2Samuel:2

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* And it came to pass after this , that David asked counsel of the Lord , saying , Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah ? And the Lord said unto him , Go up . And David said , Whither shall I go up ? And he said , Unto Hebron . * So David went up thither , and his two wives also , Achino ’am the Yizre ’elitess , and Abigayil , Nabal ’s wife , the Carmelite . * And his men that were with him did David bring up , every man with his household ; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron . * And then came the men of Judah , and they anointed there David as king over the house of Judah . And they told David , saying , The men of Yabesh –gil ’ad were those that buried Saul . * And David thereupon sent messengers unto the men of Yabesh –gil ’ad , and said unto them , Blessed be ye of the Lord , that ye have done this kindness unto your Lord , unto Saul , and have buried him . * And now may the Lord deal with you in kindness and truth : and as for me also , I will requite you this good deed , because ye have done this thing . * And now let your hands be strengthened , and be ye valiant men ; for your lord Saul is dead ; and also me have the house of Judah anointed as king over them . * But Abner , the son of Ner , the captain of the army of Saul , took Ish –bosheth the son of Saul , and brought him over to Machanayim ; * And made him king over Gil ’ad , and over the Ashurites , and over Yizre ’el , and over Ephraim , and over Benjamin , and over all Israel . * Forty years old was Ish –bosheth the son of Saul , when he became king over Israel , and two years he reigned . But the house of Judah followed David . * And the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months . * And there went out Abner the son of Ner , and the servants of Ish –bosheth the son of Saul , from Machanayim to Gib ’on . * And Joab the son of Zeruyah and the servants of David also went out , and they met together by the pool of Gib ’on : and they sat down , these on the one side of the pool , and the others on the other side of the pool . * And Abner said to Joab , Do let the young men rise up and play before us . And Joab said , They may rise up . * Then they rose up and went over by number : twelve for Benjamin , and for Ish –bosheth the son of Saul , and twelve of the servants of David . * And they grasped every one his fellow by the head , and thrust his sword in his fellow ’s side ; and they fell down together : wherefore that place was called Chelkath –hazzurim , which is by Gib ’on . * And the battle was exceedingly fierce on that day ; and Abner with the men of Israel was beaten , before the servants of David . * And there were at that place three sons of Zeruyah , Joab , and Abishai , and ‘Asahel : and ‘Asahel was as fleet of foot as any roe in the field . * And ‘Asahel pursued after Abner ; and he turned not in going to the right hand or to the left from following Abner . * And Abner turned round and said , Art thou ‘Asahel ? And he answered , I am . * And Abner said to him , Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left , and lay hold for thyself on one of the young men , and take thyself his armor . But ‘Asahel would not turn aside from following him . * And Abner repeated again to say unto ‘Asahel , Turn thee aside from following me : wherefore should I smite thee to the ground ? and how should I then lift up my face to Joab thy brother ? * But he refused to turn aside ; and Abner smote him with the hinder end of the spear under the fifth rib , so that the spear came out behind him ; and he fell down there , and died on the spot : and it came to pass , that all who came to the place where ‘Asahel had fallen down and died remained standing still . * But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner : and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah , that lieth before Giach on the way to the wilderness of Gib ’on . * And the children of Benjamin assembled themselves together behind Abner , and formed one solid body , and posted themselves on the top of a certain hill . * And Abner called to Joab , and said , Shall for everlasting the sword devour ? knowest thou not that it will be bitter in the end ? and how long shall it be , ere thou wilt bid the people to return from pursuing their brethren ? * And Joab said , As God liveth , unless thou hadst spoken , surely then already in the morning would the people have gone away every one from pursuing his brother . * So Joab blew the cornet , and all the people remained standing still , and pursued no more after Israel , and they continued no more to fight . * And Abner and his men walked through the plain all that night , and they passed over the Jordan , and went through all Bithron , and they came to Machanayim . * And Joab returned from pursuing Abner ; and he gathered all the people together ; and there were missed of David ’s servants nineteen men and ‘Asahel . * But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin , and of Abner ’s men : three hundred and sixty men died . * And they took up ‘Asahel , and buried him in the sepulchre of his father , which was in Beth –lechem . And Joab and his men went all that night , and the day broke on them at Hebron .

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