1   It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron." 2   So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite, 3   and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron. 4   The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, saying, "It was the people of Jabesh Gilead who buried Saul." 5   David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "Blessed are you by the LORD, because you have shown this kindness to your lord, Saul, and have buried him. 6   Now may the LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7   Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them." 8   Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9   and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10   Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11   The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12   Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13   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 on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14   Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them arise." 15   Then they arose and went over by number: twelve of the sons of Benjamin of Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16   They each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Field of Blades, which is in Gibeon. 17   The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David. 18   The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle. 19   Asahel pursued after Abner, and as he went he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20   Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I." 21   Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not stop from pursuing him. 22   Abner said again to Asahel, "Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?" 23   But he refused to stop. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it came about that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stopped there. 24   But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25   The sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and formed a single group, and stood on the top of a hill. 26   Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to stop pursuing their brothers?" 27   Joab said, "As the LORD lives, if you had not spoken, surely the people would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning." 28   So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stopped, and no longer chased after Israel, and they no longer fought. 29   Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and marched the whole morning, and came to Mahanaim. 30   Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31   But the servants of David had struck of the people of Benjamin, from the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32   They took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.

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