2Some time later, David inquired of the Lord to ask, "Am I to move to any one of the cities of Judah?" The Lord told him, "Go." So David asked, "To which one?" He replied, "To Hebron."H310H1732H7592H3068H559H5927H259H5892H3063H3068H559H5927H1732H559H5927H559H22752So David went there, along with his two wives Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal from Carmel.H1732H5927H8147H802H293H3159H26H5037H802H37613David brought his army with him, each soldier accompanied by his household, and they settled in the cities of Hebron.H582H1732H5927H376H1004H3427H5892H22754After this, the army of Judah arrived, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah. There they informed David, "The men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul."H582H3063H935H4886H1732H4428H1004H3063H5046H1732H559H582H3003H1568H6912H75865So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead and told them, "May the Lord bless you, because you showed gracious love like this to your lord Saul by burying him.H1732H7971H4397H582H3003H1568H559H1288H3068H6213H2617H113H7586H69126Now may the Lord reward you with gracious love, as well as faithfulness, to you, too! And I will also reward you because you did this good thing.H3068H6213H2617H571H6213H2896H6213H16977So strengthen yourselves, and be valiant in heart, because your lord Saul has died, and the household of Judah has anointed me to be king over them."H3027H2388H1121H2428H113H7586H4191H1004H3063H4886H44288Meanwhile, Ner's son Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth and brought him to Mahanaim.H74H1121H5369H8269H7586H6635H3947H378H1121H7586H5674H42669He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all of the rest of Israel.H4427H1568H805H3157H669H1144H347810Ish-bosheth began to reign over Israel at the age of 40 years, and he reigned for two years, even though Judah's lineage followed David.H378H7586H1121H705H8141H1121H4427H3478H4427H8147H8141H1004H3063H310H173211The period of David's kingship in Hebron lasted seven years and six months.H4557H3117H1732H4428H2275H1004H3063H7651H8141H8337H232012Ner's son Abner and the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon.H74H1121H5369H5650H378H1121H7586H3318H4266H139113Zeruiah's son Joab and some of David's staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool.H3097H1121H6870H5650H1732H3318H6298H3162H1295H1391H3427H1295H129514Abner said to Joab, "Let's have the young men get up and fight in our presence." Joab replied, "Let them come."H74H559H3097H5288H6965H7832H6440H3097H559H696515So they got up and twelve were counted to represent Benjamin and Saul's son Ish-bosheth and twelve to represent members of David's staff.H6965H5674H4557H8147H6240H1144H378H1121H7586H8147H6240H5650H173216Each man grabbed his opponent by the head, plunged his sword into his opponent's side, and then they both fell together. That's why the place at Gibeon was named The Field of Swords.H2388H376H7453H7218H2719H7453H6654H5307H3162H4725H7121H2521H139117The battle was very violent that day, with Abner and the men of Israel being defeated in the presence of David's servants.H3966H7186H4421H3117H74H5062H582H3478H6440H5650H173218Zeruiah's three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles.H7969H1121H6870H3097H52H6214H6214H7031H7272H259H7704H664319So Asahel ran straight after Abner, following him.H6214H7291H310H74H3212H5186H3225H8040H310H7420When Abner looked behind him, he said, "Is that you, Asahel?"18 He answered, "I am."H74H6437H310H559H6214H55921Abner told him, "Go off to your right or left after one of the young men and grab some war spoils." But Asahel would not stop following him,H74H559H5186H3225H8040H270H259H5288H3947H2488H6214H14H5493H31022so Abner told Asahel again, "Stop following me. Why should I strike you down?How could I show my face to your brother Joab?"H74H559H3254H6214H5493H310H5221H776H5375H6440H3097H25123But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner struck Asahel in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He collapsed to the ground and died where he fell. Everyone gathered round the place where Asahel had collapsed and died, and stood still there.2H3985H5493H74H310H2595H5221H413H2570H2595H3318H310H5307H4191H8478H935H4725H6214H5307H4191H597524Meanwhile, Joab and Abishai continued to chase Abner. At dusk, as they approached the hill of Ammah that is located near Giah on the way to the Gibeon desert,H3097H52H7291H310H74H8121H935H935H1389H522H6440H1520H1870H4057H139125the Benjaminites rallied around Abner, forming a single military force. They took their stand on top of the hill.H1121H1144H6908H310H74H259H92H5975H7218H138926Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever?Don't you realize that the end result is bitterness?How long will it take for you to order your army to stop pursuing their own relatives?"H74H7121H3097H559H2719H398H5331H3045H4751H314H559H5971H7725H310H25127Joab answered, "As God lives, if you hadn't spoken up, by morning my army would have broken off their pursuit of their own relatives."H3097H559H430H2416H3884H1696H1242H5971H5927H376H310H25128So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting.H3097H8628H7782H5971H5975H7291H310H3478H3898H325429Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning.H74H582H1980H3915H6160H5674H3383H3212H1338H935H426630Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David's soldiers were missing besides Asahel.H3097H7725H310H74H6908H5971H6908H6485H1732H5650H8672H6240H376H621431Meanwhile, other soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.H5650H1732H5221H1144H74H582H7969H3967H8346H376H419132They retrieved Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.H5375H6214H6912H6913H1H1035H3097H582H3212H3915H2275H215
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