2 Kings 2

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1 After this, David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go to any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said unto him, Go. And David said, "Where shall I go?" And He said: To Hebron.
2 And David went there, and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite.
3 And the people who were with him were brought by David, each with his family, and settled in the city of Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah came and anointed David there for a kingdom over the house of Judah. And they told David that the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers to the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, and said unto them, Blessed are ye of the LORD, because they have shown this mercy to their lord Saul, and buried him.
6th And now, the Lord will reward you with kindness and truth; And I will do you good deeds for what you have done;
7th Now let your hands be strong, and be courageous; For your lord Saul is dead, but the house of Judah has anointed me king over me.

8 But Abner the son of Ner, the captain of the army of Saul, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him to Mahanaim,
9 And made him king over Gilead, and Ashur, and Jezreel, and Ephraim, and Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Forty years was Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. Only the house of Judah remained with David.
eleven The whole time in which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 And Abner the son of Ner went forth, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, from Machanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah went out with the servants of David, and met at the Gibeon pond, and they settled on one side of the pond, and these on the other side of the pond.
14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men stand up and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
15 And they arose and went by the number of twelve Benjamites from the side of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 They grabbed each other by the head, [thrust] the sword into each other's side and fell together. And this place was named Helkaf-Hatsurim, in Gibeon.
17th And there was a fierce battle that day, and Abner with the men of Israel was struck by the servants of David.

18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as easy on his feet as a chamois in the field.
19 And Asahel pursued after Abner, and pursued him, not deviating to the right or to the left of the tracks of Abner.
20 And Abner looked back and said: Are you this, Asahel? He said: I am.
21 And Abner said unto him, Turn aside to the right or to the left, and choose to yourself one of the young men, and take unto himself his weapons. But Asail did not want to be left behind.
22 And Abner repeated again, saying to Asahel, "Leave me alone, lest I bring you to the ground; Then with what face will I appear to Joab your brother?
23 But he did not want to be left behind. Then Abner, turning the spear, struck him in the belly; The spear went right through him, and he fell in there and died on the spot. All who passed through the place where Asail fell and died stopped.
24 And they pursued Joab and Abishai Abner. The sun had already set, when they came to the hill of Amma, which is against Giach, on the road to the desert of Gibeon.

25 And the Beniamites gathered around Abner, and formed one militia, and stood on top of one hill.
26th And Abner cried unto Joab, and said, Will the sword ever devour? Or do not you know that the consequences will be bitter? And until you tell the people that they stop persecuting their brothers?
27th And Joab said, As God lives! If you did not say otherwise, in the morning people would stop persecuting their brothers.
28 And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stopped, and they pursued not Israel anymore; The battle ceased.
29 Abner and his men walked the plain all that night, and crossed the Jordan, and all the Bithron passed, and came to Mahanaim.
thirty And Joab returned from the persecution of Abner, and gathered all the people together, and lacked of the servants of David, nineteen men except Asahel.
31 And the servants of David smote Benjamin and the men of Abner; Three hundred and sixty people fell.
32 And they took Asahel, and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, which is in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night and arrived at Hebron at dawn.

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