1 Depois disso, Davi consultou o Senhor: Devo subir a alguma das cidades de Judá?, perguntou ele. Vai, respondeu o Senhor. Davi retomou: Aonde irei? A Hebron.2 Davi subiu a Hebron com suas duas mulheres, Aquinoã de Jezrael e Abigail, viúva de Nabal, de Carmelo.3 Levou também Davi os homens de sua tropa com suas famílias, e fixaram-se nas cidades de Hebron.4 Os homens de Judá foram ali e sagraram Davi rei da casa de Judá. Foi anunciado ao rei que os homens de Jabes em Galaad haviam sepultado Saul.5 Davi mandou-lhes mensageiros, dizendo: Benditos sejais pelo Senhor, por terdes feito esta obra de misericórdia para com o vosso senhor Saul, sepultando-o!6 Que o Senhor, por sua vez, se mostre bom e fiel para convosco; e eu também vos beneficiarei por essa ação que fizestes.7 Coragem! Sede homens valentes! Vosso senhor Saul morreu, e a casa de Judá me ungiu por seu rei.8 Entretanto, Abner, filho de Ner, chefe do exército de Saul, tomou Isboset, filho de Saul, e levou-o a Maanaim,9 onde o declarou rei sobre Galaad, sobre os assuritas, sobre Jezrael, Efraim, Benjamim e sobre todo o Israel.10 Isboset, filho de Saul, tinha quarenta anos quando se tornou rei de Israel, e reinou dois anos. Só a casa de Judá seguiu Davi.11 Sete anos e meio reinou Davi sobre a casa de Judá em Hebron.12 Abner, filho de Ner, e os homens de Isboset, filho de Saul, saíram de Maanaim para Gabaon.13 Joab, filho de Sarvia, e a gente de Davi, puseram-se também em marcha e encontraram-nos perto da piscina de Gabaon, acampando uns de um lado da piscina e outros de outro.14 Abner disse a Joab: Aproximem-se os jovens para lutar em nossa presença. Vamos!, respondeu Joab.15 Apresentaram-se, pois, doze homens de Benjamim, da parte de Isboset, filho de Saul, e doze da gente de Davi.16 Tomando cada um a cabeça do seu adversário, mergulhou-lhe a espada no flanco, de tal modo que caíram ambos ao mesmo tempo. Deu-se a esse lugar o nome Helcat Hassurim, em Gabaon.17 Travou-se rude batalha naquele dia, tendo Abner e os homens de Israel cedido diante dos homens de Davi.18 Estavam ali os três filhos de Sarvia: Joab, Abisaí e Asael. Asael tinha os pés ligeiros como uma gazela selvagem.19 Pôs-se a perseguir Abner, sem se desviar nem para a direita, nem para a esquerda.20 És tu, Asael?, disse-lhe Abner, voltando-se. Sim.21 Volta-te à direita ou à esquerda, ataca um desses homens e leva-lhe os despojos. Mas Asael não quis deixá-lo.22 Abner disse-lhe novamente: Deixa-me. Queres que eu te fira e te deite por terra? Como poderia eu depois aparecer diante do teu irmão Joab?23 Mas como ele se recusasse a abandoná-lo, Abner feriu-o no ventre com a ponta de sua lança. A lança saiu-lhe pelas costas e Asael caiu, morrendo ali mesmo. Todos os que chegavam ao lugar onde ele jazia morto se detinham.24 Joab e Abisaí continuaram a perseguir Abner; o sol se punha quando chegaram à colina de Ama, a oriente de Giac, no caminho para o deserto de Gabaon.25 Então os benjaminitas, que se tinham ajuntado atrás de Abner, formaram-se numa tropa e fizeram alto no cimo de uma colina.26 Abner chamou Joab e disse-lhe: Não cessará a espada de devorar? Não sabes porventura que isso acabará mal? Que esperas para ordenar a esses homens que cessem de perseguir seus irmãos?27 Joab respondeu: Pela vida de Deus! Se nada tivesses dito, esses homens não teriam cessado de perseguir seus irmãos antes de amanhã.28 Joab tocou a trombeta; a tropa cessou de perseguir os israelitas, e o combate terminou.29 Abner e sua gente caminharam toda a noite na planície; passaram o Jordão, seguiram todo o desfiladeiro e atingiram Maanaim.30 Joab, tendo cessado a perseguição, juntou todo o seu povo: faltavam dezenove homens da gente de Davi, sem contar Asael.31 Mas os homens de Davi tinham matado trezentos e sessenta homens entre os benjaminitas e os de Abner.32 Levaram Asael e sepultaram-no no túmulo de seu pai, em Belém. Joab e seus homens caminharam durante toda a noite; chegaram a Hebron ao despontar da aurora.

1 And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, who [had been] the wife of Nabal of Carmel.3 And David brought up his men that were with him, each one with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabeshgilead buried Saul.5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead and said unto them, Blessed [shall ye be] of the LORD that ye have showed this mercy unto your lord, [even] unto Saul and have buried him.6 And now the LORD show mercy and truth unto you; and I also will requite you this kindness because ye have done this thing.7 Therefore, now let your hands be strengthened and be ye valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.8 But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim9 and made him king over Gilead and over the Ashuri and over Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel.10 Ishbosheth, Saul's son, [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel and reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.11 And the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.12 And Abner, the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.13 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon, and when they met, the one [group] was on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.15 Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, who [pertained] to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.16 And each one caught his fellow by the head and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together; therefore, that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon.17 And there was a very severe battle that day where Abner and the men of Israel were overcome before the servants of David.18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel, and Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe.19 And Asahel pursued after Abner, and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, [Art] thou Asahel? And he answered, Yes.21 Then Abner said to him, Turn aside to thy right hand or to thy left and lay hold on one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following after him.22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me; why should I smite thee to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab, thy brother?23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside; therefore, Abner with the butt end of the spear smote him under the fifth [rib] that the spear came out behind him, and he fell down there and died in the same place. And it came to pass [that] as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.24 But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah that [lies] before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.25 And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together in one troop with Abner and stood on the top of a hill.26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? Dost thou not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then before thou bid the people to return from following their brethren?27 And Joab replied, As God lives, if thou had not spoken, surely from this morning the people would have left off from following their brothers.28 So Joab blew the shofar, and all the people stood still and no longer pursued after Israel, neither did they fight any more.29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passing the Jordan, they went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.30 Joab also returned from following Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.31 But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin and of Abner's men, [so that] three hundred and sixty men died.32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which [was in] Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at [the] break of day.: