HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 644
2 S A MU EL 2
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the shield of Saul will no longer be
anointed with oil.
The bow of Jonathan was powerful,
and the sword of Saul did its mighty
work.
They shed the blood of their enemies
and pierced the bodies of mighty heroes.
How beloved and gracious were Saul and
Jonathan!
They were together in life and in death.
They were swifter than eagles,
stronger than lions.
O women of Israel, weep for Saul,
for he dressed you in luxurious scarlet
clothing,
in garments decorated with gold.
Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen in
battle!
Jonathan lies dead on the hills.
How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan!
Oh, how much I loved you!
And your love for me was deep,
deeper than the love of women!
Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen!
Stripped of their weapons, they lie dead.
David Anointed King of Judah
After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I
move back to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord replied.
Then David asked, “Which town should I
go to?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2 David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from
Carmel. So David and his wives 3 and his men
and their families all moved to Judah, and they
settled in the villages near Hebron. 4 Then the
men of Judah came to David and anointed him
king over the people of Judah.
When David heard that the men of Jabeshgilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent them this message: “May the Lord bless you for being so loyal
to your master Saul and giving him a decent
burial. 6 May the Lord be loyal to you in return
and reward you with his unfailing love! And I,
too, will reward you for what you have done.
7 Now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong
and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who
have anointed me as their new king.”
2
Ishbosheth Proclaimed King of Israel
8 But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s
army, had already gone to Mahanaim with
Saul’s son Ishbosheth.* 9 There he proclaimed
Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim,
Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the
rest of Israel.
10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years
old when he became king, and he ruled from
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Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the people
of Judah remained loyal to David. 11 David made
Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of
Judah for seven and a half years.
War between Israel and Judah
12 One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from
Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 About the same time,
Joab son of Zeruiah led David’s troops out and
met them at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups
sat down there, facing each other from opposite
sides of the pool.
14 Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have
a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in
front of us.”
“All right,” Joab agreed. 15 So twelve men were
chosen to fight from each side—twelve men of
Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul,
and twelve representing David. 16 Each one
grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his
sword into the other’s side so that all of them
died. So this place at Gibeon has been known
ever since as the Field of Swords.*
17 A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner
and the men of Israel were defeated by the
forces of David.
The Death of Asahel
18 Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—the three sons of
Zeruiah—were among David’s forces that day.
Asahel could run like a gazelle, 19 and he began
chasing Abner. He pursued him relentlessly, not
stopping for anything. 20 When Abner looked
back and saw him coming, he called out, “Is
that you, Asahel?”
“Yes, it is,” he replied.
21 “Go fight someone else!” Abner warned.
“Take on one of the younger men, and strip
him of his weapons.” But Asahel kept right on
chasing Abner.
22 Again Abner shouted to him, “Get away
from here! I don’t want to kill you. How could I
ever face your brother Joab again?”
23 But Asahel refused to turn back, so Abner
thrust the butt end of his spear through Asahel’s
stomach, and the spear came out through his
back. He stumbled to the ground and died there.
And everyone who came by that spot stopped
and stood still when they saw Asahel lying there.
24 When Joab and Abishai found out what had
happened, they set out after Abner. The sun was
just going down as they arrived at the hill of Ammah near Giah, along the road to the wilderness
of Gibeon. 25 Abner’s troops from the tribe of
Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill
to take a stand.
26 Abner shouted down to Joab, “Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that
bitterness is the only result? When will you call off
your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?”
2:8 Ishbosheth is another name for Esh-baal. 2:16 Hebrew
Helkath-hazzurim.