2Samuel:1-2
Seeker Overlay ON
*
Now it came to pass after the death of Saul ,
when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites ,
and David had stayed two days in Ziklag ,
*
on the third day ,
behold ,
it happened that a man came from Saul '
s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head .
So it was ,
when he came to David ,
that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself .
*
And David said to him , "
Where have you come from ?"
So he said to him , "
I have escaped from the camp of Israel ."
*
Then David said to him , "
How did the matter go ?
Please tell me ."
And he answered , "
The people have fled from the battle ,
many of the people are fallen and dead ,
and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also ."
*
So David said to the young man who told him , "
How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead ?"
*
Then the young man who told him said , "
As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa ,
there was Saul ,
leaning on his spear ;
and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him .
*
Now when he looked behind him ,
he saw me and called to me .
And I answered , "
Here I am .'
*
And he said to me , "
Who are you ?'
So I answered him , "
I am an Amalekite .'
*
He said to me again , "
Please stand over me and kill me ,
for anguish has come upon me ,
but my life still remains in me .'
*
So I stood over him and killed him ,
because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen .
And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm ,
and have brought them here to my lord ."
*
Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them ,
and so did all the men who were with him .
*
And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son ,
for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel ,
because they had fallen by the sword .
*
Then David said to the young man who told him , "
Where are you from ?"
And he answered , "
I am the son of an alien ,
an Amalekite ."
*
So David said to him , "
How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD '
s anointed ?"
*
Then David called one of the young men and said , "
Go near ,
and execute him !"
And he struck him so that he died .
*
So David said to him , "
Your blood is on your own head ,
for your own mouth has testified against you ,
saying , "
I have killed the LORD '
s anointed ."'
*
Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son ,
*
and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow ;
indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher :
* "
The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places !
How the mighty have fallen !
*
Tell it not in Gath ,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon --
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice ,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph .
* "
O mountains of Gilboa ,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you ,
Nor fields of offerings .
For the shield of the mighty is cast away there !
The shield of Saul ,
not anointed with oil .
*
From the blood of the slain ,
From the fat of the mighty ,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back ,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty .
* "
Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives ,
And in their death they were not divided ;
They were swifter than eagles ,
They were stronger than lions .
* "
O daughters of Israel ,
weep over Saul ,
Who clothed you in scarlet ,
with luxury ;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel .
* "
How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle !
Jonathan was slain in your high places .
*
I am distressed for you ,
my brother Jonathan ;
You have been very pleasant to me ;
Your love to me was wonderful ,
Surpassing the love of women .
* "
How the mighty have fallen ,
And the weapons of war perished !"
*
It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD ,
saying , "
Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah ?"
And the LORD said to him , "
Go up ."
David said , "
Where shall I go up ?"
And He said , "
To Hebron ."
*
So David went up there ,
and his two wives also ,
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess ,
and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite .
*
And David brought up the men who were with him ,
every man with his household .
So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron .
*
Then the men of Judah came ,
and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah .
And they told David ,
saying , "
The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul ."
*
So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead ,
and said to them , "
You are blessed of the LORD ,
for you have shown this kindness to your lord ,
to Saul ,
and have buried him .
*
And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you .
I also will repay you this kindness ,
because you have done this thing .
*
Now therefore ,
let your hands be strengthened ,
and be valiant ;
for your master Saul is dead ,
and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them ."
*
But Abner the son of Ner ,
commander of Saul '
s army ,
took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim ;
*
and he made him king over Gilead ,
over the Ashurites ,
over Jezreel ,
over Ephraim ,
over Benjamin ,
and over all Israel .
*
Ishbosheth ,
Saul '
s son ,
was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel ,
and he reigned two years .
Only the house of Judah followed David .
*
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months .
*
Now Abner the son of Ner ,
and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul ,
went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon .
*
And Joab the son of Zeruiah ,
and the servants of David ,
went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon .
So they sat down ,
one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool .
*
Then Abner said to Joab , "
Let the young men now arise and compete before us ."
And Joab said , "
Let them arise ."
*
So they arose and went over by number ,
twelve from Benjamin ,
followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul ,
and twelve from the servants of David .
*
And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent '
s side ;
so they fell down together .
Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords ,
which is in Gibeon .
*
So there was a very fierce battle that day ,
and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David .
*
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there :
Joab and Abishai and Asahel .
And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle .
*
So Asahel pursued Abner ,
and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner .
*
Then Abner looked behind him and said , "
Are you Asahel ?"
He answered , "
I am ."
*
And Abner said to him , "
Turn aside to your right hand or to your left ,
and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself ."
But Asahel would not turn aside from following him .
*
So Abner said again to Asahel , "
Turn aside from following me .
Why should I strike you to the ground ?
How then could I face your brother Joab ?"
*
However ,
he refused to turn aside .
Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear ,
so that the spear came out of his back ;
and he fell down there and died on the spot .
So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died ,
stood still .
*
Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner .
And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah ,
which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon .
*
Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit ,
and took their stand on top of a hill .
*
Then Abner called to Joab and said , "
Shall the sword devour forever ?
Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end ?
How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren ?"
*
And Joab said , "
As God lives ,
unless you had spoken ,
surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren ."
*
So Joab blew a trumpet ;
and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore ,
nor did they fight anymore .
*
Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain ,
crossed over the Jordan ,
and went through all Bithron ;
and they came to Mahanaim .
*
So Joab returned from pursuing Abner .
And when he had gathered all the people together ,
there were missing of David '
s servants nineteen men and Asahel .
*
But the servants of David had struck down ,
of Benjamin and Abner '
s men ,
three hundred and sixty men who died .
*
Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father '
s tomb ,
which was in Bethlehem .
And Joab and his men went all night ,
and they came to Hebron at daybreak .
*
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David .
But David grew stronger and stronger ,
and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker .
![[pBiblx2]](/img/pbiblx2_logo3.png){kind=logo}