And it came to pass after this, that Dâwid enquired of YAHUAH (יהוה), saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Yahûdâh? And YAHUAH (יהוה) said unto him, Go up. And Dâwid said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Chebrôn.
So Dâwid went up thither, and his two wives also, Ăchı̂ynôam the Yizreêlı̂yth, and Ăbı̂ygayil Nâbâl's wife the Karmelı̂y.
And his men that were with him did Dâwid bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Chebrôn.
And the men of Yahûdâh came, and there they anointed Dâwid king over the house of Yahûdâh. And they told Dâwid, saying, that the men of Yâbêsh Gilâd were they that buried Shâûl.
And Dâwid sent messengers unto the men of Yâbêsh Gilâd, and said unto them, Blessed be you of YAHUAH (יהוה), that you have showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Shâûl, and have buried him.
And now YAHUAH (יהוה) show kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be you valiant: for your master Shâûl is dead, and also the house of Yahûdâh have anointed me king over them.
But Abnêr the son of Nêr, captain of Shâûl's host, took Îysh-bôsheth (אִישׁ־בּשֶׁת) the son of Shâûl, and brought him over to Machănayim (מַחֲנַיִם);
And made him king over Gilâd, and over the Âshêrı̂y (אָשֵׁרִי), and over Yizreêl, and over Ephrayim, and over Binyâmı̂yn, and over all Yâshârêl.
Îysh-bôsheth Shâûl's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Yâshârêl, and reigned two years. But the house of Yahûdâh followed Dâwid.
And the time that Dâwid was king in Chebrôn over the house of Yahûdâh was seven years and six months.
And Abnêr the son of Nêr, and the servants of Îysh-bôsheth the son of Shâûl, went out from Machănayim to Gibôn.
And Yôâb (יוֹאָב) the son of Tserûyâh, and the servants of Dâwid, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibôn: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
And Abnêr said to Yôâb, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Yôâb said, Let them arise.
Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Binyâmı̂yn, which pertained to Îysh-bôsheth the son of Shâûl, and twelve of the servants of Dâwid.
And they caught everyone his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Chelqath hatstsûrı̂ym (חֶלְקַת הַצֻּרִים), which is in Gibôn.
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abnêr was beaten, and the men of Yâshârêl, before the servants of Dâwid.
And there were three sons of Tserûyâh there, Yôâb, and Ăbı̂yshay, and Ăśâhêl (עֲשָׂהאֵל): and Ăśâhêl was as light of foot as a wild roe.
And Ăśâhêl pursued after Abnêr; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abnêr.
Then Abnêr looked behind him, and said, are you Ăśâhêl? And he answered, I am.
And Abnêr said to him, Turn you aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay you hold on one of the young men, and take you his armour. But Ăśâhêl would not turn aside from following of him.
And Abnêr said again to Ăśâhêl, Turn you aside from following me: wherefore should I smite you to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Yôâb your brother?
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abnêr 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 Ăśâhêl fell down and died stood still.
Yôâb also and Ăbı̂yshay pursued after Abnêr: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammâh (אַמָּה), that lies before Gı̂yach (גִּיחַ) by the way of the wilderness of Gibôn.
And the children of Binyâmı̂yn gathered themselves together after Abnêr, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill.
Then Abnêr called to Yôâb, and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Know you not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, ere you bid the people return from following their brethren?
And Yôâb said, as ĔLÔHÎYM (אֱלֹהִים) lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.
So Yôâb blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Yâshârêl no more, neither fought they any more.
And Abnêr and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Yardên, and went through all Bithrôn (בִּתְרוֹן), and they came to Machănayim.
And Yôâb returned from following Abnêr: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of Dâwid's servants nineteen men and Ăśâhêl.
But the servants of Dâwid had smitten of Binyâmı̂yn, and of Abnêr's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.
And they took up Ăśâhêl, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bêyth Lechem. And Yôâb and his men went all night, and they came to Chebrôn at break of day.