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¹ And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and [is] strong, and the house of Saul is going on and [is] weak.² And there are sons born to David in Hebron, and his firstborn is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,³ and his second [is] Chileab, of Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite, and the third [is] Absalom son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur,⁴ and the fourth [is] Adonijah son of Haggith, and the fifth [is] Shephatiah son of Abital,⁵ and the sixth [is] Ithream, of Eglah wife of David; these have been born to David in Hebron.⁶ And it comes to pass, in the war being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner has been strengthening himself in the house of Saul,

⁷ and Saul has a concubine, and her name [is] Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and [Ish-Bosheth] says to Abner, "Why have you gone in to the concubine of my father?"⁸ And it is exceedingly displeasing to Abner, because of the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he says, "[Am] I the head of a dog—that in reference to Judah, today I do kindness with the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David—that you charge against me iniquity concerning the woman today?⁹ Thus God does to Abner, and thus He adds to him, surely as YHWH has sworn to David—surely so I do to him:¹⁰ to cause the kingdom to pass over from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba."¹¹ And he is not able to return a word [to] Abner anymore, because of his fearing him.¹² And Abner sends messengers to David for himself, saying, "Whose [is] the land?" [And] saying, "Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand [is] with you, to bring around all Israel to you."¹³ And [David] says, "Good—I make a covenant with you; only, one thing I am asking of you, that is, you do not see my face, except [that] you first bring in Michal daughter of Saul in your coming in to see my face."¹⁴ And David sends messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, saying, "Give up my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with one hundred foreskins of the Philistines."¹⁵ And Ish-Bosheth sends, and takes her from a man, from Phaltiel son of Laish,¹⁶ and her husband goes with her, going on and weeping behind her, to Bahurim, and Abner says to him, "Go, return"; and he turns back.¹⁷ And the word of Abner was with [the] elderly of Israel, saying, "Thus far you have been seeking David for king over you,¹⁸ and now, do [it], for YHWH has spoken of David saying, [It is] by the hand of my servant David to save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies."¹⁹ And Abner also speaks in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner also goes to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that [is] good in the eyes of Israel, and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin,²⁰ and Abner comes to David, to Hebron, and twenty men [are] with him, and David makes a banquet for Abner and for the men who [are] with him.²¹ And Abner says to David, "I arise, and go, and gather the whole of Israel to my lord the king, and they make a covenant with you, and you have reigned over all that your soul desires"; and David sends Abner away, and he goes in peace.

²² And behold, the servants of David, and Joab, have come from the troop, and have brought much spoil with them, and Abner is not with David in Hebron, for he has sent him away, and he goes in peace;²³ and Joab and all the host that [were] with him have come, and they declare to Joab, saying, "Abner son of Ner has come to the king, and he sends him away, and he goes in peace."²⁴ And Joab comes to the king and says, "What have you done? Behold, Abner has come to you! Why [is] this—you have sent him away, and he is really gone?²⁵ You have known Abner 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 are doing."²⁶ And Joab goes out from David, and sends messengers after Abner, and they bring him back from the well of Sirah, and David did not know.²⁷ And Abner turns back to Hebron, and Joab turns him aside to the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and strikes him there in the fifth [rib]—and he dies—for the blood of his brother Asahel.²⁸ And David hears afterward and says, "My kingdom and I [are] acquitted by YHWH for all time, from the blood of Abner son of Ner;²⁹ it stays on the head of Joab, and on all the house of his father, and there is not cut off from the house of Joab one who has discharging, and leprous, and laying hold on a staff, and falling by a sword, and lacking bread."³⁰ And Joab and his brother Abishai slew Abner because that he put their brother Asahel to death in Gibeon, in battle.³¹ And David says to Joab, and to all the people who [are] with him, "Tear your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner"; and King David is going after the bier.³² And they bury Abner in Hebron, and the king lifts up his voice, and weeps at the grave of Abner, and all the people weep;³³ and the king laments for Abner and says, "Does Abner die as the death of a fool?³⁴ Your hands not bound, || And your feet not brought near to chains! You have fallen as one falling before sons of evil!" And all the people add to weep over him.³⁵ And all the people come to cause David to eat bread while yet day, and David swears, saying, "Thus God does to me, and thus He adds, for—before the going in of the sun, I taste no bread or any other thing."³⁶ And all the people have discerned [it], and it is good in their eyes, as all that the king has done is good in the eyes of all the people;³⁷ and all the people know, even all Israel, in that day, that it has not been from the king—to put Abner son of Ner to death.³⁸ And the king says to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great one has fallen this day in Israel?³⁹ And today I [am] tender, and an anointed king: and these men, sons of Zeruiah, [are] too hard for me; YHWH repays to the doer of the evil according to his evil."