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2 Samuel 2
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New American Standard Bible 1995

2 Samuel 2

David Made King over Judah

1Then it came about afterwards that 1David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “2To Hebron.” 2So David went up there, and 3his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the 4widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3And 5David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4Then the men of Judah came and there 6anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was 7the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” 5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “8May you be blessed of the Lord because you have 9shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6Now 10may the Lord 11show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will 12show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7Now therefore, let your hands be strong and be 13valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

8But 14Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken 15Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to 16Mahanaim. 9He made him king over 17Gilead, over the 18Ashurites, over 19Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. 10Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 1120The 21time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Civil War

12Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to 22Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. 13And 23Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met 24them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, 25one on the one side of the pool and 26the other on the other side of the pool. 14Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and 2728hold a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16Each one of them seized his 29opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his 30opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called 31Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17That day the battle was very severe, and 32Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18Now 33the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was 34as 35swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field. 19Asahel pursued Abner and did not 36turn to the right or to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21So Abner said to him, “37Turn to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. 22Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn 38aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? 39How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it came about that all who came to the place where 40Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25The sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a certain hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you 41refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?” 27Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have gone away in the morning, each from following his brother.” 28So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people halted and pursued Israel no longer, 42nor did they continue to fight anymore. 29Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to 43Mahanaim.

30Then Joab returned from following Abner; when he had gathered all the people together, 44nineteen of David’s servants besides Asahel were missing. 31But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that three hundred and sixty men died. 32And they took up Asahel and buried him 45in his father’s tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day 46dawned at Hebron.

Notes

  1. 1. 2 Samuel 2:1 1 Sam 23:2, 4, 9-12 ↩
  2. 2. 2 Samuel 2:1 Josh 14:13; 1 Sam 30:31 ↩
  3. 3. 2 Samuel 2:2 1 Sam 25:42, 43 ↩
  4. 4. 2 Samuel 2:2 Lit wife ↩
  5. 5. 2 Samuel 2:3 1 Sam 30:9; 1 Chr 12:1 ↩
  6. 6. 2 Samuel 2:4 1 Sam 16:13; 2 Sam 5:3, 5 ↩
  7. 7. 2 Samuel 2:4 1 Sam 31:11-13 ↩
  8. 8. 2 Samuel 2:5 1 Sam 23:21; Ps 115:15 ↩
  9. 9. 2 Samuel 2:5 Lit done ↩
  10. 10. 2 Samuel 2:6 Ex 34:6; 2 Tim 1:16 ↩
  11. 11. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do ↩
  12. 12. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do ↩
  13. 13. 2 Samuel 2:7 Lit sons of valor ↩
  14. 14. 2 Samuel 2:8 1 Sam 14:50 ↩
  15. 15. 2 Samuel 2:8 I.e. man of shame; cf 1 Chr 8:33, Eshbaal ↩
  16. 16. 2 Samuel 2:8 Gen 32:2; 2 Sam 17:24 ↩
  17. 17. 2 Samuel 2:9 Josh 22:9 ↩
  18. 18. 2 Samuel 2:9 Judg 1:32 ↩
  19. 19. 2 Samuel 2:9 1 Sam 29:1 ↩
  20. 20. 2 Samuel 2:11 2 Sam 5:5 ↩
  21. 21. 2 Samuel 2:11 Lit number of days ↩
  22. 22. 2 Samuel 2:12 Josh 10:12; 18:25 ↩
  23. 23. 2 Samuel 2:13 2 Sam 8:16; 1 Chr 2:16; 11:6 ↩
  24. 24. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit them together ↩
  25. 25. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit these ↩
  26. 26. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit these ↩
  27. 27. 2 Samuel 2:14 Lit make sport ↩
  28. 28. 2 Samuel 2:14 2 Sam 2:16, 17 ↩
  29. 29. 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit fellow ↩
  30. 30. 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit fellow’s ↩
  31. 31. 2 Samuel 2:16 I.e. the field of sword-edges ↩
  32. 32. 2 Samuel 2:17 2 Sam 3:1 ↩
  33. 33. 2 Samuel 2:18 1 Chr 2:16 ↩
  34. 34. 2 Samuel 2:18 1 Chr 12:8; Hab 3:19 ↩
  35. 35. 2 Samuel 2:18 Lit light in his feet ↩
  36. 36. 2 Samuel 2:19 Lit turn to go to ↩
  37. 37. 2 Samuel 2:21 Lit Turn for yourself ↩
  38. 38. 2 Samuel 2:22 Lit aside for yourself ↩
  39. 39. 2 Samuel 2:22 2 Sam 3:27 ↩
  40. 40. 2 Samuel 2:23 2 Sam 20:12 ↩
  41. 41. 2 Samuel 2:26 Lit not tell the people ↩
  42. 42. 2 Samuel 2:28 2 Sam 3:1 ↩
  43. 43. 2 Samuel 2:29 2 Sam 2:8 ↩
  44. 44. 2 Samuel 2:30 Lit nineteen men ↩
  45. 45. 2 Samuel 2:32 Gen 47:29, 30; Judg 8:32 ↩
  46. 46. 2 Samuel 2:32 Lit lighted on them ↩

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 2

New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.