David Anointed King of Judah

1And it cometh to pass afterwards, that David asketh at Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I go up into one of the cities of Judah?’ and Jehovah saith unto him, ‘Go up.’ And David saith, ‘Whither do I go up?’ and He saith, ‘To Hebron.’ 2And David goeth up thither, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite; 3and his men who [are] with him hath David brought up—a man and his household—and they dwell in the cities of Hebron. 4And the men of Judah come, and anoint there David for king over the house of Judah; and they declare to David, saying, ‘The men of Jabesh-Gilead [are] they who buried Saul.’ 5And David sendeth messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and saith unto them, ‘Blessed [are] ye of Jehovah, in that ye have done this kindness with your lord, with Saul, that ye bury him. 6‘And, now, Jehovah doth with you kindness and truth, and also, I do with you this good because ye have done this thing; 7and now, are your hands strong, and be ye for sons of valour, for your lord Saul. [is] dead, and also—me have the house of Judah anointed for king over them.’

8And Abner, son of Ner, head of the host which Saul hath, hath taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and causeth him to pass over to Mahanaim, 9and causeth him to reign over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over Israel—all of it. 10A son of forty years, [is] Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after David. 11And the number of the days that David hath been king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, is seven years and six months.

Civil War between Abner and Joab

(Judges 20:18-23; 2 Chronicles 13:4-19; Matthew 13:33-33; Luke 13:20-21)

12And Abner son of Ner goeth out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab son of Zeruiah, and servants of David, have gone out, and they meet by the pool of Gibeon together, and sit down, these by the pool on this [side], and these by the pool on that. 14And Abner saith unto Joab, ‘Let the youths rise, I pray thee, and they play before us;’ and Joab saith, ‘Let them rise.’ 15And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And they lay hold, each on the head of his companion, and his sword [is] in the side of his companion, and they fall together, and [one] calleth that place Helkath-Hazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon, 17and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

18And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel [is] light on his feet, as one of the roes which [are] in the field, 19And Asahel pursueth after Abner, and hath not turned aside to go to the right or to the left, from after Abner. 20And Abner looketh behind him, and saith, ‘Art thou he—Asahel?’ and he saith, ‘I [am].’ 21And Abner saith to him, ‘Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and seize for thee one of the youths, and take to thee his armour;’ and Asahel hath not been willing to turn aside from after him. 22And Abner addeth again, saying unto Asahel, ‘Turn thee aside from after me, why do I smite thee to the earth? and how do I lift up my face unto Joab thy brother?’ 23And he refuseth to turn aside, and Abner smiteth him with the hinder part of the spear unto the fifth [rib], and the spear cometh out from behind him, and he falleth there, and dieth under it; and it cometh to pass, every one who hath come unto the place where Asahel hath fallen and dieth—they stand still.

24And Joab and Abishai pursue after Abner, and the sun hath gone in, and they have come in unto the height of Ammah, which [is] on the front of Giah, the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25And the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together after Abner, and become one troop, and stand on the top of a certain height, 26and Abner calleth unto Joab, and saith, ‘For ever doth the sword consume? hast thou not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? and till when dost thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?’ 27And Joab saith, ‘God liveth! for unless thou hadst spoken, surely then from the morning had the people gone up each from after his brother.’ 28And Joab bloweth with a trumpet, and all the people stand still, and pursue no more after Israel, nor have they added any more to fight. 29And Abner and his men have gone through the plain all that night, and pass over the Jordan, and go on [through] all Bithron, and come in to Mahanaim.

30And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel; 31and the servants of David have smitten of Benjamin, even among the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men—they died. 32And they lift up Asahel, and bury him in the burying-place of his father, which [is] in Beth-Lehem, and they go all the night—Joab and his men—and it is light to them in Hebron.