2 Samweli 3

¹The war between Saul’s house and David’s house dragged on for a long time. David grew steadily stronger, while the house of Saul grew steadily weaker.

Sons born to David in Hebron

²Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel. ³His second was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. ⁴The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, and the fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. ⁵The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were born to David in Hebron.

Abner goes over to David

⁶While the war went on between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was steadily building up his own power in the house of Saul. ⁷Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”^{a 8}Abner was furious at Ish-bosheth’s words. “Am I a dog’s head on Judah’s side?” he said. “To this day I have kept faithful love toward the house of your father Saul, toward his brothers and his friends, and I have not let you fall into David’s hands. And now you charge me with wrongdoing over this woman!^{b 9}May God deal with me, Abner, ever so severely if I fail to carry out for David what the LORD promised him on oath, ¹⁰by taking the kingdom from the house of Saul and setting up David’s throne over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹Ish-bosheth could not say another word in reply to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹²Abner sent messengers to David on his own behalf to say, “Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and I will give you my support to bring all Israel over to you.”^{c 13}David replied, “Good. I will make a covenant with you. But I require one thing of you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.”

¹⁴Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth son of Saul to say, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I won as my bride at the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.” ¹⁵So Ish-bosheth sent and took her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. ¹⁶Her husband went with her, weeping as he followed behind her as far as Bahurim. There Abner told him, “Go on, go back.” And he went back. ¹⁷Abner had talks with the elders of Israel. He said, “For some time now you have wanted David as your king. ¹⁸Now do it! For the LORD has said of David, ‘Through my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the power of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’”^{d 19}Abner also spoke with the Benjaminites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David in person all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin had agreed to. ²⁰When Abner came to David at Hebron with twenty men, David held a feast for Abner and the men with him. ²¹Then Abner said to David, “Let me set out now and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they can make a covenant with you, and you will rule over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. ²²Just then David’s men and Joab came back from a raid, bringing a great deal of plunder with them. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away and he had gone in peace. ²³When Joab and all the army with him arrived, Joab was told, “Abner son of Ner came to the king, and the king sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴Joab went in to the king. “What have you done?” he said. “Abner came to you! Why did you send him away? Now he has got clean away! ²⁵You know Abner son of Ner! He came to deceive you, to learn all your movements and find out everything you are doing.” ²⁶After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to go after Abner, and they fetched him back from the well of Sirah. David knew nothing of this. ²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as if to speak with him privately. There he stabbed him in the belly, and Abner died, in revenge for the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel. ²⁸Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “Before the LORD, I and my kingdom are innocent of the blood of Abner son of Ner for all time. ²⁹May the guilt come down on Joab’s head and on his father’s whole house! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a discharge or a serious skin disease, or who holds a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food!”^{e 30}So it was that Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, for he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David mourns for Abner

³¹Then David told Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, wrap yourselves in sackcloth, and mourn as you walk ahead of Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the bier. ³²They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s grave, and all the people wept too.

³³The king sang a lament for Abner. He said, \q “Should Abner have died as a fool dies? ³⁴Your hands were not tied, your feet were not put in chains of bronze; \q as one falls before wicked men, so you fell.” \q And all the people wept over him again. ³⁵Then all the people came to urge David to eat some food while it was still day. But David took an oath: “May God deal with me ever so severely if I taste bread or any other food before sunset!” ³⁶All the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷So all the people and all Israel understood that day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸Then the king said to his officials, “Do you not realize that a leader and a great man has fallen in Israel today? ³⁹Today I am weak, even though I am anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. May the LORD repay the one who does evil as his evil deserves!”