Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James Version
Now the
war between the house of Saul and the house of David was
protracted.
And
David grew
stronger and stronger, while
the house of Saul grew
weaker and weaker.
Now there
was
long
war between the house of Saul and the house of David :
but
David waxed
stronger and stronger, and
the house of Saul waxed
weaker and weaker.
And sons
were born to
David
in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by
Ahinoam
of Jezreel
;
And unto
David
were sons
born in Hebron: and
his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam
the
Jezreelitess
;
his second was
Chileab, by
Abigail the widow
of Nabal of
Carmel
; his
third was
Absalom
, the son of Maacah daughter of King
Talmai of Geshur;
And
his second ,
Chileab, of
Abigail the wife
of Nabal the
Carmelite
; and
the
third, Absalom
the son of Maacah the
daughter of Talmai king
of Geshur;
his
fourth was
Adonijah
, the son of Haggith; his
fifth was
Shephatiah
, the son of Abital;
And
the
fourth, Adonijah
the son of Haggith; and
the
fifth, Shephatiah
the son of Abital;
and his
sixth was
Ithream, by David’s
wife
Eglah. These sons
were born to David in Hebron.
And the
sixth ,
Ithream, by Eglah David's
wife
. These were born to David in Hebron.
During
the
war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had
continued
to
strengthen
his
position
in
the house of Saul.
And
it
came
to
pass,
while
there
was
war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that
Abner made
himself
strong
for
the house of Saul.
Meanwhile,
Saul had a concubine named
Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah .
So
Ish-bosheth
questioned
Abner, “Why
did
you
sleep
with
my father’s
concubine? ”
And
Saul had a concubine ,
whose
name
was
Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah :
and
Ishbosheth
said
to
Abner, Wherefore
hast
thou
gone
in
unto
my father's
concubine?
Abner
was furious
over
Ish-bosheth’s
accusation.
“Am
I
the head
of a dog
that
belongs
to
Judah ?”
he
asked.
“All
this time
I
have
been
loyal
to
the house of your
father
Saul, to his brothers
, and to his friends .
I
have not delivered you
into the hand of David, but
now
you
accuse
me of
wrongdoing
with this woman !
Then
was Abner
very
wroth
for
the words
of Ishbosheth,
and
said,
Am
I
a dog's
head,
which
against
Judah do
show
kindness
this day
unto
the house of Saul thy
father
, to his brethren
, and to his friends ,
and
have not delivered thee
into the hand of David, that
thou
chargest
me to
day
with a
fault
concerning
this woman ?
May
God punish
Abner, and ever
so
severely
, if
I
do
not
do
for
David
what
the LORD has
sworn to him :
So
do
God to
Abner, and more
also
, except,
as
the LORD hath
sworn to David,
even
so
I
do
to
him ;
to transfer
the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish
the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. ”
To translate
the kingdom from the house of Saul ,
and to set
up
the throne of David over Israel and over
Judah, from Dan even
to Beersheba.
And for
fear
of
Abner,
Ish-bosheth
did
not dare
to
say
another
word to
him.
And he
could
not answer
Abner
a
word again,
because
he
feared
him.
Then
Abner sent messengers in
his
place
to say
to
David, “To
whom
does
the land belong
? Make your
covenant
with me, and surely
my hand will
be with you
to bring all Israel over
to
you
. ”
And
Abner sent messengers to David on
his
behalf
, saying,
Whose
is
the land? saying
also,
Make thy
league
with me, and ,
behold,
my hand shall
be with thee,
to bring about
all Israel unto
thee
.
“Good,”
replied
David
, “
I will make a covenant
with you.
But there
is
one thing I require of you:
Do
not appear
before
me
unless
you
bring Saul’s
daughter
Michal when you
come
to see me
. ”
And
he
said
, Well;
I will make a league
with thee:
but one thing I require of thee,
that
is,
Thou
shalt
not see
my
face,
except
thou
first
bring Michal Saul's
daughter,
when thou
comest
to see my
face
.
Then
David sent messengers to say
to
Ish-bosheth
son of
Saul
, “Give
me back
my wife ,
Michal, whom
I betrothed
to myself
for a
hundred Philistine
foreskins. ”
And
David sent messengers to Ishbosheth
Saul's
son, saying,
Deliver
me my wife Michal, which
I espoused
to me
for an
hundred foreskins of
the
Philistines
.
So
Ish-bosheth
sent and took Michal
from her husband Paltiel
son of Laish.
And
Ishbosheth
sent ,
and took her
from her husband ,
even
from
Phaltiel
the
son of Laish.
Her husband followed
her ,
weeping all
the
way
to Bahurim. Then Abner
said to
him, “
Go back
. ”
So
he returned home
.
And
her husband went
with
her along
weeping behind
her
to Bahurim. Then said Abner
unto
him, Go ,
return
. And
he returned.
Now
Abner conferred
with the elders of Israel and
said
, “In
the
past
you
sought David as
your
king .
And
Abner had
communication
with the elders of Israel, saying,
Ye
sought for
David in
times
past
to
be
king over
you:
Now take
action,
because
the LORD has
said
to
David, ‘Through
My servant David I will save My people Israel from
the hands
of the Philistines and of all their enemies. ’”
Now then
do
it:
for
the LORD hath
spoken
of
David, saying,
By
the
hand
of
my servant David I will save my people Israel out
of
the hand
of the Philistines ,
and out
of the
hand
of
all their enemies.
Abner also spoke
to
the Benjamites
and went to
Hebron
to tell
David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin.
And
Abner also spake
in
the ears
of
Benjamin:
and Abner
went also
to speak
in
the
ears
of
David in
Hebron
all that seemed good to Israel ,
and that
seemed
good
to the whole house of Benjamin.
When
Abner and
twenty
of
his
men
came to David at
Hebron, David held
a feast for
them
.
So
Abner came to David to
Hebron, and
twenty
men
with
him.
And
David made
Abner
and
the
men
that
were
with
him
a feast.
Then
Abner said to
David, “Let
me
go at
once
, and I
will gather all Israel to
my lord the king, that they may make a covenant
with you
, and that you
may
rule
over all that your
heart desires
. ”
So
David dismissed
Abner ,
and he went in peace.
And
Abner said unto
David, I
will
arise
and
go, and will gather all Israel unto
my lord the king, that they may make a league
with thee
, and that thou
mayest
reign
over all that thine
heart desireth
. And
David sent
Abner away;
and he went in peace.
Just
then
David’s
soldiers
and Joab returned
from a raid
, bringing
with
them
a great plunder.
But Abner was not with David in Hebron because
David
had sent him on
his
way
in peace.
And ,
behold,
the
servants
of
David
and
Joab came
from pursuing
a troop
, and
brought
in
a great spoil
with
them:
but Abner was not with David in Hebron ;
for
he
had sent him away,
and
he
was
gone
in peace.
When Joab and all his
troops
arrived,
he
was informed
, “
Abner son of Ner came to see
the king, who
sent him on
his
way
in peace. ”
When Joab and all the
host
that
was with
him
were
come
, they
told
Joab,
saying,
Abner the
son of Ner came to the king, and
he
hath
sent him away,
and
he
is
gone
in peace.
So
Joab went
to the king and said, “
What have
you
done? Look
, Abner came to
you.
Why did
you
dismiss
him ?
Now
he is getting
away!
Then
Joab came
to the king ,
and said, What hast
thou
done? behold
, Abner came unto
thee;
why is
it
that
thou
hast
sent
him away,
and
he is quite
gone?
Surely
you
realize
that
Abner son of Ner came to deceive you
and to track
your
movements
and all that you
are
doing
. ”
Thou
knowest
Abner the
son of Ner ,
that
he
came to deceive thee,
and to know
thy
going
out
and thy
coming
in,
and
to
know
all that thou
doest
.
As
soon
as
Joab had
left
David, he sent messengers after Abner, who
brought him back
from the well of Sirah ;
but David was
unaware
of
it.
And
when
Joab was
come
out
from
David, he sent messengers after Abner, which
brought him again
from the well of Sirah :
but David knew
it not
.
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled
him aside into
the gateway,
as
if
to speak to
him privately
, and there
Joab
stabbed
him in
the stomach.
So
Abner
died on
account
of
the blood of Joab’s
brother
Asahel.
And
when Abner was
returned to Hebron, Joab took
him aside in
the gate
to speak with
him quietly
, and smote
him there
under
the fifth
rib,
that
he
died ,
for
the blood of Asahel his
brother
.
Afterward ,
David heard about
this
and
said, “
I and my kingdom are forever
guiltless before the LORD concerning
the blood of Abner son of Ner .
And
afterward when
David heard it,
he
said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for
ever
from
the blood of Abner the
son of Ner :
May
it whirl
over
the heads
of Joab and the
entire
house
of
his father,
and may
the house of Joab never
be
without
one having
a
discharge
or skin
disease
, or one
who
leans
on a staff or falls
by
the sword or lacks
food
. ”
Let
it rest
on
the head
of Joab ,
and on
all
his father's
house;
and let
there
not
fail
from
the house of Joab one that
hath
an
issue,
or that
is
a
leper
, or that
leaneth
on a staff ,
or that
falleth
on
the sword ,
or that
lacketh
bread
.
(
Joab and his brother Abishai
murdered
Abner because he had killed
their brother Asahel in the battle at
Gibeon
. )
So
Joab ,
and Abishai
his brother slew
Abner ,
because he had slain
their brother Asahel at
Gibeon
in the battle.
Then
David ordered
Joab and all the people with him, “Tear
your clothes, put
on
sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. ”
And King David himself walked
behind
the funeral
bier.
And
David said
to
Joab ,
and to
all the people that
were
with him, Rend
your clothes, and
gird
you
with
sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed
the bier.
When
they buried Abner in Hebron ,
the king wept aloud
at Abner’s
tomb,
and all the people wept.
And
they buried Abner in Hebron :
and
the king lifted
up
his
voice,
and
wept at the
grave
of
Abner;
and all the people wept.
And the king sang
this
lament
for
Abner :
“Should
Abner die
the
death
of
a fool?
And the king lamented
over
Abner ,
and
said,
Died
Abner as
a fool dieth
?
Your
hands were not bound, your
feet were
not
fettered.
As a man falls
before the
wicked, so also
you
fell
. ”
And all the people wept over him even
more
.
Thy
hands were not bound, nor
thy
feet put
into
fetters:
as a man falleth
before wicked men
, so fellest
thou
. And all the people wept again
over him.
Then
all the people came and
urged
David to eat something
while it was still
day, but
David took
an
oath
, saying, “May
God punish
me, and ever
so
severely
, if I taste bread or anything
else before
the sun sets!”
And
when
all the people came to
cause
David to eat meat
while it was yet
day, David sware
, saying, So
do
God to
me, and more
also
, if I taste bread ,
or ought
else ,
till
the sun be
down.
All the people took note
and were
pleased .
In
fact,
everything
the king did pleased them
.
And
all the people took notice
of
it,
and it
pleased them:
as
whatsoever
the king did pleased all
the
people
.
So
on
that
day
all the troops
and all Israel were
convinced
that the king had
no
part
in
the
murder
of
Abner son of Ner.
For
all the people
and all Israel understood
that day
that
it
was
not
of
the king to
slay
Abner the
son of Ner.
Then
the king said to
his servants, “Do
you
not realize
that a great
prince has
fallen today
in Israel?
And
the king said unto
his servants, Know
ye
not that there
is
a prince and
a
great
man
fallen this
day
in Israel?
And I am weak
this day, though anointed as
king ,
and these men ,
the sons of Zeruiah ,
are
too fierce
for me .
May
the LORD repay
the evildoer
according to his evil!”
And I am this day weak
, though anointed king ;
and these men the sons of Zeruiah be
too hard
for me :
the LORD shall
reward
the doer
of
evil
according to his wickedness.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..