II Samuel 2 · שמואל ב

And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Yehuda? And the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, To Ḥevron.

So David went up there, and his two wives also, Aĥino῾am the Yizre῾elite, and Avigayil, Naval’s wife, the Karmelite.

And David brought up his men that were with him, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Ḥevron.

And the men of Yehuda came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Yehuda. And they told David, saying, That the men of Yavesh-gil῾ad were they that buried Sha᾽ul.

And David sent messengers to the men of Yavesh-gil῾ad, and said to them, Blessed are you of the Lord, that you have shown this loyal love to your lord, to Sha᾽ul, and have buried him.

And now may the Lord do lovingkindness and truth to you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because you have done this thing.

Therefore now let your hands be strong, and be valiant: for your master Sha᾽ul is dead, and also the house of Yehuda have anointed me king over them.

But Avner the son of Ner, captain of Sha᾽ul’s host, took Ish-boshet the son of Sha᾽ul, and brought him over to Maĥanayim;

and made him king over Gil῾ad, and over the Ashuri, and over Yizre῾el, and over Efrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisra᾽el.

Ish-boshet Sha᾽ul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisra᾽el, and he reigned two years. But the house of Yehuda followed David.

And the time that David was king in Ḥevron over the house of Yehuda was seven years and six months.

And Avner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-boshet the son of Sha᾽ul, went out from Maĥanayim to Giv῾on.

And Yo᾽av the son of Żeruya, and the servants of David, went out, and they met together by the pool of Giv῾on: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

And Avner said to Yo᾽av, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Yo᾽av said, Let them arise.

Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Binyamin, belonging to Ish-boshet the son of Sha᾽ul, and twelve of the servants of David.

And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: so that place was called Ḥelqat-hażżurim, which is in Giv῾on.

And there was a very sore battle that day; and Avner was beaten, and the men of Yisra᾽el, before the servants of David.

And there were three sons of Żeruya there, Yo᾽av, and Avishay and ῾Asa᾽el: and ῾Asa᾽el was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.

And ῾Asa᾽el pursued after Avner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Avner.

Then Avner looked behind him, and said, Art thou ῾Asa᾽el? And he answered, I am.

And Avner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take his armour. But ῾Asa᾽el would not turn aside from following him.

And Avner said again to ῾Asa᾽el, Turn aside from following me: why should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Yo᾽av thy brother?

But he refused to turn aside: so Avner smote him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that all those who came to the place where ῾Asa᾽el fell down and died, stood still.

Yo᾽av also and Avishay pursued after Avner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Amma, that lies before Giaĥ by the way of the wilderness of Giv῾on.

And the children of Binyamin gathered themselves together after Avner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill.

Then Avner called to Yo᾽av, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, till thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

And Yo᾽av said, As God lives, if thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up every one from following his brother.

So Yo᾽av blew the shofar, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Yisra᾽el no more, neither fought they any more.

And Avner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over the Yarden, and went through all Bitron, and they came to Maĥanayim.

And Yo᾽av returned from following Avner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there were nineteen of David’s servants missing, and ῾Asa᾽el.

But the servants of David had smitten of Binyamin, and of Avner’s men, three hundred and sixty men, and they died.

And they took up ῾Asa᾽el, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bet-leĥem. And Yo᾽av and his men marched all night, and they came to Ḥevron at break of day.