After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been two days in Ziklag:

Behold, there came a man the third day out of the host from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the earth and did obeisance.

To whom David said, "Whence comest thou?" And the other answered him, "Out of the host of Israel am I escaped."

And David said to him again, "How hath it chanced? Tell me." And he said, "The people fled from the battle, and many of the people are overthrown and dead: and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead thereto."

And David said unto the young man that told him, "How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?"

And the young man that told him, said, "I was by chance in mount Gilboa. And see, Saul leaned upon his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed him at the heels.

And Saul looked back and called me. And I answered, 'Here am I.'

And he said unto me, 'What art thou?' And I said unto him, 'I am an Amalekite.'

And he said unto me, 'Come on me and slay me: For anguish is come upon me and my life is yet all in me.'

And I went on him and slew him: for I was sure that he could not live, after that he was fallen. And I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and have brought them unto my lord hither."

Then David took his clothes and rent them, and so did all the men that were with him.

And they mourned, wept and fasted until evening - for Saul, and Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they were overthrown with the sword.

Then said David unto the young man that brought him tidings, "Whence art thou?" And he said, "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite."

And David said unto him, "How is it that thou wast not afraid to lay thine hand on the LORD's anointed, to destroy him?"

And David called one of his young men, and said, "Go and run upon him." And he smote him that he died.

Then said David unto him, "Thy blood upon thine own head; for thine own mouth hath testified against thee, saying, 'I have slain the LORD's anointed.'"

And David sang this song of mourning over Saul and Jonathan his son,

and bade to teach the children of Israel the staves thereof. And behold, it is written in the book of the righteous:

Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and that the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph thereof.

The bow of Jonathan and the sword of Saul turned never back again empty, from the blood of the wounded and from the fat of the mighty warriors.

Saul and Jonathan lovely and pleasant in their lives, were in their deaths not divided; men swifter than Eagles and stronger than Lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, which clothed you in purple and garments of pleasure, and bordered your raiment with ornaments of gold.

How were the mighty overthrown, and how were the weapons of war forlorn!"

After this David asked the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Juda? And the LORD said, "Go." And David answered, "Whither shall I go?" He answered, "Unto Hebron."

And so David went thither with his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite.

And the men that were with him, did David carry up also, every man with his house. And they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.

And the men of Judah came, and there anointed David king over the house of Judah. When it was told David, how the men of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,

he sent messengers unto them and said unto them, "Blessed are ye unto the LORD, that ye have showed such kindness unto your lord Saul, and have buried him.

Wherefore the LORD show you mercy and truth again. And I will do you good also, because ye have done this thing.

And now let your hands stir them and play ye the men, though your master Saul be dead. And finally, understand that the house of Judah have anointed me king over them."

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 made him king over Gilead and over the Asherites, and over Jezreel; and over Ephraim and Benjamin and over all Israel.

And Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel - and reigned two years. But the house of Judah only followed David.

And the time which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

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

And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the Pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one part on the one side the pool and the other on the other side.

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

Then there arose and went over: twelve of Benjamin by number, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul; and twelve of the servants of David.

And they caught each his fellow that came against him, by the head and thrust his sword in his side, and so fell down all at once. Wherefore the place was called Helkathhazzurim which is in Gibeon.

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 there was three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel - which Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild roe -

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 Joab answered, "As truly as God liveth, if thou hadst so said, then even in the morning had the people departed, each from following his brother."

And therewith Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still and pursued after Israel no more nor fought no more.

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 they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and came in the dawning to Hebron.

There was long strife between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

And David had children born him in Hebron: his eldest son was Amnon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

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 bring the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, even from Dan to Beersheba."

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 David answered, "Well said. I will make a bond with thee. But one thing I require of thee, that thou see not my face, except thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see me."

And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul's son saying, "Deliver me my wife Michal which I married with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.

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.

Now then, do it. For the LORD hath said of David, 'By the hand of my servant David, I will save my people Israel; out of the hands of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.'"

And like words had he with Benjamin, and then went to tell in the ears of David in Hebron all that Israel was content with and the whole house of Benjamin.

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.

It fall therefore on the head of Joab and on all his father's house: that the house of Joab be never without one or other that hath running issues or without lepers and goers on crutches, and that fall on the sword and that lack bread."

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.

Thy hands were not manacled nor thy feet brought into fetters: but as men fall before wicked children, so fellest thou." And all the people wept yet more over him.

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

And the people wist it, and it pleased them, as well as all other good things which the king did in the sight of the people.

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.

And the king said unto his servants, "Know ye not, how that there is a lord, and that a great, fallen this day in Israel?

And I am this day tender, though I be anointed king. And these men the sons of Zeruiah be too strong for me to rule. But the LORD reward the doer of evil, according to his wickedness."

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

Now this Saul's son had two men that were become captains over the soldiers, the one called Baanah and the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, and of the children of Benjamin: for Beeroth was reckoned to pertain to Benjamin.

And these Beerothites fled to Gittaim and sojourned there until the same time.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame on his feet: five years old was he when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel. And his nurse took him up and fled away. And as she made haste to flee and was amazed, the child fell and became halt and was called Mephibosheth.

And these sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came in the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he slept on a bed at noon.

And behold, they came into the house as though they would have bought wheat, and smote him under the short ribs and fled.

For they came into the house as he slept on his bed in his resting chamber, and smote him and slew him and beheaded him and took his head and gat them away through the wild fields all night.

And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David, to Hebron and said to the king, "Behold there the head of Ishbosheth Saul's son, thine enemy, which sought thy soul. But the LORD hath avenged my lord the king 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 surely as the LORD liveth, which hath delivered my soul out of all adversities: