2 Samuel 3

¹ So the war dragged on between the House of Saul and the House of David, but David grew steadilystronger and the House of Saul steadily weaker.

² The sons born to David at Hebron were: his first-born Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;

³ his second Chileab, by Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third Absalom son of Maacah, daughter ofTalmai king of Geshur;

⁴ the fourth Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth Shephatiah son of Abital;

⁵ the sixth Ithream, by David's wife, Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron.

⁶ This is what took place during the war between the House of Saul and the House of David. Abner tookcomplete control in the House of Saul.

⁷ Now, there was a concubine of Saul's called Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and Abner took her. Ishbaal saidto Abner, 'Why have you slept with my father's concubine?'

⁸ At these words of Ishbaal, Abner flew into a rage. 'Am I a dog's head?' he shouted. 'Here am I, ful offaithful love towards the House of Saul your father, his brothers and his friends, not leaving you to the hands ofDavid, and now you find fault with me over a woman!

⁹ May God bring unnameable il s on Abner, and worse ones, too, if I do not bring about what Yahweh hassworn to David:

¹⁰ to take the sovereignty from the House of Saul, and establish David's throne over Israel as well asJudah, from Dan to Beersheba!'

¹¹ Ishbaal dared not say a single word to Abner in reply, as he was afraid of him.

¹² Abner sent messengers on his own behalf to say to David, '. . . and furthermore, come to anagreement with me and I wil give you my support to win al Israel over to you.'

¹³ 'Very wel ,' David said, 'I wil come to an agreement with you. I impose one condition however; you wilnot be admitted to my presence unless you bring me Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see me.'

¹⁴ David then sent messengers to say to Ishbaal son of Saul, 'Give me back my wife Michal, whom Iacquired for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.'

¹⁵ So Ishbaal sent for her to be taken from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.

¹⁶ Her husband set off with her and fol owed her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim; but Abner saidto him, 'Go back!' and he went.

¹⁷ Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel. 'For a long time now,' he said, 'you have wanted Davidas your king.

¹⁸ Now you must take action, since Yahweh has said of David, "By the hand of my servant David I shaldeliver my people Israel from the clutches of the Philistines and al their enemies." '

¹⁹ Abner also spoke to the men of Benjamin and then went to Hebron to tel David everything that hadbeen agreed by Israel and the House of Benjamin.

²⁰ Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David at Hebron, and David held a feast for Abner andthe men who were with him.

²¹ Abner then said to David, 'I must get up and go. I am going to rally al Israel to my lord the king, so thatthey will make an alliance with you, and you wil reign over al that you desire.' So David al owed Abner to go,and he went unmolested.

²² David's retainers were just then coming back with Joab from a raid, bringing a great quantity of bootywith them. Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, since David had allowed him to go, and he had goneunmolested.

²³ When Joab and the whole company with him had arrived, Joab was told, 'Abner son of Ner has beento the king, and the king has al owed Abner to go away unmolested.'

²⁴ Joab then went to the king and said, 'What have you done? Abner comes to you and you let him goaway and now he has gone-why?

²⁵ You know Abner son of Ner! He came to trick you, to discover your every move, to find out what youare doing.'

²⁶ Joab left David's presence and sent messengers after Abner and these, unknown to David, broughthim back from the storage-wel at Sirah.

²⁷ When Abner reached Hebron, Joab took him aside in the town-gate, as if to have a quiet word withhim, and there struck him a mortal blow in the bel y to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel.

²⁸ Afterwards, when David heard of this, he said, 'I and my kingdom are for ever innocent before Yahwehof the blood of Abner son of Ner;

²⁹ may it fal on the head of Joab and on al his family! May the House of Joab never be free of menafflicted with haemorrhage or a virulent skin-disease, whose strength is in the distaff, who fall by the sword, wholack food.'

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai had murdered Abner because he killed their brother Asahel at the battleof Gibeon.)

³¹ David then said to Joab and the whole company with him, 'Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, andmourn over Abner,' and King David walked behind the bier.

³² They buried Abner at Hebron, and the king wept aloud on his grave, and the people al wept too.

³³ The king made this lament over Abner: Should Abner have died as a brute dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not tied, your feet not chained; you fel as a man falls at the hands of criminals. Andal the people wept for him louder than ever.

³⁵ The people then al tried to persuade David to have some food while it was still daylight, but Davidswore this oath, 'May God bring unnameable il s on me, and worse il s, too, if I taste bread or anything whateveruntil the sun is down!'

³⁶ Al the people took note of this and it pleased them; indeed, everything the king did pleased thepeople.

³⁷ That day, al the people and al Israel understood that the king had had no part in the murder of Abnerson of Ner.

³⁸ The king said to his retainers, 'Do you not realise that a prince, a great man, has fal en in Israel today?

³⁹ I, though anointed king, am weak at present, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong forme. May Yahweh repay the criminal as his crime deserves!'