2 Samuel 2 - Israeli Authorized Version

¹ And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of YY , saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Yhudah? And YY said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hevron.

² So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Yizreelitess, and Avigayil Naval's wife the Carmelite.

³ And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hevron.

⁴ And the men of Yhudah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Yhudah. And they told David, saying, That the men of JabeshGilad were they that buried Saul.

⁵ And David sent messengers unto the men of JabeshGilad, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of YY , that ye have shewed this kindness unto your YY , even unto Saul, and have buried him.

⁶ And now YY shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

⁷ Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Yhudah have anointed me king over them.

⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

⁹ And made him king over Gilad, and over the Ashurites, and over Yizreel, and over Efrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisrael.

¹⁰ Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisrael, and reigned two years. But the house of Yhudah followed David.

¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hevron over the house of Yhudah was seven years and six months.

¹² And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Givon.

¹³ And Yoav the son of TZruyah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Givon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

¹⁴ And Abner said to Yoav, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Yoav said, Let them arise.

¹⁵ Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Binyamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

¹⁶ And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Givon.

¹⁷ And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Yisrael, before the servants of David.

¹⁸ And there were three sons of TZruyah there, Yoav, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

¹⁹ And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

²¹ And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

²² And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Yoav thy brother?

²³ Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

²⁴ Yoav also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Givon.

²⁵ And the children of Binyamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.

²⁶ Then Abner called to Yoav, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

²⁷ And Yoav said, As Elohim liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

²⁸ So Yoav blew a shofar, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Yisrael no more, neither fought they any more.

²⁹ And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Yarden, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ And Yoav returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.

³¹ But the servants of David had smitten of Binyamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.

³² And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Yoav and his men went all night, and they came to Hevron at break of day.