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

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

3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So 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 reported to David, saying, The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.

5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, You are blessed of Jehovah, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.

6 And now may Jehovah show kindness and truth to you. I also will deal kindly with you, because you have done this thing.

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

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim;

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

10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he 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. So they sat down, one on 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 make sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.

16 And each one grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Swords, which is in Gibeon.

17 And the battle was fierce that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were smitten before the servants of David.

18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a gazelle in the field.

19 And Asahel pursued after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from after Abner.

20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, Are you Asahel? He answered, I am.

21 And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his spoils for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from after him.

22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from after me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then shall I lift up my face to your brother Joab?

23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of the spear, so that the spear came out his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

24 Joab and Abishai also pursued after Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

25 And the sons of Benjamin gathered together after Abner and became one band, and took their stand on top of a hill.

26 Then 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 will it be then until you tell the people to turn back from after their brethren?

27 And Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning the people would have gone up, every one after his brother.

28 So Joab blew a shofar; and all the people stood still and did not pursue after Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.

29 And Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.

30 And Joab returned from pursuing after Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.

31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died.

32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

1 E SUCEDEU depois disto que Davi consultou ao Senhor, dizendo: Subirei a alguma das cidades de Judá? E disse-lhe o Senhor: Sobe. E disse Davi: Para onde subirei? E disse: Para Hebrom. 2 E subiu Davi para lá, e também a suas duas mulheres, Aquinoã, a jezreelita, e Abigail, a mulher de Nabal, o carmelita. 3 Fez também Davi subir os homens que estavam com ele, cada um com a sua família: e habitaram nas cidades de Hebrom. 4 Então vieram os homens de Judá, e ungiram ali a Davi rei sobre a casa de Judá. E deram avisos a Davi, dizendo: Os homens de Jabes-Gileade são os que sepultaram a Saul. 5 Então enviou Davi mensageiros aos homens de Jabes-Gileade, e disse-lhes: Benditos sejais vós do Senhor, que fizestes tal beneficência a vosso senhor, a Saul, e o sepultastes! 6 Agora, pois, o Senhor use convosco de beneficência e fidelidade: e também eu vos farei este bem, porquanto fizestes isto. 7 Esforcem-se pois agora as vossas mãos, e sede homens valentes, pois Saul, vosso senhor, é morto, mas também os da casa de Judá já me ungiram a mim rei sobre si.

8 Porém Abner, filho de Ner, capitão do exército de Saul, tomou a Isbosete, filho de Saul, e o fez passar a Maanaim. 9 E o constituiu rei sobre Gileade e sobre os assuritas, e sobre Jezreel, e sobre Efraim, e sobre Benjamim, e sobre todo o Israel. 10 Da idade de quarenta anos era Isbosete, filho de Saul, quando começou a reinar sobre Israel, e reinou dois anos: mas os da casa de Judá seguiam a Davi. 11 E foi o número dos dias que Davi reinou em Hebrom, sobre a casa de Judá, sete anos e seis meses.

12 Então saiu Abner, filho de Ner, com os servos de Isbosete, filho de Saul, de Maanaim a Gibeom. 13 Saíram também Joabe, filho de Zeruia, e os servos de Davi, e se encontraram uns com os outros perto do tanque de Gibeom: e pararam estes desta banda do tanque e os outros daquela banda do tanque. 14 E disse Abner a Joabe: Deixa levantar os mancebos, e joguem diante de nós. E disse Joabe: Levantem-se. 15 Então se levantaram e passaram, por conta, doze de Benjamim, da parte de Isbosete, filho de Saul, e doze dos servos de Davi. 16 E cada um lançou mão da cabeça do outro, meteu-lhe a espada pela ilharga, e caíram juntamente: donde se chamou àquele lugar Helcate-Hazurim que está junto a Gibeom. 17 E seguiu-se naquele dia uma crua peleja: porém Abner e os homens de Israel foram feridos diante dos servos de Davi. 18 E estavam ali os três filhos de Zeruia, Joabe, Abisai, e Asael; e Asael era ligeiro de pés, como uma das cabras monteses que há no campo. 19 E Asael seguiu após Abner: e não declinou de detrás de Abner, nem para a direita nem para a esquerda. 20 E Abner, olhando para trás, disse: És tu Asael? E disse ele: Eu sou. 21 Então lhe disse Abner: Desvia-te para a direita, ou para a esquerda e lança mão dum dos mancebos, e toma os seus despojos. Porém Asael não quis desviar-se de detrás dele. 22 Então Abner tornou a dizer a Asael: Desvia-te de detrás de mim; por que hei de eu ferir-te e dar contigo em terra? e como levantaria eu o meu rosto diante de Joabe teu irmão? 23 Porém, não se querendo ele desviar, Abner o feriu com o conto da lança pela quinta costela, e a lança lhe saiu por detrás, e caiu ali, e morreu naquele mesmo lugar; e sucedeu que todos os que chegavam ao lugar onde Asael caiu e morreu, paravam. 24 Porém Joabe e Abisai seguiram após Abner: e pôs-se o sol, chegando eles ao outeiro de Amá, que está diante de Giá, junto ao caminho do deserto de Gibeom. 25 E os filhos de Benjamim se ajuntaram detrás de Abner, e fizeram um batalhão, e puseram-se no cume dum outeiro. 26 Então Abner gritou a Joabe, e disse: Consumirá a espada para sempre? não sabes tu que por fim haverá amargura? e até quando não hás de dizer ao povo que deixe de seguir a seus irmãos? 27 E disse Joabe: Vive Deus, que, se não tivesses falado já desde pela manhã o povo teria cessado cada um de seguir a seu irmão. 28 Então Joabe tocou a buzina, e todo o povo parou, e não perseguiram mais a Israel: e tão pouco pelejaram mais. 29 E caminharam Abner e os seus homens toda aquela noite pela planície; e, passando o Jordão, caminharam por todo o Bitrom, e vieram a Maanaim. 30 Também Joabe se tornou de seguir a Abner, e ajuntou todo o povo: e dos servos de Davi faltaram dezenove homens e Asael. 31 Porém os servos de Davi feriram dentre os de Benjamim, e dentre os homens de Abner, a trezentos e sessenta homens, que ali ficaram mortos. 32 E levantaram a Asael, e sepultaram-no na sepultura de seu pai, que estava em Belém; e Joabe e seus homens caminharam toda aquela noite, e amanheceu-lhes em Hebrom.