2 Samuel 2

David Anointed King of Judah

1 After this David e inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To f Hebron." 2 So David went up there, and g his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up h his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.

4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David i king over the house of Judah. When they told David, j "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul," 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, k "May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord i is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel

8 But l Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to m Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, 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 n And the time that David was king in Hebron over i the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

The Battle of Gibeon

12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at o 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 And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." 15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, 1 which is at Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18 And the p three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was q as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I." 21 Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?" 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him r in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?" 27 And Joab said, "As God lives, if s you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning." 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.

29 And Abner and his men went all that night through t the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to u Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:10
    And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
  2. Cross References
    Joshua 14:13
    Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 25:42 - 43
    And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 27:2 - 3
    So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
    1 Samuel 30:1
    Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire
    1 Chronicles 12:1 - 22
    Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.
  5. Cross References
    2 Samuel 5:5
    At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 31:11 - 13
    But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
  7. Cross References
    Ruth 2:20
    And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi also said to her, "The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.
  8. Cross References
    2 Samuel 2:4
    And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:50
    And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.
  10. Cross References
    Joshua 13:26
    And from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.
  11. Cross References
    2 Samuel 5:5
    At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
    1 Kings 2:11
    And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
  12. Cross References
    2 Samuel 2:4
    And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 41:12
    They took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah. They came upon him at the great pool that is in Gibeon.
  14. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 2:16
    And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.
    1 Samuel 26:6
    Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, "Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you.
  15. Cross References
    2 Samuel 22:34
    He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set...
    1 Chronicles 12:8
    From the Gadites there went over to David at th...
    Psalms 18:33
    He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set...
    Song of Solomon 2:17
    Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, tu...
    Song of Solomon 8:14
    Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle o...
    Habakkuk 3:19
    God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet...
  16. Cross References
    2 Samuel 3:27
    And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
    2 Samuel 4:6
    And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
    2 Samuel 20:10
    But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
  17. Cross References
    2 Samuel 2:14
    And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise.
    Proverbs 17:14
    The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 1:1
    These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
  19. Cross References
    2 Samuel 2:8
    But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
    Joshua 13:26
    And from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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