2 Samuel 2:12-32 - War Between Judah And Israel

¹² Ner's son Abner and the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon. ¹³ Zeruiah's son Joab and some of David's staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool.

¹⁴ Abner told Joab, "Let's have the young men get up and fight in our presence." Joab replied, "Let them come."

¹⁵ So they got up and twelve were counted to represent Benjamin and Saul's son Ish-bosheth and twelve to represent members of David's staff. ¹⁶ Each man grabbed his opponent by the head, plunged his sword into his opponent's side, and then they both fell together. That's why the place at Gibeon was named The Field of Swords.

¹⁷ The battle was very violent that day, with Abner and the men of Israel being defeated in the presence of David's servants. ¹⁸ Zeruiah's three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles. ¹⁹ So Asahel ran straight after Abner, following him. ²⁰ When Abner looked behind him, he said, "Is that you, Asahel?" He answered, "I am."

²¹ Abner told him, "Go off to your right or left after one of the young men and grab some war spoils." But Asahel would not stop following him, ²² so Abner told Asahel again, "Stop following me. Why should I strike you down? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?"

²³ But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner struck Asahel in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He collapsed to the ground and died where he fell. Everyone gathered round the place where Asahel had collapsed and died, and stood still there. ²⁴ Meanwhile, Joab and Abishai continued to chase Abner. At dusk, as they approached the hill of Ammah that is located near Giah on the way to the Gibeon desert,

²⁵ the descendants of Benjamin rallied around Abner, forming a single military force. They took their stand on top of the hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever? Don't you realize that the end result is bitterness? How long will it take for you to order your army to stop pursuing their own relatives?"

²⁷ Joab answered, "As God lives, if you hadn't spoken up, by morning my army would have broken off their pursuit of their own relatives." ²⁸ So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting. ²⁹ Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning.

³⁰ Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David's soldiers were missing besides Asahel. ³¹ Meanwhile, other soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. ³² They retrieved Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.

⁸ "Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, and the alarm in Ramah. Cry out at Beth-aven Go out, Benjamin! ⁹ Ephraim will be desolate when it is rebuked. I have made known among the tribes of Israel what will surely come about. ¹⁰ The princes of Judah have become like those who move boundary markers: I will pour out my anger on them like water. ¹¹ Ephraim is crushed, broken by judgment, because he willingly pursued idols. ¹² Therefore I will consume Ephraim like a moth, and the house of Judah as rottenness consumes. ¹³ When Ephraim examined his illness and Judah his injury, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and inquired of the great king; but he could not cure you nor heal your injury. ¹⁴ Therefore I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I even I will tear them to pieces, and then I will leave. I will take them away, and there will be no rescue. ¹⁵ "I will leave and go back to my place until they admit their offense and seek my face. When affliction comes to them, they will eagerly seek me."