The Second Book of Shemu'el, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} It happened after the death of Sha'ul, when David was returned
from the slaughter of the `Amaleki, and David had abode two days in
Tziklag; {1:2} it happened on the third day, that behold, a man came
out of the camp from Sha'ul, with his clothes torn, and dirt on his
head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the
[1>]eretz[<1], and did obeisance. {1:3} David said to him, From whence
come you? He said to him, Out of the camp of Yisra'el am I escaped.
{1:4} David said to him, How went the matter? Please tell me. He
answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people
also are fallen and dead; and Sha'ul and Yonatan his son are dead
also. {1:5} David said to the young man who told him, How know you
that Sha'ul and Yonatan his son are dead? {1:6} The young man who told
him said, As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Sha'ul was
leaning on his spear; and, behold, the chariots and the horsemen
followed hard after him. {1:7} When he looked behind him, he saw me,
and called to me. I answered, Here am I. {1:8} He said to me, Who are
you? I answered him, I am an `Amaleki. {1:9} He said to me, Stand, I
pray you, beside me, and kill me; for anguish has taken hold of me,
because my life is yet whole in me. {1:10} So I stood beside him, and
killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he
was fallen: and I took the crown that was on his head, and the
bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.
{1:11} Then David took hold on his clothes, and tore them; and
likewise all the men who were with him: {1:12} and they mourned, and
wept, and fasted until even, for Sha'ul, and for Yonatan his son, and
for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Yisra'el; because
they were fallen by the sword. {1:13} David said to the young man who
told him, Whence are you? He answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an
`Amaleki. {1:14} David said to him, How were you not afraid to put
forth your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? {1:15} David called
one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall on him. He struck
him, so that he died. {1:16} David said to him, Your blood be on your
head; for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain
the LORD's anointed.
{1:17} David lamented with this lamentation over Sha'ul and over
Yonatan his son {1:18} (and he bade them teach the children of Yehudah
[the song of] the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Yashar):
{1:19} Your glory, Yisra'el, is slain on your high places!
How are the mighty fallen!
{1:20} Don't tell it in Gat,
Don't publish it in the streets of Ashkelon;
Lest the daughters of the Pelishtim rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
{1:21} You mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain on you, neither fields of offerings:
For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,
The shield of Sha'ul, not anointed with oil.
{1:22} From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Yonatan didn't turn back,
The sword of Sha'ul didn't return empty.
{1:23} Sha'ul and Yonatan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
In their death they were not divided:
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
{1:24} You daughters of Yisra'el, weep over Sha'ul,
Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,
Who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
{1:25} How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Yonatan is slain on your high places.
{1:26} I am distressed for you, my brother Yonatan:
Very pleasant have you been to me:
Your love to me was wonderful,
Passing the love of women.
{1:27} How are the mighty fallen,
The weapons of war perished!
{2:1} It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD,
saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Yehudah? the LORD said
to him, Go up. David said, Where shall I go up? He said, To Hevron.
{2:2} So David went up there, and his two wives also, Achino'am the
Yizre`elite, and Avigayil the wife of Naval the Karmelite. {2:3} His
men who were with him did David bring up, every man with his
household: and they lived in the cities of Hevron. {2:4} The men of
Yehudah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of
Yehudah. They told David, saying, The men of Yavesh-Gil`ad were those
who buried Sha'ul. {2:5} David sent messengers to the men of
Yavesh-Gil`ad, and said to them, Blessed be you of the LORD, that you
have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Sha'ul, and have buried
him. {2:6} Now the LORD show lovingkindness and truth to you: and I
also will requite you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
{2:7} Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be you valiant; for
Sha'ul your lord is dead, and also the house of Yehudah have anointed
me king over them. {2:8} Now Aviner the son of Ner, captain of
Sha'ul's host, had taken Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, and brought him
over to Machanayim; {2:9} and he made him king over Gil`ad, and over
the Ashuri, and over Yizre`el, and over Efrayim, and over Binyamin,
and over all Yisra'el. {2:10} Ish-Boshet, Sha'ul's son, was forty
years old when he began to reign over Yisra'el, and he reigned two
years. But the house of Yehudah followed David. {2:11} The time that
David was king in Hevron over the house of Yehudah was seven years and
six months. {2:12} Aviner the son of Ner, and the servants of
Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, went out from Machanayim to Giv`on.
{2:13} Yo'av the son of Tzeru'yah, and the servants of David, went
out, and met them by the pool of Giv`on; and they sat down, the one on
the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
{2:14} Aviner said to Yo'av, Please let the young men arise and play
before us. Yo'av said, Let them arise. {2:15} Then they arose and went
over by number: twelve for Binyamin, and for Ish-Boshet the son of
Sha'ul, and twelve of the servants of David. {2:16} They caught
everyone his fellow by the head, and [thrust] his sword in his
fellow's side; so they fell down together: therefore that place was
called Helkat-Hatztzurim, which is in Giv`on. {2:17} The battle was
very severe that day: and Aviner was beaten, and the men of Yisra'el,
before the servants of David. {2:18} The three sons of Tzeru'yah were
there, Yo'av, and Avishai, and `Asa'el: and `Asa'el was as light of
foot as a wild roe. {2:19} `Asa'el pursued after Aviner; and in going
he didn't turn to the right hand nor to the left from following
Aviner. {2:20} Then Aviner looked behind him, and said, Is it you,
`Asa'el? He answered, It is I. {2:21} Aviner 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 armor. But `Asa'el would not turn
aside from following him. {2:22} Aviner said again to `Asa'el, Turn
you aside from following me: why should I strike you to the ground?
how then should I hold up my face to Yo'av your brother? {2:23}
However he refused to turn aside: therefore Aviner with the hinder end
of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind
him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it
happened, that as many as came to the place where `Asa'el fell down
and died stood still. {2:24} But Yo'av and Avishai pursued after
Aviner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of
Ammah, that lies before Giach by the way of the wilderness of Giv`on.
{2:25} The children of Binyamin gathered themselves together after
Aviner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. {2:26}
Then Aviner called to Yo'av, and said, "Shall the sword devour
forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end?
How long shall it be then, before you bid the people return from
following their brothers?" {2:27} Yo'av said, As God lives, if you had
not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor
followed everyone his brother. {2:28} So Yo'av blew the
[1>]shofar[<1]; and all the people stood still, and pursued after
Yisra'el no more, neither fought they any more. {2:29} Aviner and his
men went all that night through the `Aravah; and they passed over the
Yarden, and went through all Bitron, and came to Machanayim. {2:30}
Yo'av returned from following Aviner: and when he had gathered all the
people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and
`Asa'el. {2:31} But the servants of David had struck of Binyamin, and
of Aviner's men, [so that] three hundred sixty men died. {2:32} They
took up `Asa'el, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was
in Beit-Lechem. Yo'av and his men went all night, and the day broke on
them at Hevron.
{3:1} Now there was long war between the house of Sha'ul and the
house of David: and David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of
Sha'ul grew weaker and weaker. {3:2} To David were sons born in
Hevron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Achino'am the Yizre`elite;
{3:3} and his second, Chileab, of Avigayil the wife of Naval the
Karmelite; and the third, Avshalom the son of Ma`akhah the daughter of
Talmai king of Geshur; {3:4} and the fourth, Adoniyahu the son of
Haggit; and the fifth, Shefatyah the son of Avital; {3:5} and the
sixth, Yitre`am, of `Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in
Hevron. {3:6} It happened, while there was war between the house of
Sha'ul and the house of David, that Aviner made himself strong in the
house of Sha'ul. {3:7} Now Sha'ul had a concubine, whose name was
Ritzpah, the daughter of Ayah: and [Ish-Boshet] said to Aviner, Why
have you gone in to my father's concubine? {3:8} Then was Aviner very
angry for the words of Ish-Boshet, and said, Am I a dog's head that
belongs to Yehudah? This day do I show kindness to the house of Sha'ul
your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not
delivered you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me this day
with a fault concerning this woman. {3:9} God do so to Aviner, and
more also, if, as the LORD has sworn to David, I don't do even so to
him; {3:10} to transfer the kingdom from the house of Sha'ul, and to
set up the throne of David over Yisra'el and over Yehudah, from Dan
even to Be'er-Sheva. {3:11} He could not answer Aviner another word,
because he feared him. {3:12} Aviner sent messengers to David on his
behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying [also], Make your league
with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all
Yisra'el to you. {3:13} He said, Well; I will make a league with you;
but one thing I require of you: that is, you shall not see my face,
except you first bring Mikhal, Sha'ul's daughter, when you come to see
my face. {3:14} David sent messengers to Ish-Boshet, Sha'ul's son,
saying, Deliver me my wife Mikhal, whom I pledged to be married to me
for one hundred foreskins of the Pelishtim. {3:15} Ish-Boshet sent,
and took her from her husband, even from Palti'el the son of Layish.
{3:16} Her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her
to Bachurim. Then said Aviner to him, Go, return: and he returned.
{3:17} Aviner had communication with the Zakenim of Yisra'el, saying,
In times past you sought for David to be king over you: {3:18} now
then do it; for the LORD has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of
my servant David I will save my people Yisra'el out of the hand of the
Pelishtim, and out of the hand of all their enemies. {3:19} Aviner
also spoke in the ears of Binyamin: and Aviner went also to speak in
the ears of David in Hevron all that seemed good to Yisra'el, and to
the whole house of Binyamin. {3:20} So Aviner came to David to Hevron,
and twenty men with him. David made Aviner and the men who were with
him a feast. {3:21} Aviner said to David, I will arise and go, and
will gather all Yisra'el to my lord the king, that they may make a
covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your soul
desires. David sent Aviner away; and he went in shalom. {3:22} Behold,
the servants of David and Yo'av came from a foray, and brought in a
great spoil with them: but Aviner was not with David in Hevron; for he
had sent him away, and he was gone in shalom. {3:23} When Yo'av and
all the host who was with him had come, they told Yo'av, saying,
Aviner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and
he is gone in shalom. {3:24} Then Yo'av came to the king, and said,
What have you done? behold, Aviner came to you; why is it that you
have sent him away, and he is quite gone? {3:25} You know Aviner the
son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out
and your coming in, and to know all that you do. {3:26} When Yo'av was
come out from David, he sent messengers after Aviner, and they brought
him back from the well of Sirah: but David didn't know it. {3:27} When
Aviner was returned to Hevron, Yo'av took him aside into the midst of
the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body,
so that he died, for the blood of `Asa'el his brother. {3:28}
Afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are
guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Aviner the son of
Ner: {3:29} let it fall on the head of Yo'av, and on all his father's
house; and let there not fail from the house of Yo'av one who has an
issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the
sword, or who lacks bread. {3:30} So Yo'av and Avishai his brother
killed Aviner, because he had killed their brother `Asa'el at Giv`on
in the battle. {3:31} David said to Yo'av, and to all the people who
were with him, Tear your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and
mourn before Aviner. King David followed the bier. {3:32} They buried
Aviner in Hevron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the
grave of Aviner; and all the people wept. {3:33} The king lamented for
Aviner, and said,
Should Aviner die as a fool dies?
{3:34} Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters:
As a man falls before the children of iniquity, so did you fall.
All the people wept again over him. {3:35} All the people came to
cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore,
saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or anything
else, until the sun be down. {3:36} All the people took notice of it,
and it pleased them; as whatever the king did pleased all the people.
{3:37} So all the people and all Yisra'el understood that day that it
was not of the king to kill Aviner the son of Ner. {3:38} The king
said to his servants, "Don't you know that there a prince and a great
man has fallen this day in Yisra'el? {3:39} I am this day weak, though
anointed king; and these men the sons of Tzeru'yah are too hard for
me. May the LORD reward the evil-doer according to his wickedness."
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Footnotes:
[1] {1:2} earth
[1] {2:28} trumpet
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