2Samuel 2:30 - Prayer Tents

2Samuel 2

David Is Made King of Judah

2After this, David asked the LORD, "Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Which one?" David asked. "Hebron," the LORD said.H310H1732H7592H3068H559H5927H259H5892H3063H3068H559H5927H1732H559H5927H559H22752So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel.H1732H5927H8147H802H293H3159H26H5037H802H37613He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns around Hebron.H582H1732H5927H376H1004H3427H5892H22754Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah. When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,H582H3063H935H4886H1732H4428H1004H3063H5046H1732H559H582H3003H1568H6912H75865he sent some men there with the message: "May the LORD bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him.H1732H7971H4397H582H3003H1568H559H1288H3068H6213H2617H113H7586H69126And now may the LORD be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done.H3068H6213H2617H571H6213H2896H6213H16977Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king."H3027H2388H1121H2428H113H7586H4191H1004H3063H4886H4428

Ishbosheth Is Made King of Israel

8The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim.H74H1121H5369H8269H7586H6635H3947H378H1121H7586H5674H42669There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel.H4427H1568H805H3157H669H1144H347810He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David,H378H7586H1121H705H8141H1121H4427H3478H4427H8147H8141H1004H3063H310H173211and he ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.H4557H3117H1732H4428H2275H1004H3063H7651H8141H8337H2320

War between Israel and Judah

12Abner and the officials of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the city of Gibeon.H74H1121H5369H5650H378H1121H7586H3318H4266H139113Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side.H3097H1121H6870H5650H1732H3318H6298H3162H1295H1391H3427H1295H129514Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men from each side fight an armed contest." "All right," Joab answered.H74H559H3097H5288H6965H7832H6440H3097H559H696515So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men.H6965H5674H4557H8147H6240H1144H378H1121H7586H8147H6240H5650H173216Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all twenty-four of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called "Field of Swords."H2388H376H7453H7218H2719H7453H6654H5307H3162H4725H7121H2521H139117Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men.H3966H7186H4421H3117H74H5062H582H3478H6440H5650H173218The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer,H7969H1121H6870H3097H52H6214H6214H7031H7272H259H7704H664319started chasing Abner, running straight for him.H6214H7291H310H74H3212H5186H3225H8040H310H7420Abner looked back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes," he answered.H74H6437H310H559H6214H55921"Stop chasing me!" Abner said. "Run after one of the soldiers and take what he has." But Asahel kept on chasing him.H74H559H5186H3225H8040H270H259H5288H3947H2488H6214H14H5493H31022Once more Abner said to him, "Stop chasing me! Why force me to kill you? How could I face your brother Joab?"H74H559H3254H6214H5493H310H5221H776H5375H6440H3097H25123But Asahel would not quit; so Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, struck him through the stomach so that the spear came out at his back. Asahel dropped to the ground dead, and everyone who came to the place where he was lying stopped and stood there.H3985H5493H74H310H2595H5221H413H2570H2595H3318H310H5307H4191H8478H935H4725H6214H5307H4191H597524But Joab and Abishai started out after Abner, and at sunset they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.H3097H52H7291H310H74H8121H935H935H1389H522H6440H1520H1870H4057H139125The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner again and took their stand on the top of a hill.H1121H1144H6908H310H74H259H92H5975H7218H138926Abner called out to Joab, "Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?"H74H7121H3097H559H2719H398H5331H3045H4751H314H559H5971H7725H310H25127"I swear by the living God," Joab answered, "that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning."H3097H559H430H2416H3884H1696H1242H5971H5927H376H310H25128Then Joab blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to stop pursuing the Israelites; and so the fighting stopped.H3097H8628H7782H5971H5975H7291H310H3478H3898H325429Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley all that night; they crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all the next morning, they arrived back at Mahanaim.H74H582H1980H3915H6160H5674H3383H3212H1338H935H426630When Joab gave up the chase, he gathered all his men and found that nineteen of them were missing, in addition to Asahel.H3097H7725H310H74H6908H5971H6908H6485H1732H5650H8672H6240H376H621431David's men had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.H5650H1732H5221H1144H74H582H7969H3967H8346H376H419132Joab and his men took Asahel's body and buried it in the family tomb at Bethlehem. Then they marched all night and at dawn arrived back at Hebron.H5375H6214H6912H6913H1H1035H3097H582H3212H3915H2275H215