After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of
the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David
said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” So David
went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and
Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David brought up his men
who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in
the towns of Hebron. And the men of Judah came, and there they
anointed David king over the house of Judah.

  When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried
Saul,” David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said
to them, “May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this
loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. Now may the LORD show
steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you
because you have done this thing. Now therefore let your hands be
strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house
of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

  But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-
bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, and he
made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim
and Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty
years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two
years. But the house of Judah followed David. And the time that
David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years
and six months.

  Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of
Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. And Joab the son of Zeruiah
and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of
Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and
the other on the other side of the pool. And Abner said to Joab,
“Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said,
“Let them arise.” Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve
for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the
servants of David. And each caught his opponent by the head and
thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down
together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which
is at Gibeon. And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner
and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

  And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and
Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. And
Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the
right hand nor to the left from following Abner. Then Abner looked
behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is
I.” Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your
left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But
Asahel would not turn aside from following him. And Abner said
again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike
you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother
Joab?” But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in
the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out
at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who
came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

  But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down
they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way
to the wilderness of Gibeon. And the people of Benjamin gathered
themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took
their stand on the top of a hill. Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall
the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be
bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn
from the pursuit of their brothers?” And Joab said, “As God lives,
if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the
pursuit of their brothers until the morning.” So Joab blew the
trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor
did they fight anymore.

  And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah.
They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came
to Mahanaim. Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he
had gathered all the people together, there were missing from
David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. But the servants of
David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. And they took
up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at
Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day
broke upon them at Hebron.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.