8 But Abner the son of Ner captain of Saul's host took Ishbosheth 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 Ishbosheth 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 Ishbosheth 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 Ishbosheth 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 Helkathhazzurim 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 Bethlehem And Joab and his men went all night and they came to Hebron at break of day
