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The .ii. Chapter.

4 Dauid is annoynted king in Hebron. 9 Abner maketh Isboseth king ouer Israel. 15 The battell of the seruauntes of Dauid and Isboseth. 32 The burial of Asahel.

[unspec A] 1 AFter this, Dauid (a) 1.1 as∣ked counsel at the lord, saying: Shall I go vp into any of the cities of Iuda? And the Lorde sayd vnto him: Go vp. And Dauid said: Why∣ther shall I go? He aunswered: Vnto (b) 1.2Hebron.

2 And so Dauid went thyther with his two wyues, Ahinoam the Iezraelite, & Abigail Nabals wyfe the Carmelite.

3 And the men that were with (c) 1.3 him did Dauid cary vp also, euery man with his housholde: And they dwelt in the townes of Hebron.

4 And the men of Iuda came, and there they annoynted Dauid kyng ouer the house of Iuda: And they tolde Dauid, saying, It is the men of Iabes Gilead that buried Saul.

5 And Dauid sent messengers vnto the men of Iabes Gilead, and sayde vnto them: Blessed are ye vnto the lord, that ye haue shewed suche kindnesse vnto your lord Saul, and haue buried him.

[unspec B] 6 And nowe the Lorde shewe mercy and (d) 1.4 trueth vnto you: And (e) 1.5 I will do you also suche kindnes, as ye haue done in this thing:

7 Therfore nowe let your handes be strong, and “ 1.6 play ye the men: For your maister Saul is dead, and they that are of the house of Iuda haue annoynted me king ouer them.

8 But Abner the sonne of Ner that was captayne of Sauls hoaste, toke Isbo∣seth the sonne of Saul, and brought him to (f) 1.7 Mahanaim,

9 And made him king ouer Gilead, and ouer the Assurites, and ouer Iezrael, E∣phraim, Beniamin, & ouer (g) 1.8 all Israel.

10 And Isboseth Sauls sonne was four∣tie yeres olde when he began to raigne ouer Israel, and raigned two yeres: But the house of Iuda folowed Da∣uid.

11 (And the time whiche Dauid raigned in Hebron ouer the house of Iuda, was seuen yeres and sixe monethes.)

12 And Abner the sonne of Ner, and the seruauntes of Isboseth the sonne of Saul wēt out of Mahanaim to Gibeon

13 And Ioab the sonne of Zaruia, and the seruauntes of Dauid, went out and met one another by the poole of Gi∣beon: And they sate downe, the one on the one side of the poole, and the other on the other side.

14 And Abner sayde to Ioab: Let the [unspec C] young men nowe aryse, and (h) 1.9 play be∣fore vs. And Ioab sayde: Let them aryse.

15 Then there arose & went ouer twelue of Beniamin by numbre, which pertay∣ned to Isboseth the sonne of Saul, and twelue of the seruauntes of Dauid.

16 And euery one caught his felowe by y^e head, & thrust his sword in his felowes (i) 1.10side, and so they fell downe together: Wherefore the place was called “ 1.11 Hel∣kath hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

17 And there was an exceeding cruell (k) 1.12 battel that same day: For Abner and the men of Israel fell before the seruauntes of Dauid.

18 And there were three sonnes of Zar∣uia there: Ioab, Abisai, and Asahel: And Asahel was as light of foote as a wilde Roe.

19 And Asahel folowed after Abner, and in goyng he turned neither to the right hande nor to the left, from Abner.

20 Then Abner loked behynd him, and sayde: Art thou Asahel? He aunswered: Yea.

[unspec D] 21 Abner sayd: Turne thee either to the right hande or the left, and catche one of the young men, and take thee his “ 1.13 wea∣pons. But Asahel woulde not depart from him.

22 And Abner sayd agayne to Asahel, De∣part frō me: (l) 1.14 Wherfore should I smite thee to the grounde, and not be able to holde vp my face to Ioab thy brother?

23 Howebeit, when he woulde in no wyse depart, Abner with the hynder ende of the speare smote him vnder the (m) 1.15 fyft ribbe, that the speare came out behinde him, that he fell downe in the same place, and died there: And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell downe and died, stoode still.

24 Ioab also and Abisai pursued after Abner: And the sunne went downe when they were come to the hil Amma, that lyeth before Giah, by the way of the wildernesse of Gibeon.

25 And the children of Beniamin gathe∣red them selues together after Abner, & were on a heape, and stoode on the top of an hill.

26 Then Abner called to Ioab, and said: Shall the (n) 1.16 sword deuour for euer? Knowest thou not, that it wil be bitter∣nesse in the latter ende? Howe long then shall it be yer thou bid the people re∣turne from folowing their brethren?

27 And Ioab sayde: As God lyueth, if thou haddest not spoken, suerly euen in the morning the people had departed, euery one from persecuting his brother.

28 And so Ioab blewe a trumpet, and all the people stoode still, and pursued after [unspec E] Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the “ 1.17 playne, & went ouer Iordane, & past through all Beth∣horon, till they came to Mahanaim.

30 And Ioab returned from persecuting Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of Da∣uids seruaūtes nineteene men, & Asahel.

31 But the seruauntes of Dauid had smit∣ten of Beniamin and of Abners men, [so that] three hundred and threescore men died.

32 And they toke vp Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem: And Ioab and his men went all night, and the day arose to them at Hebron.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  By the meanes of the high priest hauing on the Ephod, as 1. Sa. 23. a. ••. Sam. 5. c.
• (b) 1.2

  Where God woulde haue him to beginne to raigne.
• (c) 1.3

  In the time of his per••ecution.
• (d) 1.4

  According to his pro∣mise, which is to recompence them that are mercifull.
• (e) 1.5

  As Gods instrument, charged to ex∣ecute Gods wil, by recom∣pensing kinde∣nesse and mercy.
• “ 1.6

  Heb. Be ye the children of strength.
• (f) 1.7

  The name of a place beyond Ior∣dane borde∣ring on the in∣heritaunce of Gad, frō the halfe of Ma∣na••le. I••. 13. ••
• (g) 1.8

  Whiche then were xi. tribes.
• (h) 1.9

  Let them trie howe they can han∣dell their weapons in our sight.
• (i) 1.10

  That is, his aduersa∣ries side.
• “ 1.11

  Or▪ The fielde of strong men.
• (k) 1.12

  For after the death of the young men that first tried their cunning, both captaynes with their mē ioyned toge∣ther in battel.
• “ 1.13

  Or, Spoyle
• (l) 1.14

  Why dost thou prouoke me to kill thee?
• (m) 1.15

  Where the seate of the gall and lyuer (which be liuely partes) ••
• (n) 1.16

  Sall we not make an ende of mur∣thering.
• “ 1.17

  Or, Wil∣derne••.