2 Samuel 2:1-17 ▼

1 It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, |Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?| The LORD said to him, |Go up.| David said, |Where shall I go up?| He said, |To Hebron.|

2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,

3 and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron.

4 Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that the men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul,

5 then he sent messengers to the lords of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, |May you be blessed by the LORD, since you showed loyalty towards your lord, Saul, and have buried him.

6 Now may the LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.

7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.|

8 Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

9 and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

10 Ishbaal, 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.

11 And the time that David ruled in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

13 Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them by 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.

14 Abner said to Joab, |Let the young men arise and compete before us.| Joab said, |Let them arise.|

15 Then they arose and went over by number: twelve of the sons of Benjamin of Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

16 They each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Field of Blades, which is in Gibeon.

17 The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.