2 Samuel 2:12-32 - War Between Judah And Israel

¹² And Abner son of Ner goeth out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ And Joab son of Zeruiah, and servants of David, have gone out, and they meet by the pool of Gibeon together, and sit down, these by the pool on this side, and these by the pool on that.

¹⁴ And Abner saith unto Joab, 'Let the youths rise, I pray thee, and they play before us;' and Joab saith, 'Let them rise.'

¹⁵ And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶ And they lay hold, each on the head of his companion, and his sword is in the side of his companion, and they fall together, and one calleth that place Helkath-Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon,

¹⁷ and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David. ¹⁸ And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel is light on his feet, as one of the roes which are in the field, ¹⁹ And Asahel pursueth after Abner, and hath not turned aside to go to the right or to the left, from after Abner. ²⁰ And Abner looketh behind him, and saith, 'Art thou he -- Asahel?' and he saith, 'I am.'

²¹ And Abner saith to him, 'Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and seize for thee one of the youths, and take to thee his armour;' and Asahel hath not been willing to turn aside from after him. ²² And Abner addeth again, saying unto Asahel, 'Turn thee aside from after me, why do I smite thee to the earth? and how do I lift up my face unto Joab thy brother?'

²³ And he refuseth to turn aside, and Abner smiteth him with the hinder part of the spear unto the fifth rib, and the spear cometh out from behind him, and he falleth there, and dieth under it; and it cometh to pass, every one who hath come unto the place where Asahel hath fallen and dieth -- they stand still. ²⁴ And Joab and Abishai pursue after Abner, and the sun hath gone in, and they have come in unto the height of Ammah, which is on the front of Giah, the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵ And the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together after Abner, and become one troop, and stand on the top of a certain height, ²⁶ and Abner calleth unto Joab, and saith, 'For ever doth the sword consume? hast thou not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? and till when dost thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?'

²⁷ And Joab saith, 'God liveth! for unless thou hadst spoken, surely then from the morning had the people gone up each from after his brother.' ²⁸ And Joab bloweth with a trumpet, and all the people stand still, and pursue no more after Israel, nor have they added any more to fight. ²⁹ And Abner and his men have gone through the plain all that night, and pass over the Jordan, and go on through all Bithron, and come in to Mahanaim.

³⁰ And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel; ³¹ and the servants of David have smitten of Benjamin, even among the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men -- they died. ³² And they lift up Asahel, and bury him in the burying-place of his father, which is in Beth-Lehem, and they go all the night -- Joab and his men -- and it is light to them in Hebron.

⁸ Blow ye a cornet in Gibeah, a trumpet in Ramah, Shout, O Beth-Aven, after thee, O Benjamin. ⁹ Ephraim is for a desolation in a day of reproof, Among the tribes of Israel I have made known a sure thing. ¹⁰ Princes of Judah have been as those removing a border, On them I do pour out as water My wrath. ¹¹ Oppressed is Ephraim, broken in judgment, When he pleased he went after the command. ¹² And I am as a moth to Ephraim, And as a rotten thing to the house of Judah. ¹³ And see doth Ephraim his sickness, and Judah his wound, And Ephraim goeth unto Asshur, And sendeth unto a warlike king, And he is not able to give healing to you, Nor doth he remove from you a scar. ¹⁴ For I am as a lion to Ephraim, And as a young lion to the house of Judah, I -- I tear and go, I bear away, and there is no deliverer. ¹⁵ I go -- I turn back unto My place, Till that they are desolate, and have sought My face. In their distress they do seek Me speedily!'