2 Samuel 2

David is anointed king over Judah

¹Some time after this, David inquired of the LORD: “Shall I go up into any of the towns of Judah?” The LORD told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” And he answered, “To Hebron.” ²So David went up there, and his two wives went with him: Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel. ³David also brought up his men, every one of them with his household, and they made their homes in the towns around Hebron. ⁴Then the men of Judah came and anointed David there as king over the house of Judah. David was told, “The men of Jabesh-gilead were the ones who buried Saul.”

⁵David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to say to them, “May the LORD bless you, because you showed this faithful love to your lord Saul by burying him. ⁶Now may the LORD show you faithful love and truth. I too will treat you well, because you have done this. ⁷So now be strong and brave, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth becomes king over Israel

⁸Meanwhile Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and brought him across to Mahanaim.^{a 9}He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites and Jezreel, over Ephraim and Benjamin, and over all Israel.^b

¹⁰Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.^{c 11}David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.

The battle at Gibeon

¹²Abner son of Ner set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon with the men of Ish-bosheth son of Saul. ¹³Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men also went out, and the two forces met at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down across the pool from each other, one group on each side. ¹⁴Then Abner said to Joab, “Let some of the young men get up and hold a contest in front of us.” Joab answered, “Let them get up.”^{d 15}So they got up and went forward one by one as they were counted: twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of David’s men. ¹⁶Each man caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was named Helkath-hazzurim.^{e 17}A very hard battle followed that day, and David’s men defeated Abner and the men of Israel. ¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹Asahel went after Abner and kept on his track without turning aside to the right or the left. ²⁰Abner looked back and called out, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” he answered. ²¹Abner said to him, “Turn off to your right or your left. Catch one of the young men and strip him of his gear for yourself.” But Asahel would not stop following him. ²²Abner warned Asahel once more, “Stop chasing me! Why should I have to strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?” ²³But Asahel refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in the belly with the butt of his spear, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. Everyone who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died stopped and stood still. ²⁴But Joab and Abishai kept up the chase after Abner. As the sun was setting, they reached the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single unit, and they held their ground on a hilltop. ²⁶Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword go on killing forever? Do you not see that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order the troops to stop chasing their own brothers?” ²⁷Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken up, the troops would not have broken off chasing their brothers until the morning.”^{f 28}Joab sounded the trumpet, and the whole army came to a halt. They gave up the chase after Israel, and the fighting ended. ²⁹Abner and his men marched all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, went on through the whole Bitron, and came to Mahanaim.^{g 30}When Joab came back from chasing Abner, he gathered all the troops together. Nineteen of David’s men were missing, besides Asahel. ³¹But David’s men had struck down men of Benjamin and of Abner’s forces, and 360 of them died. ³²They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night, and day broke as they reached Hebron.