King James Version

1 And it came to pass afterwards that David asked the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” And David said, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 And David went up there, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And the men who were with him, David brought up one man and his household, and they dwelled in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came and anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead have buried Saul." 5 And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, "Blessed are you of the Lord for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him." 6 And now the Lord will do kindness and truth with you, and I also will do with you this good thing that you have done, this thing. 7 And now strengthen your hands, and be sons of valor, for your lord Saul is dead, and they have anointed me king over Judah. 8 And Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Saul, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 And he reigned over Gilead and over the Assyrians and over Israel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel. 10 A man of forty years is Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the number of the days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12 And Abner son of Ner went out, and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon together, and these sat on one side of the pool, and those sat on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and play before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." 15 And they rose up and passed by in number twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And they each held a man by the head, and his sword at his side, and they fell together, and he called that place the Field of the Woodchoppers, which is in Gibeon. 17 And there was a very fierce battle on that day, and Abner was defeated along with the men of Israel before the servants of David. 18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was swift of foot like one of the gazelles that is in the field. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left from following Abner. 20 And Abner turned behind him and said, "Are you this Asahel?" And he said, "I am." 21 And Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left and take for yourself one of the young men, and let him bring his shoe, and he did not want to turn away from following me." 22 And Abner still said to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How could I lift my face to Joab your brother?" 23 And he refused to turn aside, and Abner struck him with the spear behind the fifth rib, and the spear came out behind him, and he fell there and died; and all who came to the place where he fell there performed acts of mourning, and they stood still. 24 And Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and the sun was coming, and they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Gihah, along the road of the desert of Gibeon. 25 And the sons of Benjamin gathered after Abner, and they became one group and stood on the top of one hill. 26 And Abner called to Joab and said, "Will the sword consume forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? Until when will you not tell the people to turn back from pursuing their brothers?" 27 And Joab said, "As surely as the Lord lives, if you had not spoken, then by morning the people would have gone away, each one following his brother." 28 And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still, and they would not pursue Israel anymore, nor would they fight anymore. 29 And Abner and his men went through the Arabah all night, and they crossed the Jordan and went all the way to Mahanaim. 30 And Joab returned from following Abner and gathered all the people, and they were counted from David's servants, nine men and Asahel. 31 And the servants of David struck down from Benjamin and from the men of Abner three hundred and sixty men died. 32 And they carried Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father which is in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night and it became light for them at Hebron.