2 Samuel · Updated Brenton English Septuagint
2 Samuel 2 Updated Brenton English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Same Septuagint text as Brenton, with modernised spelling.
1 And it came to pass after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? and the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? and he said, To Hebron.
1 After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.”
2 And David went up thither to Hebron, [he] and both his wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 and the men that were with him, every one and his family; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
3 David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.
4 And the men of Judea come, and anoint David there to reign over the house of Judah; and they reported to David, saying, The men of Jabesh of the country of Gilead have buried Saul.
4 The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”
5 And David sent messengers to the rulers of Jabesh of the country of Gilead, and David said to them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, because ye have wrought this mercy toward your lord, even toward Saul the anointed of the Lord, and ye have buried him and Jonathan his son.
5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
6 And now may the Lord deal in mercy and truth toward you: and I also will requite toward you this good deed, because ye have done this.
6 Now may Yahweh show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.
7 And now let your hands be made strong, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and moreover the house of Judah have anointed me to be king over them.
7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
8 But Abner, the son of Ner, the commander-in-chief of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and brought him up from the camp to Mahanaim
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9 and made him king over the land of Gilead, and over Thasiri, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son [was] forty years old, when he reigned over Israel; and he reigned two years, but not over the house of Judah, who followed David.
10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11 And the days which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah were seven years and six months.
11 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 went forth, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
12 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 forth from Hebron, and met them at the fountain of Gibeon, at the same place: and these sat down by the fountain on this side, and those by the fountain on that side.
13 Joab the son of Zeruiah and David’s servants went out, and met them 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 now the young men arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Please let the young men arise and compete before us!” Joab said, “Let them arise!”
15 And there arose and passed over by number twelve of the children of Benjamin, belonging to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
15 Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
16 And they seized every one the head of his neighbor with his hand, and his sword [was thrust] into the side of his neighbor, and they fall down together: and the name of that place was called The portion of the treacherous ones, which is in Gibeon.
16 They each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
17 And the battle was very severe on that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were worsted before the servants of David.
17 The battle was very severe that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before David’s servants.
18 And there were there the three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was swift in his feet as a roe in the field.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
19 And Asahel followed after Abner, and turned not to go to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
19 Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
20 And Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel himself? and he said, I am.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.”
21 And Abner said to him, Turn thou to the right hand or to the left, and lay hold for thyself on one of the young men, and take to thyself his armor: but Asahel would not turn back from following him.
21 Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him.
22 And Abner said yet again to Asahel, Stand aloof from me, lest I smite thee to the ground? and how should I lift up my face to Joab?
22 Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?”
23 And what does this mean? return to Joab thy brother. But he would not stand aloof; and Abner smites him with the hinder end of the spear on the loins, and the spear went out behind him, and he falls there and dies on the spot: and it came to pass that everyone that came to the place where Asahel fell and died, stood still.
23 However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
24 And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down: and they went as far as the hill of Ammah, which is in the front of Giah, by the desert way of Gibeon.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the children of Benjamin who followed Abner gather themselves together, and they formed themselves into one body, and stood on the top of a hill.
25 The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.
26 And Abner called Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour perpetually? knowest thou not that it will be bitter at last? How long then wilt thou refuse to tell the people to turn from following our brethren?
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?”
27 And Joab said, As the Lord lives, if thou hadst not spoken, even from the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.
27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”
28 And Joab sounded the trumpet, and all the people departed, and did not pursue after Israel, and did not fight any longer.
28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.
29 And Abner and his men departed at evening, [and went] all that night, and crossed over Jordan, and went along the whole adjacent [country], and they come to the camp.
29 Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
30 And Joab returned from following Abner, and he assembled all the people, and there were missing of the people of David, nineteen men, and Asahel.
30 Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men of David’s and Asahel were missing.
31 And the servants of David smote of the children of Benjamin, of the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men belonging to him.
31 But David’s servants had struck Benjamin and Abner’s men so that three hundred sixty men died.
32 And they take up Asahel, and bury him in the tomb of his father in Bethlehem. And Joab and the men with him went all the night, and the morning rose upon them in Hebron.
32 They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abishai
Son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, who went down with David to Saul's sleeping camp, commanded a third of David's army, rescued David from Ishbi-benob, and won a name as chief of…
Cited in the guide: 1 Samuel 26:6; 2 Samuel 2:18; 2 Samuel 10:10
Abner
The son of Saul's uncle Ner and commander of Saul's army, who made Ish-bosheth king, later promised to bring Israel over to David, and was killed by Joab at Hebron in revenge for…
Cited in the guide: 1 Samuel 14:50; 1 Samuel 17:55; 2 Samuel 2:8
Asahel
Son of Zeruiah, fleet of foot like a wild gazelle, who chased Abner and was killed by him; he is listed among the Thirty.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 2:18; 2 Samuel 2:23; 2 Samuel 2:32
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Ish-bosheth
Saul's son who briefly reigned over the northern tribes in rivalry with David.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 2:8-10; 2 Samuel 4
Joab
Son of Zeruiah and commander of David's army, who killed Abner and Amasa, besieged Rabbah, killed Absalom in the oak, and carried out David's census.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 2:13; 2 Samuel 3:27; 2 Samuel 12:26
Zeruiah
David's sister, mother of the mighty warriors Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.
Cited in the guide: 1 Chronicles 2:16; 2 Samuel 2:18
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 143:8; Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 Samuel 30:31; 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4
- 2 1 Samuel 25:42–43; 1 Samuel 30:5; Luke 22:28–29
- 3 1 Chronicles 12:1–7; 1 Samuel 27:2–3; 1 Samuel 30:1; 1 Samuel 30:9–10; 1 Samuel 22:2
- 4 2 Samuel 5:5; 1 Samuel 31:11–13; 2 Samuel 5:3; 1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Chronicles 11:3
- 5 1 Samuel 23:21; Psalm 115:15; Ruth 2:20; 1 Samuel 24:19; Ruth 3:10
- 6 Proverbs 14:22; Exodus 34:6; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 5:7; 2 Timothy 1:16–18
- 7 Ephesians 6:10; 2 Samuel 10:12; 1 Samuel 4:9; Genesis 15:1; 1 Samuel 31:12
- 8 1 Samuel 14:50; Genesis 32:2; 1 Samuel 17:55; 1 Chronicles 8:33; 2 Samuel 4:5–6
- 9 Numbers 32:1–42; Psalm 108:8; Numbers 1:40; Joshua 19:18; Judges 1:32
- 11 1 Kings 2:11; 2 Samuel 5:4–5; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 1 Chronicles 29:27
- 12 Joshua 10:4; Joshua 18:25; Joshua 10:2; Joshua 9:3; Joshua 10:12
- 13 1 Chronicles 2:16; 2 Samuel 8:16; 1 Chronicles 11:6; 2 Samuel 2:18; Jeremiah 41:12
- 14 2 Samuel 2:17; Proverbs 25:8; Proverbs 17:14; Proverbs 10:23; Proverbs 26:18–19
- 17 2 Samuel 3:1
- 18 1 Chronicles 12:8; Habakkuk 3:19; Song of Songs 2:17; Psalm 18:33; Song of Songs 8:14
- 19 Proverbs 4:27; Joshua 23:6; 2 Samuel 2:21; Joshua 1:7; 2 Kings 22:2
- 21 Judges 14:19
- 22 2 Samuel 3:27; 2 Kings 14:10–12; Proverbs 29:1; Ecclesiastes 6:10
- 23 2 Samuel 3:27; 2 Samuel 4:6; 2 Samuel 20:10; 2 Samuel 5:6; 2 Samuel 20:12–13
- 26 Jeremiah 46:14; Acts 7:26; Jeremiah 46:10; Proverbs 17:14; Hosea 11:6
- 27 Proverbs 17:14; 1 Samuel 25:26; 2 Samuel 2:14; Proverbs 25:8; Proverbs 15:1
- 29 2 Samuel 2:8; Song of Songs 2:17
- 31 1 Kings 20:11; 2 Samuel 3:1
- 32 1 Chronicles 2:13–16; 1 Samuel 17:58; 2 Samuel 5:1; 2 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Chronicles 16:14
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences