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2 Samuel / Ish‑Bosheth Made King; Civil War with David Begins
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An Amalekite Reports Saul and Jonathan's Death David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan David Anointed King of Judah at Hebron Ish‑Bosheth Made King; Civil War with David Begins Abner Seeks Alliance with David Joab Murders Abner; David's Protest and Mourning Ish‑Bosheth Assassinated David Anointed King over All Israel David Captures Jerusalem and Establishes His House David's Victories over the Philistines Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem; Uzzah's Death and David's Joy God's Covenant with David David's Prayer of Thanksgiving for God's Promise David's Military Victories David's Officials and Mighty Men David Shows Kindness to Mephibosheth War with the Ammonites and Syrians David and Bathsheba; the Death of Uriah Nathan Rebukes David; Judgment and Aftermath Amnon's Crime against Tamar Absalom Kills Amnon and Flees Joab Secures Absalom's Return and Reconciliation Absalom's Conspiracy and Rise to Power David Flees Jerusalem; Loyal Followers Accompany Him Ziba Brings Provisions to David Shimei Curses David as He Flees Counsel in Absalom's Court; Ahithophel's Plan and Hushai's Counterplot Battle in the Forest of Ephraim and Absalom's Death Reports of Victory and David's Grief for Absalom David's Return to Jerusalem; Reconciliation and Disputes Sheba's Revolt and Its Suppression Famine and the Gibeonites' Demand; Saul's Descendants Executed David's Battles with the Philistines and the Valor of His Men David's Song of Deliverance David's Final Oracle The Deeds of David's Mighty Warriors David's Census and the Resulting Plague David Purchases the Threshing Floor; Sacrifice and End of Plague

Ish‑Bosheth Made King; Civil War with David Begins

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5

2
Chapter 2
8 And Abner son of Ner, commander of the army that belonged to Saul, took Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over from the camp. 9 And he made him king over Gilead and over the Ashurites and over Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, a son of Saul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12 And Abner son of Ner and the servants of Saul son of Kish went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab son of Zeruiah and David's servants went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. They sat by the pool on one side, and these by the pool on the other side. 14 And Abner said to Joab, "Please let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." 15 And they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And they grabbed each other by the head, and each man's sword was in his neighbor's side, and they fell together. And that place was called the Field of the Adversaries, which is in Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David. 18 There were three sons of Zeruiah: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was swift on his feet like one of the gazelles in the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn aside to the right or to the left from behind Abner. 20 And Abner turned after him and said, "Are you this Asahel?" And he said, "I am." 21 Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his belt." But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner added to say to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How will I face Joab your brother?" 23 And he refused to turn aside, and Abner struck him with the back of the spear in the fifth rib, and the spear came out behind him, and he fell there and died under him. And it was that all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stood still. 24 Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. When the sun set, they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The sons of Benjamin gathered behind Abner, and they became like one bundle and stood on the top of one hill. 26 And Abner called to Joab and said, "Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that bitterness will be at the end? How long before you tell the people, 'Return from following their brothers'?" 27 Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, then from the morning the people would have gone up, a man behind his brother." 28 Joab blew the shofar, and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel any further, and they stopped fighting. 29 Abner and his men marched through the Plains of Moab all that night. They crossed the Jordan and marched all morning until they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from following Abner and gathered all the people together. When they counted David's servants, there were nine hundred and twenty men. 31 David's servants struck down three hundred and sixty men from Benjamin and from Abner's men, and they died. 32 And they bore Asahel and buried him in the burial site of his father, which is in the house of bread. And Joab and his men went all night, and they encamped at Hebron.
3
Chapter 3
1 The war became prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew strong, while the house of Saul grew weak. 2 Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite. 3 His second was Kelaab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Abshalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. 4 And the fourth, Adonijah son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah son of Abital. 5 And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.