishbosheth sent for her and took her away from her husband Paltiel, son of Laish. 16Her husband followed her to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. Then Abner ordered him, “Go back home!” So he went home.
17Abner spoke with the elders of Israel and said, “For a while now you have wanted to have David as your king. 18Now is the time to do it, because the Lord promised David, ‘Through my servant David I am going to save my people Israel from the Philistines and all their enemies.’” 19Abner also talked to the people of Benjamin, and went to Hebron to let David know everything that the Israelites and the whole tribe of Benjamin had decided to do.
20Abner came with twenty of his men to see David at Hebron, and David prepared a feast for them. 21Abner told David, “Let me go immediately and summon all of Israel to come together for my lord the king, so they may make an agreement with you, and that you may rule over all you would wish.” Then David sent Abner safely on his way.
22Soon after Joab and David's men came back from a raid, bringing with them a large amount of plunder. However, Abner wasn't there with David in Hebron because David had already sent him safely on his way in peace. 23When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, he was told, “Abner, son of Ner, came to see the king, who sent him safely on his way.”
24Joab went to the king and asked, “What do you think you're doing? Here's Abner, who came to see you. Why on earth did you send him on his way? Now he's got clean away! 25You do see that Abner, son of Ner, came here to trick you, to spy on the movements of your army, and to find out everything you're doing!”
26When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner. They met up with him at the well of Sirah and brought him back, but David didn't know anything about it. 27When Abner arrived back in Hebron, Joab took him aside into the town gatehouse as if he was going to talk with him in private. But Joab stabbed him in the belly, killing him in revenge for killing Joab's brother Asahel.
28When David heard about this later he said, “I and my kingdom are totally innocent before the Lord regarding the death of Abner, son of Ner! 29May the guilt for his death fall on Joab and his family! May Joab's descendants always have someone who has running sores or leprosy or is crippled#3:29. “Crippled”: following the Septuagint reading which suggests that such a person always has to lean on a crutch. or who is killed by the sword or who is starving.”
30(This is why Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel during the battle at Gibeon.)
31Then David ordered Joab and everyone who was there, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” King David himself followed the body as it was carried to the grave. 32They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king cried loudly at the grave, along with all the people. 33The king sang this lament for Abner:
“Did Abner deserve to die like a criminal? 34Your hands were not tied together, your feet were not in shackles. But just like a murderer's victim, you too were killed.” All the people cried for him even more.
35Then people came to David and tried to persuade him to have something to eat during the day. But David swore an oath, saying, “May God punish me severely if I eat bread or anything else before sunset!”
36Everyone saw this and thought it was the right thing to do, in the same way that they thought everything the king did was the right thing to do. 37That day everyone in Judah and throughout Israel realized that David had not ordered Abner's murder.
38Then the king said to his officers, “Don't you recognize that a commander and a truly great man has fallen in Israel today? 39I am weak right now, even though I'm anointed as king and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too powerful for me. But may the Lord repay the evil man according to the evil he has done.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
2 Samuel 3
3
1#1Ki 14:30; 2Sa 2:17The struggle between the house of Saul and the house of David endured, but David grew stronger as Saul became weaker.
2#1Ch 3:1–4Sons were born to David in Hebron:
his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
3#1Sa 27:8; 25:42and his second, Kileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite;
and the third, Absalom the son of Maakah the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur;
4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5and the sixth, Ithream, was born to Eglah, the wife of David.
These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Defects to David
6#2Sa 2:8–9While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. 7#2Sa 21:8–11; 16:21–22Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8#2Sa 9:8; 16:9Abner became very angry over the words of Ish-Bosheth. He said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Each day I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends by not allowing you to fall into the hand of David. Yet today you are charging me with guilt concerning this woman. 9#1Sa 15:28; 1Ki 19:2May God do so to Abner, and more also, for as the Lord has sworn to David, this I will do for him, 10#Jdg 20:1; 1Sa 3:20to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11And he could not offer a response to Abner, for fear of him.
12So Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and my hand will be with you to bring over all of Israel to you.”
13#Ge 43:3He responded, “Very well, I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.” 14#1Sa 18:27; 18:25Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15#1Sa 25:44So Ish-Bosheth sent for her, and he took her from her husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. 16#2Sa 16:5; 19:16But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So he turned back.
17Abner had a word with the elders of Israel, “In days past, you were seeking David as king over you. 18#1Sa 15:28; 2Sa 3:9So do it now, because the Lord said to David: By the hand of David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of every enemy.”
19#1Ch 12:29; 1Sa 10:20–21Abner also spoke privately with Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David privately at Hebron all that was received favorably by Israel and the entire house of Benjamin. 20So Abner, along with twenty men, went to David at Hebron, and David held a festival for Abner and the men who were with him. 21#2Sa 3:12; 1Ki 11:37Abner said to David, “Let me arise, go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went peaceably.
Joab Murders Abner
22Now the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them, but Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, because he had sent him away in peace. 23When Joab and the whole of the army that was with him arrived, they reported to Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he sent him away peaceably.”
24So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away? Now he is long gone. 25#Dt 28:6; Isa 37:28You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to learn of your coming and going, to discern all that you are doing.”
26When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. However, David was not aware of this. 27#2Sa 20:9–10; 1Ki 2:5So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab pulled him aside in the gateway so as to speak with him undisturbed. There he struck him in the midsection so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel, his brother.
28Afterward when David heard of this, he said, “My kingdom and I are forever blameless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29#2Sa 1:16May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food.”
30So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he killed Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.
31#Ge 37:34; Jos 7:6David said to Joab and all of the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” As for King David, he followed behind the bier. 32#Pr 24:17; Job 31:28When they buried Abner at Hebron, the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all of the people wept.
33#2Sa 1:17; 13:12–13Then, the king lamented for Abner, saying,
“Should Abner have died as a fool dies?
34Your hands were not bound,
and your feet were not put in fetters;
as a man falls before the wicked, so you have fallen.”
And all of the people continued to weep over him.
35#2Sa 1:12; 12:17Then all of the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath, saying, “May God do to me, and more also, if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”
36All of the people recognized this, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did was pleasing to all of the people. 37That very day, all of the people, all of Israel, understood that it was not ordered from the king to have Abner the son of Ner killed.
38David said to his servant, “Do you not understand that a great leader has fallen this day in Israel? 39#1Ki 2:33–34; 2:5–6Today, I am weak, even if an anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
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