2AFTER THIS, David inquired of the Lord, saying, 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.H310H1732H7592H3068H559H5927H259H5892H3063H3068H559H5927H1732H559H5927H559H22752So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.H1732H5927H8147H802H293H3159H26H5037H802H37613And David brought up his men who were with him, each one with his household, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.H582H1732H5927H376H1004H3427H5892H22754And the men of Judah came and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, The men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul.H582H3063H935H4886H1732H4428H1004H3063H5046H1732H559H582H3003H1568H6912H75865And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, saying, May the Lord bless you because you showed kindness {and} loyalty to Saul your king and buried him.H1732H7971H4397H582H3003H1568H559H1288H3068H6213H2617H113H7586H69126And now may the Lord show loving-kindness and faithfulness to you. I also will do well by you because you have done this.H3068H6213H2617H571H6213H2896H6213H16977So now, let your hands be strengthened and be valiant, for your master Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.H3027H2388H1121H2428H113H7586H4191H1004H3063H4886H44288Now Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.H74H1121H5369H8269H7586H6635H3947H378H1121H7586H5674H42669And he made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.H4427H1568H805H3157H669H1144H347810Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began his two-year reign over Israel. But the house of Judah followed David.H378H7586H1121H705H8141H1121H4427H3478H4427H8147H8141H1004H3063H310H173211And David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.H4557H3117H1732H4428H2275H1004H3063H7651H8141H8337H232012And Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.H74H1121H5369H5650H378H1121H7586H3318H4266H139113Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out also; and the two groups met by the pool of Gibeon, seating themselves with one group on either side of the pool.H3097H1121H6870H5650H1732H3318H6298H3162H1295H1391H3427H1295H129514And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and have a contest before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.H74H559H3097H5288H6965H7832H6440H3097H559H696515Then there arose and went over by number--twelve of Benjamin who were with Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.H6965H5674H4557H8147H6240H1144H378H1121H7586H8147H6240H5650H173216And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his side; so they all fell together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Knives, which is at Gibeon.H2388H376H7453H7218H2719H7453H6654H5307H3162H4725H7121H2521H139117A very fierce battle followed, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.H3966H7186H4421H3117H74H5062H582H3478H6440H5650H173218Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe {or} antelope.H7969H1121H6870H3097H52H6214H6214H7031H7272H259H7704H664319Asahel pursued Abner, and as he ran he turned not to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.H6214H7291H310H74H3212H5186H3225H8040H310H7420Then Abner looked behind him and said, Are you Asahel? He answered, I am.H74H6437H310H559H6214H55921Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right or left, and seize one of the young men and take his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.H74H559H5186H3225H8040H270H259H5288H3947H2488H6214H14H5493H31022And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I be able to face Joab your brother?H74H559H3254H6214H5493H310H5221H776H5375H6440H3097H25123Asahel refused to turn aside; so Abner with the rear end of his spear smote him through the abdomen, and he fell and died where he fell. And all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stood still.H3985H5493H74H310H2595H5221H413H2570H2595H3318H310H5307H4191H8478H935H4725H6214H5307H4191H597524But Joab and Abishai [his brothers] pursued Abner; the sun was going down as they came to the hill of Ammah, before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.H3097H52H7291H310H74H8121H935H935H1389H522H6440H1520H1870H4057H139125And the Benjamites gathered together behind Abner and became one troop and took their stand on the top of a hill.H1121H1144H6908H310H74H259H92H5975H7218H138926Then Abner called to Joab, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that bitterness will be the result? How long will it be then before you bid the people to stop pursuing their brethren?H74H7121H3097H559H2719H398H5331H3045H4751H314H559H5971H7725H310H25127Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have stopped pursuing their brethren in the morning.H3097H559H430H2416H3884H1696H1242H5971H5927H376H310H25128So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight any more.H3097H8628H7782H5971H5975H7291H310H3478H3898H325429Abner and his men went all night through the Arabah [plain], crossed the Jordan, and went through the whole Bithron [district of ravines] and came to Mahanaim.H74H582H1980H3915H6160H5674H3383H3212H1338H935H426630Joab returned from pursuing Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.H3097H7725H310H74H6908H5971H6908H6485H1732H5650H8672H6240H376H621431But the servants of David had slain of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men.H5650H1732H5221H1144H74H582H7969H3967H8346H376H419132And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men walked all night and came to Hebron at daybreak.H5375H6214H6912H6913H1H1035H3097H582H3212H3915H2275H215
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