1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of
the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul
with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and soit was, when he came to David, that he fell
to the earth, and did obeisance.
3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of
Israel am I escaped.
4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That
the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul
and Jonathan his son are dead also.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan
his son be dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold,
Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here amI.
8 And he said unto me, Who artthou? And I answered him, I aman Amalekite.
9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me,
because my life isyet whole in me.
10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he
was fallen: and I took the crown that wasupon his head, and the bracelet that wason his arm,
and have brought them hither unto my lord.
11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that werewith
him:
12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and
for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence artthou? And he answered, I am
the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the
LORD'S anointed?
15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, andfall upon him. And he smote
him that he died.
16 And David said unto him, Thy blood beupon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against
thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use ofthe bow: behold, it iswritten in
the book of Jasher.)
19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell itnot in Gath, publish itnot in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the
Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there beno dew, neither let there berain, upon you, nor fields of
offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he
hadnot beenanointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan werelovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not
divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with otherdelights, who
put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wastslain in thine

high places.
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy
love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
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 werewith 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, Thatthe men of Jabeshgilead were theythat buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed beye
of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, evenunto 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 Ishbosheth 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 Ishbosheth Saul's son wasforty 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 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 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 pertainedto
Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrusthis sword in his fellow's side;
so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which isin
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
aslight 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, Artthou 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, thatas 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 liethbefore 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, AsGod 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 thatthree
hundred and threescore 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 break of day.
1 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.
2 And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess;
3 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;
4 And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5 And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
6 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.
7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name wasRizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishboshethsaid
to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?
8 Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, AmI a dog's head, which
against Judah do shew 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?
9 So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD hath sworn to David, even so I do to
him;
10 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.
11 And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him.
12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose isthe land? saying also,
Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall bewith thee, to bring about all Israel unto