The King James Version of the Bible
Part 104
2237 words | Chapter 104
the death of Saul, when David was
returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two
days in Ziklag; 1:2 It came even to pass on the third day, that,
behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent,
and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he
fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
1:3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto
him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.
1:4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell
me.
And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of
the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are
dead also.
1:5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou
that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 1:6 And the young man that
told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul
leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed
hard after him.
1:7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And
I answered, Here am I.
1:8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an
Amalekite.
1:9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me:
for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
1:10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he
could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was
upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought
them hither unto my lord.
1:11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise
all the men that were with him: 1:12 And they mourned, and wept, and
fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the
people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were
fallen by the sword.
1:13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou?
And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
1:14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch
forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed? 1:15 And David
called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And
he smote him that he died.
1:16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy
mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’s
anointed.
1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over
Jonathan his son: 1:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah
the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
1:19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the
mighty fallen! 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the
streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be
rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the
mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not
been anointed with oil.
1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow
of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in
their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they
were stronger than lions.
1:24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in
scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your
apparel.
1:25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan,
thou wast slain in thine high places.
1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast
thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of
women.
1:27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! 2:1
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.
2:2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
2:3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with
his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
2:4 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
Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.
2:5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, 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.
2:6 And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will
requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.
2:7 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.
2:8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth
the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 2:9 And made him
king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over
Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
2:10 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.
2:11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of
Judah was seven years and six months.
2:12 And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son
of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2:13 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.
2:14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play
before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
2:15 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.
2:16 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.
2:17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten,
and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
2:18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai,
and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
2:19 And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the
right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
2:20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he
answered, I am.
2:21 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.
2:22 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? 2:23 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.
2:24 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.
2:25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after
Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.
2:26 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? 2:27 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.
2:28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and
pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
2:29 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.
2:30 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.
2:31 But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s
men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.
2:32 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.
3:1 Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of
David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul
waxed weaker and weaker.
3:2 And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was
Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3:3 And his second, Chileab, of
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the
son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 3:4 And the
fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son
of Abital; 3:5 And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s wife. These
were born to David in Hebron.
3:6 And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul
and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house
of Saul.
3:7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of
Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto
my father’s concubine? 3:8 Then was Abner very wroth for the words of
Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew
kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren,
and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of
David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this
woman? 3:9 So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD
hath sworn to David, even so I do to him; 3:10 To translate the
kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over
Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.
3:11 And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared
him.
3:12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose
is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my
hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.
3:13 And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing
I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou
first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face.
3:14 And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying,
Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred
foreskins of the Philistines.
3:15 And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from
Phaltiel the son of Laish.
3:16 And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to
Bahurim.
Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned.
3:17 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye
sought for David in times past to be king over you: 3:18 Now then do
it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my
servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the
Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.
3:19 And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also
to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to
Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.
3:20 So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And
David made Abner a
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