Day 91 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

2 Samuel 2

1 And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? and the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? and he said, To Chebron. 2 And David went up thither to Chebron, [he] and both his wives, Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia 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 Chebron. 4 And the men of Judea come, and anoint David there to reign over the house of Juda; and they reported to David, saying, The men of Jabis of the country of Galaad have buried Saul. 5 And David sent messengers to the rulers of Jabis of the country of Galaad, 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. 6 And now may the Lord deal in mercy and truth towards you: and I also will requite towards you this good deed, because ye have done this. 7 And now let your hands be made strong, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and moreover the house of Juda have anointed me to be king over them. 8 But Abenner, the son of Ner, the commander-in-chief of Saul's army, took Jebosthe son of Saul, and brought him up from the camp to Manaem 9 and made him king over the land of Galaad, and over Thasiri, and over Jezrael, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Jebosthe, Saul's son [was] forty years old, when he reigned over Israel; and he reigned two years, but not over the house of Juda, who followed David. 11 And the days which David reigned in Chebron over the house of Juda were seven years and six months. 12 And Abenner the son of Ner went forth, and the servants of Jebosthe the son of Saul, from Manaem to Gabaon. 13 And Joab the son of Saruia, and the servants of David, went forth from Chebron, and met them at the fountain of Gabaon, at the same place: and these sat down by the fountain on this side, and those by the fountain on that side. 14 And Abenner said to Joab, Let now the young men arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15 And there arose and passed over by number twelve of the children of Benjamin, belonging to Jebosthe the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And they seized every one the head of his neighbour with his hand, and his sword [was thrust] into the side of his neighbour, and they fall down together: and the name of that place was called The portion of the treacherous ones, which is in Gabaon. 17 And the battle was very severe on that day; and Abenner and the men of Israel were worsted before the servants of David. 18 And there were there the three sons of Saruia, Joab, and Abessa, and Asael: and Asael was swift in his feet as a roe in the field. 19 And Asael followed after Abenner, and turned not to go to the right hand or to the left from following Abenner. 20 And Abenner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asael himself? and he said, I am. 21 And Abenner 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 armour: but Asael would not turn back from following him. 22 And Abenner said yet again to Asael, Stand aloof from me, lest I smite thee to the ground? and how should I lift up my face to Joab? 23 And what does this mean? return to Joab thy brother. But he would not stand aloof; and Abenner 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 every one that came to the place where Asael fell and died, stood still. 24 And Joab and Abessa pursued after Abenner, and the sun went down: and they went as far as the hill of Amman, which is in the front of Gai, by the desert way of Gabaon. 25 And the children of Benjamin who followed Abenner gather themselves together, and they formed themselves into one body, and stood on the top of a hill. 26 And Abenner 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? 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. 28 And Joab sounded the trumpet, and all the people departed, and did not pursue after Israel, and did not fight any longer. 29 And Abenner 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. 30 And Joab returned from following Abenner, and he assembled all the people, and there were missing of the people of David, nineteen men, and Asael. 31 And the servants of David smote of the children of Benjamin, of the men of Abenner, three hundred and sixty men belonging to him. 32 And they take up Asael, and bury him in the tomb of his father in Bethleem. And Joab and the men with him went all the night, and the morning rose upon them in Chebron.

2 Samuel 3

1 And there was war for a long time between the house of Saul and the house of David; and the house of David grew continually stronger; but the house of Saul grew continually weaker. 2 And sons were born to David in Chebron: and his first-born was Amnon the son of Achinoom the Jezraelitess. 3 And his second son [was] Daluia, the son of Abigaia the Carmelitess; and the third, Abessalom the son of Maacha the daughter of Tholmi the king of Gessir. 4 And the fourth [was] Ornia, the son of Aggith, and the fifth [was] Saphatia, the son of Abital. 5 And the sixth [was] Jetheraam, the son of Ægal the wife of David. These were born to David in Chebron. 6 And it came to pass while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abenner was governing the house of Saul. 7 And Saul had a concubine, Respha, the daughter of Jol; and Jebosthe the son of Saul said to Abenner, Why hast thou gone in to my father's concubine? 8 And Abenner was very angry with Jebosthe for this saying; and Abenner said to him, Am I a dog's head? I have this day wrought kindness with the house of Saul thy father, and with his brethren and friends, and have not gone over to the house of David, and dost thou this day seek a charge against me concerning injury to a woman? 9 God do thus and more also to Abenner, if as the Lord swore to David, so do I not to him this day; 10 to take away the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel and over Juda from Dan to Bersabee. 11 And Jebosthe could not any longer answer Abenner a word, because he feared him. 12 And Abenner sent messengers to David to Thælam where he was, immediately, saying, Make thy covenant with me, and, behold, my hand [is] with thee to bring back to thee all the house of Israel. 13 And David said, With a good will I will make with thee a covenant: only I demand one condition of thee, saying, Thou shalt not see my face, unless thou bring Melchol the daughter of Saul, when thou comest to see my face. 14 And David sent messengers to Jebosthe the son of Saul, saying, Restore me my wife Melchol, whom I took for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15 And Jebosthe sent, and took her from her husband, [even] from Phaltiel the son of Selle. 16 And her husband went with her weeping behind her as far as Barakim. And Abenner said to him, Go, return; and he returned. 17 And Abenner spoke to the elders of Israel, saying, In former days ye sought David to reign over you; 18 and now perform [it]: for the Lord has spoken concerning David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save Israel out of the hand of all their enemies. 19 And Abenner spoke in the ears of Benjamin: and Abenner went to speak in the ears of David at Chebron, all that seemed good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of the house of Benjamin. 20 And Abenner came to David to Chebron, and with him twenty men: and David made for Abenner and his men with him a banquet of wine. 21 And Abenner said to David, I will arise now, and go, and gather to my lord the king all Israel; and I will make with him a covenant, and thou shalt reign over all whom thy soul desires. And David sent away Abenner, and he departed in peace. 22 And, behold, the servants of David and Joab arrived from their expedition, and they brought much spoil with them: and Abenner was not with David in Chebron, because he had sent him away, and he had departed in peace. 23 And Joab and all his army came, and it was reported to Joab, saying, Abenner the son of Ner is come to David, and David has let him go, and he has departed in peace. 24 And Joab went in to the king, and said, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? behold, Abenner came to thee; and why hast thou let him go, and he has departed in peace? 25 Knowest thou not the mischief of Abenner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all things that thou doest? 26 And Joab returned from David, and sent messengers to Abenner after [him]; and they bring him back from the well of Seïram: but David knew [it] not. 27 And he brought back Abenner to Chebron, and Joab caused him to turn aside from the gate to speak to him, laying wait for him: and he smote him there in the loins, and he died for the blood of Asael the brother of Joab. 28 And David heard [of it] afterwards, and said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord even for ever of the blood of Abenner the son of Ner. 29 Let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all the house of his father; and let there not be wanting of the house of Joab one that has an issue, or a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that wants bread. 30 For Joab and Abessa his brother laid wait continually for Abenner, because he slew Asael their brother at Gabaon in the battle. 31 And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Rend your garments, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament before Abenner. And king David followed the bier. 32 And they bury Abenner in Chebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at his tomb, and all the people wept for Abenner. 33 And the king mourned over Abenner, and said, Shall Abenner die according to the death of Nabal? 34 Thy hands were not bound, and thy feet [were] not [put] in fetters: [one] brought [thee] not near as Nabal; thou didst fall before children of iniquity. 35 And all the people assembled to weep for him. And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day: and David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I eat bread or any thing else before the sun goes down. 36 And all the people took notice, and all things that the king did before the people were pleasing in their sight. 37 So all the people and all Israel perceived in that day, that it was not of the king to slay Abenner the son of Ner. 38 And the king said to his servants, Know ye not that a great prince is this day fallen in Israel? 39 And that I am this day a [mere] kinsman [of his], and [as it were] a subject; but these men the sons of Saruia are too hard for me: the Lord reward the evil-doer according to his wickedness.

2 Samuel 4

1 And Jebosthe the son of Saul heard that Abenner the son of Ner had died in Chebron; and his hands were paralysed, and all the men of Israel grew faint. 2 And Jebosthe the son of Saul had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one [was] Baana, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Remmon the Berothite of the children of Benjamin; for Beroth was reckoned to the children of Benjamin. 3 And the Berothites ran away to Gethaim, and were sojourners there until this day. 4 And Jonathan Saul's son [had] a son lame of his feet, five years old, and he was [in the way] when the news of Saul and Jonathan his son came from Jezrael, and his nurse took him up, and fled; and it came to pass as he hasted and retreated, that he fell, and was lamed. And his name [was] Memphibosthe. 5 And Rechab and Baana the sons of Remmon the Berothite went, and they came in the heat of the day into the house of Jebosthe; and he was sleeping on a bed at noon. 6 And, behold, the porter of the house winnowed wheat, and he slumbered and slept: and the brothers Rechab and Baana went privily into the house: 7 and Jebosthe was sleeping on his bed in his chamber: and they smite him, and slay him, and take off his head: and they took his head, and went all the night by the western road. 8 And they brought the head of Jebosthe to David to Chebron, and they said to the king, Behold the head of Jebosthe the son of Saul thy enemy, who sought thy life; and the Lord has executed for my lord the king vengeance on his enemies, as [it is] this day: even on Saul thy enemy, and on his seed. 9 And David answered Rechab and Baana his brother, the sons of Remmon the Berothite, and said to them, [As] the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all affliction; 10 he that reported to me that Saul was dead, even he was as one bringing glad tidings before me: but I seized him and slew him in Sekelac, to whom I ought, [as he thought], to have given a reward for his tidings. 11 And now evil men have slain a righteous man in his house on his bed: now then I will require his blood of your hand, and I will destroy you from off the earth. 12 And David commanded his young men, and they slay them, and cut off their hands and their feet; and they hung them up at the fountain in Chebron: and they buried the head of Jebosthe in the tomb of Abenner the son of Ner.