2 Samuel 2:4-25
English Standard Version
5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, "May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.
6Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.
7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
8But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul 's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim,
9and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel.
10Ish-bosheth, Saul 's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at 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.
14And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise."
15Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent 's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
17And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
19And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I."
21Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
22And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?"
23But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
