Open English Translation 2SA Chapter 3

2 David’s wives gave birth to six sons while they were based there in Hebron: Ahinoam (the Yezreelite) gave birth to Amnon, 3 then Abigail (the widow of Nabal the Carmelite) gave birth to Kileab, and Maakah (daughter of King Talmai of Geshur) gave birth to Abshalom. 4 The fourth was Adoniyyah (son of Haggit), the fifth was Shefatyah (son of Abital), 5 and the sixth was Yitre’am (son of David’s wife Eglah). All six of those sons were born to David in Hebron.

6 While the war between Sha’ul’s son Iysh-Boshet and David’s supporters continued, Abner was strengthening himself with Sha’ul’s supporters. 7 Now Sha’ul had had a slave-wife named Ritspah (daughter of Ayyah) and Abner slept with her. So Iysh-Boshet demanded, “Why have you slept with my father’s slave-wife?” 8 Abner became very angry at this challenge from Iysh-Boshet and snapped back, “Do you think I’m Yehudah’s dog hiding out over here? Today I’ve been helping Sha’ul’s family: your father, his brothers, and his friends, and I won’t let you fall into David’s hands. Yet today you bring some charge against me to do with a woman? 9 May God punish me if I don’t do for David exactly what Yahweh promised him 10 and help with the transfer of the kingdom away from your family and to establish David’s kingdom over both Yehudah and Israel, from Dan down to Beer-Sheba.”[ref] 11 Iysh-Boshet didn’t say a word back to Abner because he was very scared of him.

12 Then Abner sent messengers to David to tell him, “Who should be king of this country? Let’s come to an agreement and then I could join you and help make all of Israel turn to you.”

13 “Yes, good,” David replied. “I’m happy to come to an agreement with you on one condition: you must bring my wife—Sha’ul’s daughter, Mikal—if you want to be accepted here.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Sha’ul’s son Iysh-Boshet saying, “Give Mikal back to me. I earnt her as my wife with the foreskins of one-hundred Philistines.”[ref] 15 So Iysh-Boshet had her taken from her husband (Laish’s son Paltiel), 16 but he walked along behind her, weeping, as far as Bahurim where finally Abner told him to go back home and so he did.

17 Then Abner conferred with the Israeli elders saying, “Previously you were wanting David to be king over you, 18 but now it’s time for action. Yahweh has already said, ‘I’m going to use my servant David to rescue my people Israel from the Philistines and all their other enemies.’ ” 19 Abner also spoke privately with the Benyamites, then he went to Hebron to tell David privately what the Israelis and the Benyamites had agreed to.

20 Then Abner took twenty men and went to David at Hebron, and David put on a feast for all of them. 21 Abner asked David, “My master, the king. Let me get ready and go, and let me encourage all of Israel that they’ll make an agreement with you so that you will be king over the entire area as you’ve been wanting.” So David sent Abner, and he went in peace.

22 Soon afterwards, Yoav and some of David’s men arrived after a raid and carried in a lot of plunder. (Abner had already left Hebron because David had sent him off and he’d left in peace.) 23 When Yoav and all the fighters with him arrived, he was told that Abner had been there and spoken with the king, then sent away in peace. 24 So Yoav went to the king and demanded, “What have you done? Abner came to you and I can’t believe that you’d let him go, but he’s definitely not here now. 25 Surely you realise that he only came here to influence you and to find out where you’re coming from and going to, and to learn everything that you’re doing?”

26 Once Yoav had finished talking to David, he sent messengers to catch up to Abner. They found him at the Sirah cistern and brought him back without David’s knowledge. 27 When Abner got back to Hebron, Yoav took him aside at the city gate as if to speak to him privately, then stabbed him in the stomach and he died as vengeance for killing Yoav’s brother Asahel. 28 Later when David heard about it, he declared, “I and my kingdom are innocent of Abner’s death in Yahweh’s eyes. 29 May Yoav’s extended family continually suffer from sores or leprosy, and be forced into manual labour or be killed in battle, or run out of food to eat.” 30 (That’s how Yoav and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he’d killed their brother Asahel in Gibeon during the war.)

31 Then David instructed Yoav and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn for Abner.” Later at the funeral, King David walked behind the coffin 32 and they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly at the tomb, and the people also wept. 33 The king sang this song for Abner:

“Abner shouldn’t have died as if he was just some drunken fool.

34 He wasn’t handcuffed or with his feet in chains.

He fell like someone disturbing a burglar.”

And so the people wept even more for him.

35 Many people brought food to David during the day, but he promised, “May God severely punish me if I eat anything before the sun goes down.” 36 All the people recognised David’s dignity in handling this matter and were pleased with his behaviour, just as they were pleased with everything that the king did, 37 and everyone throughout Israel knew that the king hadn’t ordered for Abner (Ner’s son) to be executed. 38 Then the king told his servants, “Don’t you all realise that Israel lost a leader and a great man today? 39 Although I was anointed as king, I feel tender today. Those sons of Zeruyah are more violent than me. May Yahweh repay evil people appropriately for their actions.”