Second Book of Samuel 3

¹ So the war dragged on between the House of Saul and the House of David, but David grew steadily stronger, and the House of Saul ever weaker.

² Sons were born to David at Hebron: his first-born Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;

³ his second Chileab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal from Carmel; the third Absalom the son of Maacah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

⁴ the fourth Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth Shephatiah the son of Abital;

⁵ the sixth Ithream, by Eglah wife of David. These were born to David at Hebron.

⁶ This is what took place during the war between the House of Saul and the House of David. Abner took complete control in the House of Saul.

⁷ Now there was a concubine of Saul’s named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Abner took her. Ishbaal said to Abner, ‘Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?’

⁸ At these words of Ishbaal Abner flew into a rage. ‘Am I a dog’s head?’ he shouted. ‘Here am I full of goodwill towards the House of Saul your father, his brothers and his friends, not leaving you to the hands of David, and now you find fault with me about a woman!

⁹ May God do this to Abner and more if I do not bring about what Yahweh has promised on oath to David,

¹⁰ to take the sovereignty from the House of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.’

¹¹ Ishbaal dared not say a single word in answer to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹² Abner sent messengers to say to David, ‘…Come to an agreement with me and I will give you my support to win all Israel over to you’.

¹³ ‘Very well,’ David said ‘I will come to an agreement with you. I impose one condition however; you will not be admitted to my presence unless you bring me Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see me.’

¹⁴ David then sent messengers to Ishbaal son of Saul. ‘Give me back my wife Michal,’ he said ‘whom I won with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.’

¹⁵ So Ishbaal sent for her to be taken from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.

¹⁶ Her husband set off with her and followed her, weeping, as far as Bahurim; but Abner said to him, ‘Go back’, and he went.

¹⁷ Now Abner had conferred with the elders of Israel. ‘For a long time now’ he said ‘you have wanted David for your king.

¹⁸ Now you must take action; Yahweh has given this promise about David, “By the hand of my servant David I will deliver my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and all their enemies’.”

¹⁹ Abner also spoke to the men of Benjamin, and then went to Hebron to tell David all that had been agreed by Israel and the House of Benjamin.

²⁰ Abner accompanied by twenty men came to David at Hebron, and David held a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

²¹ Then Abner said to David, ‘I must be off. I am going to rally all Israel to my lord the king. They will make an alliance with you, and you will reign over all that you desire.’ So David allowed Abner to go, and he went unmolested.

²² The followers of David were just then coming back with Joab from a raid, bringing a great amount of booty with them. Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, since David had allowed him to go, and he had gone unmolested.

²³ When Joab arrived and the whole force that was with him, Joab was told, ‘Abner son of Ner has been to the king and he has allowed Abner to go away unmolested’.

²⁴ Then Joab went to the king. ‘What have you done?’ he said. ‘Abner comes to you and you allow him to go unmolested? Why?

²⁵ Do you not know Abner son of Ner? He came to trick you, to know your every move, to find out what you are doing.’

²⁶ Joab left David’s presence and sent messengers after Abner and these, unknown to David, brought him back from the Well of Sirah.

²⁷ When Abner reached Hebron, Joab drew him apart to the side of the gate as if to have a word with him in private, and there struck him in the belly. And so, for the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel, he died.

²⁸ Afterwards when David heard of this, he said, ‘I and my kingdom are innocent for ever before Yahweh of the blood of Abner son of Ner;

²⁹ may it fall on the head of Joab and on all his family! May the House of Joab never lack men with the discharge or the leprosy, or only fit to hold a distaff, or falling by the sword, or short of bread!’

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai had murdered Abner because he killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.)

³¹ David then said to Joab and all the troops who were with him, ‘Tear your garments, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner’; and King David walked behind the bier.

³² They buried Abner at Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s grave, and the people all wept too.

³³ The king made this lament over Abner: ‘Should Abner have died as a fool dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not tied, your feet not chained; you fell as a man falls at the hands of criminals.’ And all the people wept once more over him.

³⁵ They all tried then to persuade David to have some food while it was still daylight, but David took this oath, ‘May God do this to me and more if I taste bread or anything whatever until the sun is down!’

³⁶ All the people took note of this and it pleased them; indeed, everything the king did pleased the people.

³⁷ That day all the people and all Israel understood that the king had no part in the death of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸ The king said to his officers, ‘Do you not know that in Israel a prince, a great man, has fallen today?

³⁹ I, though I am king by anointing, am weak at this present time, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too ruthless for me. May Yahweh pay back the wrong-doer in proportion to the wrong he has done.’