But Abner the son of Ner that was captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim;

And Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul went out of Mahanaim, to Gibeon.

And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and play before us." And Joab answered, "Be it."

And there began an exceeding cruel battle that same day. But Abner and the men of Israel were put to the worse of the servants of David.

and followed after Abner and turned neither to the righthand nor to the left from Abner.

Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Art thou Asahel?" And he said, "Yea."

Then said Abner, "Turn thee either to the righthand or to the left and catch one of the young men and take thee his spoil." But Asahel would not depart from him.

And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn from me! Why wilt thou that I smite thee to the ground? For then how should I hold up my face before Joab thy brother?"

Howbeit, he would in no wise depart. Then Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the short ribs, that the spear came out behind him: that he fell down in the same place and died there. And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

But Joab and Abishai followed Abner till the sun went down. And when they were come to the hill Ammah that lieth before Giah in the way that goeth through the wilderness of Gibeon,

the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner on a plump and stood still on the top of a hill.

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour without end? Knowest thou not that bitterness is wont to come in the latter end? How long shall it be, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?"

And Abner and his men walked all that night by the wild fields, and went over Jordan, and passed through all Bithron and came to Mahanaim.

And Joab returned from after Abner and gathered all the people together. And there lacked, of David's servants, nineteen persons and Asahel.

But the servants of David had slain, of Benjamin and of Abner's men, three hundred and three score men.

And as long as there was battle between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner held up the house of Saul.

And Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Wherefore liest thou with my father's concubine?"

Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head, then? That I, against Judah, do mercy unto the house of Saul thy father - and unto his brethren and kinsfolk - and have not delivered them into the hand of David? And thou layest a trespass to my charge this day for a woman's sake?

So do God to Abner, and so thereto: except that as the LORD hath sworn to David, I so do to him,

And he could give Abner never a word to answer because he feared him.

And Abner sent messengers to David forthwith, saying, "Whose is the land?" And he said thereto, "Make a bond with me, and see, my hand is with thee, to bring all Israel unto thee."

And her husband went with her, and came weeping behind her, till they came to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, "Go and return." And he returned.

And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, "Ye have long gone about that David should be king over you.

And when Abner was come to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him: David made him and the men that were with him a feast.

Then Abner said unto David, "I will up and go gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make an appointment with thee, that thou mayest be king over all that thine heart desireth." And so David let Abner depart, and he went in peace.

And see, the servants of David and Joab came from chasing robbers and brought a great prey with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron: for he had sent him away to depart in peace.

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

Then Joab went to the king, and said, "What hast thou done? See, Abner came unto thee, why hast thou sent him away, that he should escape quite?

Thou mightest know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to flatter with thee, and to know thy conversation and behaviour, and to know all that thou doest."

And when Joab was come out from the king, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah - unwitting to David.

And when Abner was come again to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate, to speak with him guilefully, and there smote him under the short ribs that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

And when it afterward came to David's ear, he said, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever, concerning the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

And the cause why Joab and Abishai slew Abner was that Abner had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battle.

And David said to Joab and to all the people that were with him, "Rent your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner." And king David himself followed the bier.

And when they had buried Abner in Hebron, the king lifted up his voice and wept over the sepulchre of Abner, and so did all the people.

And the king lamented over Abner and said, "Abner died not as a wretch dieth.

And all the people and all Israel thereto understood that day how that it was not the king's mind to slay Abner the son of Ner.

When Ishbosheth heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands fainted and all Israel was troubled.

And David commanded his young men, and they slew them and cut off their hands and their feet and hanged them up by the pole in Hebron. And they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.