2SA C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24

ULT 2SA Chapter 3

3 And the war was long between the house of Saul and between the house of David. And David went strongly, but the house of Saul went poorly.

2 And sons were born to David in Hebron.

And it happened, his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite.

3 And his second was Kileab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And the third was Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur.

4 And the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith.

And the fifth was Shephatiah the son of Abital.

5 And the sixth was Ithream by Eglah the wife of David.

These were born to David in Hebron.

6 And it happened, when the war was between the house of Saul and between the house of David, and Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. 7 And a concubine belonged to Saul, and her name was Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. And he said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to the concubine of my father?”

8 And it was very hot to Abner concerning the words of Ishbosheth, and he said, “Am I the head of a dog who belongs to Judah? Today I am doing kindness with the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and I will not let you fall into the hand of David. And today you charge against me the iniquity of the woman? 9 Thus may God do to Abner, and thus may he add to him, if, as Yahweh has sworn to David, that thus I will do for him, 10 to take away the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan and to Beersheba.” 11 And he was still not able to return to Abner a word, because of his fearing him.

12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom belongs the land?” saying, “Cut your covenant with me, and look, my hand is with you, to make all of Israel turn to you.”

13 And he said, “Good, I myself will cut a covenant with you. Only one thing I am asking from you, saying, ‘You will not see my face unless to my face you bring Michal the daughter of Saul when you come to see my face.’ ” 14 And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with 100 foreskins of Philistines.”

15 And Ishbosheth sent and took her from with her husband, from with Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 And her husband walked with her, walking and weeping behind her, until Bahurim. And Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.

17 But the word of Abner was with the elders of Israel saying, “Both yesterday and the day before, you were seeking David to be king over you. 18 And now do it, for Yahweh said concerning David, saying, ‘By the hand of David my servant, I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ”

19 And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner also went to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that which was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all of the house of Benjamin. 20 And Abner came to David in Hebron, and with him 20 men. And David made a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. 21 And Abner said to David, “Let me get up, and let me go, and let me gather to my lord, the king, all of Israel that they may cut a covenant with you and that you may be king over everything that your soul desires.” And David sent Abner, and he went in peace.

22 And look, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid, and they brought with them much plunder. But Abner, he was not with David in Hebron because he had sent him, and he had gone in peace. 23 And Joab and all the army which was with him arrived, and they informed Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him, and he went in peace.”

24 And Joab came to the king, and he said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! Why is this you have let him go, and he is certainly gone? 25 You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to persuade you and to know your going out and your coming in and to know everything that you are doing?”

26 And Joab went out from with David, and he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah, but David did not know. 27 And Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab turned him aside to the middle of the gate to speak with him in the quiet. And there he struck him in the stomach, and he died in exchange for the blood of Asahel, his brother.

28 And David heard after this, and he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent with Yahweh forever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 May it turn on the head of Joab and to the whole house of his father, and may not a person who is discharging or a leprous person or a person who is strong with the spindle or a person who falls by the sword or a person who lacks bread be excluded from the house of Joab.”

30 And Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner on account that he had murdered Asahel their brother in Gibeon during the war.

31 And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn to the face of Abner.” And King David was walking behind the funeral bed. 32 And they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king raised his voice, and he wept at the tomb of Abner, and all the people wept.

33 The king lamented for Abner, and he said,

“Just as a fool dies, should Abner die?

34 Your hands were not bound,

and your feet were not put into shackles.

Like falling to the face of sons of injustice, you have fallen.”

And all the people continued to weep for him. 35 And all the people came to provide David with bread while it was still day, but David swore, saying, “Thus may God do to me, and thus may he continue, if, to the face of the going of the sun, I taste bread or any anything.”

36 And all the people recognized, and it was good in their eyes, just as everything that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people. 37 And all the people and all Israel knew on that day that it was not from the king to murder Abner the son of Ner.

38 And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a captain and a great person fell this day in Israel? 39 But I am tender today, though anointed king. But these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. May Yahweh repay the person who does evil according to his evil.”

2SA C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24