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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>2 Samuel 2 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_samuel/2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" 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href="../2_samuel/1.htm" title="2 Samuel 1">◄</a> 2 Samuel 2 <a href="../2_samuel/3.htm" title="2 Samuel 3">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/2_samuel/2.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">David Anointed King Over Judah</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>In the course of time, David inquired of the <span class="name">Lord</span>. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.</p><p class="reg">The <span class="name">Lord</span> said, “Go up.”</p><p class="reg">David asked, “Where shall I go?”</p><p class="reg">“To Hebron,” the <span class="name">Lord</span> answered.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.</p><p class="reg">When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The <span class="name">Lord</span> bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>May the <span class="name">Lord</span> now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”</p> <p class="sectionhead">War Between the Houses of David and Saul</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”</p><p class="reg">“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.">a</a></sup></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”</p><p class="reg">“It is,” he answered.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.">b</a></sup></span> and came to Mahanaim.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/2-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> <span class="footnotebot"><i>Helkath Hazzurim</i> means <i>field of daggers</i> or <i>field of hostilities.</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">29</span> <span class="footnotebot">See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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