David Anointed King of Judah
And it was afterward that David asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” And David said, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.”
And David went up there, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
And his men who were with him David brought up, each man with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron.
And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David as king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”
And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them: “Blessed are you by the LORD, who have done this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and buried him.
And now, may the LORD do loyal love and faithfulness with you; and I also will do this good with you, because you have done this thing.
Now then, let your hands be strong, and be sons of valor — for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel
But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army that was Saul’s, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
And he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin — over all Israel.
Ish-bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
And the number of the days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
The Battle of Gibeon
And 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 they met them together at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, these on one side of the pool and those on the other side of the pool.
And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men rise, please, and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them rise.”
And they rose and crossed over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
And each seized his opponent by the head, with his sword in his opponent’s side, and they fell together. So that place was called the Field of Flints, which is at Gibeon.
And the battle was very hard 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, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was swift on his feet, like one of the gazelles in the field.
And Asahel pursued after Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from following Abner.
And Abner turned behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “It is I.”
And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.
And Abner said again to Asahel: “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? And how could I lift my face to Joab your brother?”
But he refused to turn aside; and Abner struck him with the butt of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out behind him; and he fell there and died where he was. And it was, everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died — they stood still.
And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun was setting as they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah, on the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
And the sons of Benjamin gathered together after Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a single hill.
And Abner called to Joab and said: “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long before you tell the people to turn back from following their brothers?”
And Joab said, “As God lives — if you had not spoken, surely only in the morning would the people have gone up, each from following his brother.”
And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still, and they no longer pursued after Israel; and they did not fight anymore.
And Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night; and they crossed the Jordan, and went through all the Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
And Joab returned from following Abner and gathered all the people; and of the servants of David, nineteen men and Asahel were missing.
But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and among Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died.
And they carried Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which is at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and day broke on them at Hebron.