2:1 And it came to pass after this 310, that David 1732 enquired 7592 8799 of the LORD 3068, saying 559 8800, Shall I go up 5927 8799 into any 259 of the cities 5892 of Judah 3063? And the LORD 3068 said 559 8799 unto him, Go up 5927 8798. And David 1732 said 559 8799, Whither shall I go up 5927 8799? And he said 559 8799, Unto Hebron 2275.

2:2 So David 1732 went up 5927 8799 thither, and his two 8147 wives 802 also, Ahinoam 293 the Jezreelitess 3159, and Abigail 26 Nabal's 5037 wife 802 the Carmelite 3761.

2:3 And his men 582 that [were] with him did David 1732 bring up 5927 8689, every man 376 with his household 1004: and they dwelt 3427 8799 in the cities 5892 of Hebron 2275.

2:4 And the men 582 of Judah 3063 came 935 8799, and there they anointed 4886 8799 David 1732 king 4428 over the house 1004 of Judah 3063. And they told 5046 8686 David 1732, saying 559 8800, [That] the men 582 of Jabeshgilead 3003 1568 [were they] that buried 6912 8804 Saul 7586.

2:5 And David 1732 sent 7971 8799 messengers 4397 unto the men 582 of Jabeshgilead 3003 1568, and said 559 8799 unto them, Blessed 1288 8803 [be] ye of the LORD 3068, that ye have shewed 6213 8804 this kindness 2617 unto your lord 113, [even] unto Saul 7586, and have buried 6912 8799 him.

2:6 And now the LORD 3068 shew 6213 8799 kindness 2617 and truth 571 unto you: and I also will requite 6213 8799 you this kindness 2896, because ye have done 6213 8804 this thing 1697.

2:7 Therefore now let your hands 3027 be strengthened 2388 8799, and be ye valiant 1121 2428: for your master 113 Saul 7586 is dead 4191 8804, and also the house 1004 of Judah 3063 have anointed 4886 8804 me king 4428 over them.(be ye…: Heb. be ye the sons of valour)

2:8 But Abner 74 the son 1121 of Ner 5369, captain 8269 of Saul's 7586 host 6635, took 3947 8804 Ishbosheth 378 the son 1121 of Saul 7586, and brought him over 5674 8686 to Mahanaim 4266;(Saul's host: Heb. the host which was Saul's)(Ishbosheth: or, Eshbaal)

2:9 And made him king 4427 8686 over Gilead 1568, and over the Ashurites 805, and over Jezreel 3157, and over Ephraim 669, and over Benjamin 1144, and over all Israel 3478.

2:10 Ishbosheth 378 Saul's 7586 son 1121 [was] forty 705 years 8141 old 1121 when he began to reign 4427 8800 over Israel 3478, and reigned 4427 8804 two 8147 years 8141. But the house 1004 of Judah 3063 followed 310 David 1732.

2:11 And the time 4557 3117 that David 1732 was king 4428 in Hebron 2275 over the house 1004 of Judah 3063 was seven 7651 years 8141 and six 8337 months 2320.(time: Heb. number of days)

2:12 And Abner 74 the son 1121 of Ner 5369, and the servants 5650 of Ishbosheth 378 the son 1121 of Saul 7586, went out 3318 8799 from Mahanaim 4266 to Gibeon 1391.

2:13 And Joab 3097 the son 1121 of Zeruiah 6870, and the servants 5650 of David 1732, went out 3318 8804, and met 6298 8799 together 3162 by the pool 1295 of Gibeon 1391: and they sat down 3427 8799, the one on the one side of the pool 1295, and the other on the other side of the pool 1295.(together: Heb. them together)

2:14 And Abner 74 said 559 8799 to Joab 3097, Let the young men 5288 now arise 6965 8799, and play 7832 8762 before 6440 us. And Joab 3097 said 559 8799, Let them arise 6965 8799.

2:15 Then there arose 6965 8799 and went over 5674 8799 by number 4557 twelve 8147 6240 of Benjamin 1144, which [pertained] to Ishbosheth 378 the son 1121 of Saul 7586, and twelve 8147 6240 of the servants 5650 of David 1732.

2:16 And they caught 2388 8686 every one 376 his fellow 7453 by the head 7218, and [thrust] his sword 2719 in his fellow's 7453 side 6654; so they fell down 5307 8799 together 3162: wherefore that place 4725 was called 7121 8799 Helkathhazzurim 2521, which [is] in Gibeon 1391.(Helkathhazzurim: that is, The field of strong men)

2:17 And there was a very 3966 sore 7186 battle 4421 that day 3117; and Abner 74 was beaten 5062 8735, and the men 582 of Israel 3478, before 6440 the servants 5650 of David 1732.

2:18 And there were three 7969 sons 1121 of Zeruiah 6870 there, Joab 3097, and Abishai 52, and Asahel 6214: and Asahel 6214 [was as] light 7031 of foot 7272 as a 259 wild 7704 roe 6643.(of foot: Heb. of his feet)(as a wild…: Heb. as one of the roes that is in the field)

2:19 And Asahel 6214 pursued 7291 8799 after 310 Abner 74; and in going 3212 8800 he turned 5186 8804 not to the right hand 3225 nor to the left 8040 from following 310 Abner 74.(from…: Heb. from after Abner)

2:20 Then Abner 74 looked 6437 8799 behind 310 him, and said 559 8799, [Art] thou Asahel 6214? And he answered 559 8799, I [am].

2:21 And Abner 74 said 559 8799 to him, Turn thee aside 5186 8798 to thy right hand 3225 or to thy left 8040, and lay thee hold 270 8798 on one 259 of the young men 5288, and take 3947 8798 thee his armour 2488. But Asahel 6214 would 14 8804 not turn aside 5493 8800 from following 310 of him.(armour: or, spoil)

2:22 And Abner 74 said 559 8800 again 3254 8686 to Asahel 6214, Turn thee aside 5493 8798 from following 310 me: wherefore should I smite 5221 8686 thee to the ground 776? how then should I hold up 5375 8799 my face 6440 to Joab 3097 thy brother 251?

2:23 Howbeit he refused 3985 8762 to turn aside 5493 8800: wherefore Abner 74 with the hinder end 310 of the spear 2595 smote 5221 8686 him under 413 the fifth 2570 [rib], that the spear 2595 came out 3318 8799 behind 310 him; and he fell down 5307 8799 there, and died 4191 8799 in the same place 8478: and it came to pass, [that] as many as came 935 8802 to the place 4725 where Asahel 6214 fell down 5307 8804 and died 4191 8799 stood still 5975 8799.

2:24 Joab 3097 also and Abishai 52 pursued 7291 8799 after 310 Abner 74: and the sun 8121 went down 935 8804 when they were come 935 8804 to the hill 1389 of Ammah 522, that [lieth] before 6440 Giah 1520 by the way 1870 of the wilderness 4057 of Gibeon 1391.

2:25 And the children 1121 of Benjamin 1144 gathered themselves together 6908 8691 after 310 Abner 74, and became one 259 troop 92, and stood 5975 8799 on the top 7218 of an hill 1389.

2:26 Then Abner 74 called 7121 8799 to Joab 3097, and said 559 8799, Shall the sword 2719 devour 398 8799 for ever 5331? knowest 3045 8804 thou not that it will be bitterness 4751 in the latter end 314? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid 559 8799 the people 5971 return 7725 8800 from following 310 their brethren 251?

2:27 And Joab 3097 said 559 8799, [As] God 430 liveth 2416, unless 3884 thou hadst spoken 1696 8765, surely then in the morning 1242 the people 5971 had gone up 5927 8738 every one 376 from following 310 his brother 251.(in the…: Heb. from the morning)(gone…: or, gone away)

2:28 So Joab 3097 blew 8628 8799 a trumpet 7782, and all the people 5971 stood still 5975 8799, and pursued 7291 8799 after 310 Israel 3478 no more, neither fought 3898 8736 they any more 3254 8804.

2:29 And Abner 74 and his men 582 walked 1980 8804 all that night 3915 through the plain 6160, and passed over 5674 8799 Jordan 3383, and went through 3212 8799 all Bithron 1338, and they came 935 8799 to Mahanaim 4266.

2:30 And Joab 3097 returned 7725 8804 from following 310 Abner 74: and when he had gathered 6908 0 all the people 5971 together 6908 8799, there lacked 6485 8735 of David's 1732 servants 5650 nineteen 8672 6240 men 376 and Asahel 6214.

2:31 But the servants 5650 of David 1732 had smitten 5221 8689 of Benjamin 1144, and of Abner's 74 men 582, [so that] three 7969 hundred 3967 and threescore 8346 men 376 died 4191 8804.

2:32 And they took up 5375 8799 Asahel 6214, and buried 6912 8799 him in the sepulchre 6913 of his father 1, which [was in] Bethlehem 1035. And Joab 3097 and his men 582 went 3212 8799 all night 3915, and they came to Hebron 2275 at break of day 215 8735.

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