brought him over to Mahanaim;
[9] And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over
Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
[10] Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty
years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed
David.
[11] And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and
six months.
[12] And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out
from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
[13] And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and
met together by the pool of Gibeon: 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 Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play
before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
[15] Then there arose and went over by number twelve of
Benjamin, which pertained to Ish-bosheth 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 Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
[17] And there was a
very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
[18]
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, 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 Joab 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] Joab 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 Gibeon.
[25] And the children of Benjamin gathered
themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.
[26] Then Abner
called to Joab, 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 Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had
gone up every one from following his brother.
[28] So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still,
and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
[29] And Abner and his men walked
all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came
to Mahanaim.
[30] And Joab 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 Benjamin, 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 Joab and
his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
2Sam.3
[1] Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger
and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
[2] And unto David were sons born in
Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
[3] And his second, Chileab, of Abigail
the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king
of Geshur;
[4] And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
[5]
And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
[6] And it came to
pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself
strong for the house of Saul.
[7] And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of
Aiah: and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?
[8] Then
was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah
do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and
have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this
woman?
[9] So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD hath sworn to David, even so I
do to him;
[10] To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over