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 were with 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, That the men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto 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 Ish-bosheth 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 Ish-bosheth Saul’s son was forty 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 Ish-bosheth 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 pertained to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in 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 as light 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, Art thou 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, that as 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 lieth before 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, As God 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 that three hundred and threescore men died.
32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
1 这事以后, 大卫求问耶和华说: "我可以上犹大的一座城去吗?"耶和华回答: "你上去吧。"大卫又问: "我应该上到哪里去呢?"他回答: "上希伯仑去! "
2 于是大卫带着他的两个妻子, 一个是耶斯列人亚希暖, 一个是作过迦密人拿八妻子的亚比该, 上到那里去了。
3 大卫也把与他在一起的人, 和他们各人的家眷都带上去。他们就在希伯仑的城镇里住下来。
4 于是犹大人来到希伯仑, 在那里膏立了大卫作王, 统治犹大家。有人报告大卫说: "埋葬扫罗的是基列.雅比人。"
5 大卫就差派使者到基列.雅比人那里去, 对他们说: "愿耶和华赐福给你们, 因为你们厚待了你们的主扫罗, 把他埋葬了。
6 你们既作了这事, 现在就愿耶和华以慈爱和诚实待你们, 我也要善待你们。
7 现在你们要坚强, 要作勇敢的人, 因为你们的主扫罗已经死了; 犹大家已经膏立了我作他们的王了。"
8 当时, 扫罗的元帅尼珥的儿子押尼珥已经领着扫罗的儿子伊施波设, 把他带过河到玛哈念去,
9 并且立了他作王, 统治基列、亚书利、耶斯列、以法莲、便雅悯和以色列众人。
10 扫罗的儿子伊施波设作以色列王的时候, 已经四十岁; 他作王共两年。犹大家却追随大卫。
11 大卫在希伯仑作王统治犹大家的时候共有七年零六个月。
12 尼珥的儿子押尼珥带着扫罗的儿子伊施波设的仆从, 离开玛哈念, 到基遍去。
13 洗鲁雅的儿子约押和大卫的臣仆也出来, 在基遍的水池旁边与他们会面。大家都坐下, 一队在水池这边, 一队在水池那边。
14 押尼珥对约押说: "让年轻人起来, 在我们面前比比武。"约押说: "好! 叫他们起来。"
15 他们就起来, 按着人数走过去: 属便雅悯, 就是属扫罗的儿子伊施波设的, 有十二人; 属大卫臣仆的也有十二人。
16 他们各人都紧紧抓住对手的头, 用刀刺进对手的肋旁, 于是他们全都倒毙。所以在基遍那地方就叫作希利甲.哈素林。
17 那天的战事非常激烈, 结果押尼珥和以色列人败在大卫的臣仆面前。
18 洗鲁雅的三个儿子约押、亚比筛和亚撒黑都在那里。亚撒黑的腿轻快如野地的羚羊一般。
19 亚撒黑追赶押尼珥, 紧紧地跟着他, 不偏左, 也不偏右。
20 押尼珥往后瞧着, 说: "你是亚撒黑吗?"他回答: "我正是。"
21 押尼珥对他说: "你或转左或转右, 抓住一个年轻人, 夺去他的武器吧! "可是亚撒黑不愿意离开不追赶他。
22 押尼珥再一次对亚撒黑说: "你离开, 别追赶我! 我为什么要把你砍倒在地上呢?以后怎么还有脸见你的哥哥约押呢?"
23 亚撒黑不肯离开, 所以押尼珥就用枪的尾端刺入了他的肚子, 枪从他的背后穿出。亚撒黑仆倒在那里, 当场死了。所有来到亚撒黑倒毙的地方的人, 都站住不动。
24 约押和亚比筛却继续追赶押尼珥。日落的时候, 他们来到亚玛山, 就在通往基遍旷野的路旁, 基亚的对面。
25 便雅悯人集结在押尼珥后面, 站在一座山头上, 列成一个队伍。
26 押尼珥对约押喊叫, 说: "刀剑要不停地杀人吗?你不知道结局是痛苦的吗?你要等到什么时候才吩咐人民转去, 不追赶自己的兄弟呢?"
27 约押说: "我指着永活的 神起誓, 如果你们没有说过比武的话, 大家必在早晨的时候离去, 不再追赶自己的兄弟。"
28 于是约押吹响号角, 众人就站住, 不再追赶以色列人, 也不再打仗了。
29 押尼珥和属他的人, 整夜走过亚拉巴, 渡过约旦河, 又走过毕伦, 才回到玛哈念。
30 约押追赶押尼珥回来, 集合所有人的时候, 发现在大卫的臣仆中, 除了亚撒黑以外, 还少了十九个人。
31 但大卫的臣仆击杀便雅悯人和跟随押尼珥的人, 共有三百六十人死了。
32 他们把亚撒黑抬回去, 埋葬在伯利恒他父亲的坟墓里。约押和属他的人走了一整夜, 天亮的时候才回到希伯仑。