And it will be after the death of Saul, and David turned back from striking Amalek, and David sat down two days in Ziklag.

And it will be in the third day, and behold, a man came from the camp from Saul, and his garments rent and dust upon his head: and it will be in his coming to David and he will fall to the earth and worship him.

And David will say to him, From whence wilt thou come? and he will say to him, From the camp of Israel I escaped.

And David will say to him, What was the word? announce now to me. And he will say that the people fled from the battle, and also many fell from the people, and they will die and also Saul and Jonathan his son died.

And David will say to the youth announcing to him, How knewest thou that Saul died, and Jonathan his son?

And the youth announcing to him, will say, And happening, I happened to be upon mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul leaning upon his spear; and behold, the chariots and lords, the horsemen, pursued him.

Anil he will look behind him and see me, and he will call to me; and I say, Behold me.

And he will say to me, Who thou? and I shall say to him, I an Amalekite.

He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

And I shall stand upon him and kill him, for I knew that he will not live after his falling: and I shall take the diadem which upon his head, and the armband which upon his arm, and I shall bring them hither to my lord.

Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:

Then they mourned and wept and fasted over Saul and Jonathan his son until the evening, [as well] as over the people of Yahweh and over the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword.

And David will say to the youth announcing to him, From whence thou? and he will say, I the son of a man, a stranger, an Amalekite.

And David said to him, Had you no fear of stretching out your hand to put to death the one marked with the holy oil?

And David will call to one of his youths and say, Come near, fall upon him. And he will strike him, and be will die.

And David said to him, May your blood be on your head; for your mouth has given witness against you, saying, I have put to death the man marked with the holy oil.

And David will set up this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

(And he will say to teach the sons of Judah the bow: it was written upon the book of Jasher.)

Do not tell it in Gath,
don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon,
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
and the daughters of the uncircumcised will gloat.

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

From the blood of the wounded and from the fat of the powerful, the bow of Jonathan drew not back in the rear, and the sword of Saul will not turn back empty.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewelry, who put gold jewelry on your clothes.

And it will be after this, and David will ask in Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? and Jehovah will say to him, Go up. And David will say, Whither shall I go up? and he will say, To Hebron.

And David will go up there, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And David took all his men with him, every man with his family: and they were living in the towns round Hebron.

And the men of Judah came there, and with the holy oil made David king over the people of Judah. And word came to David that it was the men of Jabesh-gilead who put Saul's body in its last resting-place.

And David will send messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and he will say to them, Blessed ye to Jehovah, who did this mercy with your lord, with Saul, and ye will bury him.

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

And Abner, son of Ner, the chief of the army which was to Saul, took a man of shame, son a Saul, and he will cause him to pass over to Mahanaim;

And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

And the number of days which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah, will be seven years and six months.

And Abner son of Ner, will go forth. and the servants of the man of shame, son of Saul, from the two camps to the hill

Zeruiah's son Joab and some of David's staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool.

And Abner will say to Joab, Now shall the boys arise and play before us. And Joab will say, They shall arise.

And they will rise and pass over by number, twelve to Benjamin, and to the man of shame, son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.

Each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponents side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim [that is, the Field of Sides], which is in Gibeon.

And the war will be hard even exceedingly, in that day; and Abner will be smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

And there will be there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was swift in his feet as one of the roes which are in the field.

And Asahel will pursue after Abner; and he turned not to the right or to the left from after Abner.

And Abner will look behind him and say, This thou Asahel? And he will say, I.

And Abner will say to him,. Turn to thyself to the right or to the left, and take hold for thyself from the boys and take to thee his spoils. And Asahel would not turn aside from after him.

Then again Abner said to Asahel, Go to one side, do not keep on coming after me: why will you make me put an end to you? for then I will be shamed before your brother Joab.

But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner struck him in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear came out his back; and he fell there and died on that spot. And it came about that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died, stood still [and reflected].

And Joab and Abishai will pursue after Abner: and the sun went down and they came even to the hill of terror, which was by the face of Giah, the way of the desert of Gibeon.

And the sons of Benjamin will gather together after Abner, and they will be for one band, and they will stand upon the head of one hill.

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?

And Joab will say, God lives if thou spakest not, for then from the morning the people went up, each from after his brother.

So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

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.

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.

But David's soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner's men -- in all, 360 men had died!

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.

The battle [was] prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David {[was] growing stronger and stronger} while the house of Saul {[was] becoming weaker and weaker}.

While David was in Hebron he became the father of sons: the oldest was Amnon, son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

and his sixth was Ithream by David's wife Eglah. They were all born to David in Hebron.

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.

And to Saul a concubine, and her name Rizpah, daughter of Aiah: and he will say to Abner, Wherefore wentest thou in to my father's concubine?

Abner was very angry about Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I a dog’s head who belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I’ve been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends and haven’t handed you over to David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman!

God will severely judge Abner if I do not do for David exactly what the Lord has promised him,

I will take away the kingdom from the dynasty of Saul by making the throne of David firm over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beer-sheba!"

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face.

And David will send messengers to the man of shame, son of Saul, saying, Thou shalt give my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred uncircumcisions of the rovers.

And the man of shame will send and take her from the man Phaltiel, son of Laish.

But her husband went with her, weeping continually behind her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner told him, “Go, return.” And he did so.

Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.

And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.

And Abner will come to David to Hebron, and with him twenty men: and David will make to Abner and to the men with him a drinking.

And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.

And Joab will come to the king and he will say, What didst thou? behold, Abner came to thee; wherefore this thou sentest him away, and going, he went?

Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.

And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.

And Abner will turn back to Hebron, and Joab will turn him away to the midst of the gate to speak with him in quiet, and he will strike him there in the belly, and he will die for the blood of Asahel his brother.

And David will hear from after this, and he will say, I am innocent, and my kingdom, with Jehovah even forever, from the bloods of Abner son of Ner.

Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread.

And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.

And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.

And the king will lament for Abner, and he will say, As the fool died will Abner die?

Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him.

And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people.

For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.

And the king said unto his servants, - Will ye not take note that, a prince and a great man, hath fallen this day, in Israel?

While I, though I am crowned king, have little strength, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are out of my control: may the Lord give to the evil-doer the reward of his evil-doing!

And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

And the Beerothites will flee to Gittaim, and they will be sojourners there till this day.

Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son whose feet were damaged. He was five years old when news of the death of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and the woman who took care of him took him up and went in flight: and while she was getting him away as quickly as she was able, he had a fall and his feet were damaged. His name was Mephibosheth.

When the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Recab and Baanah, set out, they came at the heat of the day to the house of Ish-Bosheth while {he [was] taking a noontime rest}.

And behold, they came even to the midst of the house, taking wheat; and they will strike him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

And they will bring the head of the man of shame to David to Hebron, and they will say to the king, Behold the head of the man of shame, son of Saul thine enemy, who sought thy soul; and Jehovah will give to my lord the king vengeance this day of Saul and of his seed.

And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

How much more, when evil men have put an upright person to death, in his house, sleeping on his bed, will I take payment from you for his blood, and have you cut off from the earth?

And David will command the boys and they will kill them and cut off their hands and their feet, and hang them over the pain Hebron. And the head of Ishbosheth they took and they will bury it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

{For some time}, when Saul was king over us, {you were leading Israel in and out}. Yahweh had said to you, 'You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be the leader over Israel.'"

So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they spoke to David, saying, Thou shalt not come in hither, but the blind and the lame will drive thee back; as much as to say, David will not come in hither.