And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was swift with his feet, like one of the gazelles in the field.

And Asahel ran after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

And Abner looked behind him and said, Are you Asahel? And he answered, I am.

And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?

However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him with the blunt end of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out behind him. And he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it happened that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

And Joab returned from following Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men and Asahel were missing from David's servants.

And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at the break of day.

And Abner returned to Hebron. And Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately. And he struck him there in the belly, and he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

And Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

Asahel the brother of Joab was of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem;