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, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. 2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite. 3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man 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, That the men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul.

5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now the LORD shew kindness 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 Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 And 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 Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time 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 Ish-bosheth 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 together 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 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15 Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah 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, I am. 21 And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore 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: wherefore Abner with the hinder 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 Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? 27 And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. 28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. 29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim. 30 And Joab 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 threescore men died.

32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.