2 Samuel 3-4New King James Version (NKJV)
3 Now there was a long war between the house of
Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the
house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
Sons of David
2 Sons were born to David in Hebron:
His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3 his
second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third,
Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 4 the
fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of
Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife
Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins Forces with David
6 Now it was so, while there was war
between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was
strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.
7 And Saul had a concubine, whose
name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said
to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8 Then Abner became very angry at the
words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to
Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers,
and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you
charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9 May
God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as
the Lord has sworn to him— 10 to transfer
the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel
and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 And he
could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers on his
behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make
your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to
bring all Israel to you.”
13 And David said,
“Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you
shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you
come to see my face.” 14 So David sent messengers
to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal,
whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And
Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel[a] the son of
Laish. 16 Then her husband went along with her to
Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he
returned.
17 Now Abner had communicated with
the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to
be king over you. 18 Now then, do it! For
the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant
David, I[b] will save My people
Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their
enemies.’” 19 And Abner also spoke in the hearing
of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron
all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.
20 So Abner and twenty men with him
came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with
him. 21 Then Abner said to David, “I will arise and
go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant
with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David
sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
Joab Murders Abner
22 At that moment the servants of
David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But
Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away,
and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the
troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying,
“Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone
in peace.” 24 Then Joab came to the king and said,
“What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you
sent him away, and he has already gone? 25 Surely you
realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out
and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”
26 And when Joab had gone from
David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the
well of Sirah. But David did not know it.27 Now
when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak
with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for
the blood of Asahel his brother.
28 Afterward, when David heard it, he
said, “My kingdom and I are guiltless before
the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 Let
it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never
fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who
leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” 30 So
Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother
Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
David’s Mourning for Abner
31 Then David said to Joab and to all
the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with
sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. 32 So
they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the
grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And the
king sang a lament over Abner and said:
“Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound
Nor your feet put into fetters;
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”
34 Your hands were not bound
Nor your feet put into fetters;
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”
Then all the people wept over him again.
35 And when all the people came to
persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying,
“God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun
goes down!” 36 Now all the people took note of
it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the
people. 37 For all the people and all Israel
understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the
son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his servants,
“Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in
Israel? 39 And I am weak today,
though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too
harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his
wickedness.”
Ishbosheth Is Murdered
4 When Saul’s son[c] heard that Abner had
died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled. 2 Now
Saul’s son had two men who were captains of
troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other
Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For
Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, 3 because
the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a
son who was lame in his feet. He was five
years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his
nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he
fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.[d]
5 Then the sons of Rimmon the
Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to
the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. 6 And
they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get
wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother
escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he
was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him,
beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the
plain. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to
David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son
of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my
lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”
9 But David answered Rechab and
Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives,
who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when
someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good
news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I
would give him a reward for his news. 11 How
much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on
his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove
you from the earth?” 12 So David commanded his
young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and
hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of
Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.
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