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2 Samuel 1-2
Easy-to-Read Version
2 Samuel 1-2
Easy-to-Read Version
David Learns About Saul’s Death
1 After David defeated the Amalekites, he went back to Ziklag. This was just after Saul had been killed. David had been there two days. 2 Then, on the third day, a young soldier from Saul’s camp came to Ziklag. His clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head.[a] He came to David and bowed with his face to the ground.
3 David asked him, “Where have you come from?”
The man answered, “I just came from the Israelite camp.”
4 David asked him, “Please tell me, who won the battle?”
The man answered, “Our people ran away from the battle. Many of them were killed in the battle. Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
5 David said to the young soldier, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 The young soldier said, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and horse soldiers were coming closer and closer to Saul. 7 Saul looked back and saw me. He called to me and I answered him. 8 Then Saul asked me who I was. I told him that I was an Amalekite. 9 Then Saul said, ‘Please kill me. I am hurt badly. And I am about to die anyway.’ 10 He was hurt so badly that I knew he wouldn’t live. So I stopped and killed him. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm and brought them here to you, my lord.”
11 Then David tore his clothes to show he was very sad. All the men with him did the same thing. 12 They were very sad and cried. They did not eat until evening. They cried because Saul and his son Jonathan were dead. David and his men cried for the Lord’s people, and they cried for Israel. They cried because Saul, his son Jonathan, and many Israelites had been killed in battle.
David Orders the Amalekite Killed
13 Then David talked with the young soldier who had told him about Saul’s death. David asked, “Where are you from?”
The young soldier answered, “I am the son of a foreigner. I am an Amalekite.”
14 David said to the young soldier, “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s chosen king[b]?”
15-16 Then David told the Amalekite, “You are responsible for your own death. You said you killed the Lord’s chosen king, so your own words prove you are guilty.” Then David called one of his young servants and told him to kill the Amalekite. So the young Israelite killed him.
David’s Song About Saul and Jonathan
17 David sang a sad song about Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 David told his men to teach the song to the people of Judah. This song is called “The Bow,” and it is written in the Book of Jashar.[c]
19 “Israel, your beauty was ruined on your hills.
Oh, how those heroes fell!
20 Don’t tell the news in Gath.[d]
Don’t announce it in the streets of Ashkelon.[e]
Those Philistine cities would be happy!
Those foreigners[f] would be glad.
21 “May no rain or dew fall
on you, mountains of Gilboa.
May there be no offerings
coming from your fields.
The shields of the heroes rusted there.
Saul’s shield was not rubbed with oil.
22 Jonathan’s bow killed its share of enemies,
and Saul’s sword killed its share!
They have spilled the blood of men now dead.
They cut into the fat of strong men.
23 “Saul and Jonathan—how dear they were to us!
In life they loved being together,
and even death did not separate them!
They were faster than eagles
and stronger than lions.
24 Daughters of Israel, cry for Saul!
Saul gave you beautiful red dresses
and covered them with gold jewelry!
25 “Strong men have fallen in the battle.
Jonathan is dead on Gilboa’s hills.
26 Jonathan, my brother, I miss you!
I enjoyed your friendship so much.
Your love for me was wonderful,
stronger than the love of women.
27 Heroes have fallen in battle.
Their weapons of war are lost.”
David Is Anointed King of Judah
2 Later David asked the Lord for advice. David said, “Should I take control[g] of any of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord said to David, “Yes.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
The Lord answered, “To Hebron.”
2 So David and his two wives moved to Hebron. (His wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal from Carmel.) 3 David also brought his men and their families. All of them made their homes in Hebron and the towns nearby.
4 The men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David to be the king of Judah. Then they told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul.”
5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead. These messengers told the men in Jabesh: “The Lord bless you, because you have shown kindness to your lord Saul by burying him.[h] 6 The Lord will be kind and true to you, and so will I. 7 Now be strong and brave. Your lord, Saul, is dead, but the tribe of Judah has anointed me to be their king.”
Ish Bosheth Becomes King
8 Abner son of Ner was the captain of Saul’s army. Abner took Ish Bosheth[i] son of Saul to Mahanaim 9 and made him king of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.[j]
10 Ish Bosheth son of Saul was 40 years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled Israel two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David. 11 David ruled over the tribe of Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months.
The Deadly Contest
12 Abner son of Ner and the officers of Ish Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab, Zeruiah’s son, and the officers of David also went to Gibeon. They met Abner and Ish Bosheth’s officers at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool. Joab’s group sat on the other side.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young soldiers get up and have a contest here.”
Joab said, “Yes, let’s have a contest.”
15 So the young soldiers got up. The two groups counted their men for the contest. They chose twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin to fight for Ish Bosheth son of Saul, and they chose twelve men from David’s officers. 16 Each of the men grabbed his opponent’s head and stabbed him in the side with his sword, and then they fell down together. That is why this place in Gibeon is called “The Field of the Sharp Knives.”[k] 17 That contest turned into a terrible battle and David’s officers defeated Abner and the Israelites that day.
Abner Kills Asahel
18 Zeruiah had three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a wild deer. 19 Asahel ran straight toward Abner and began chasing him. 20 Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it’s me.”
21 Abner didn’t want to hurt Asahel, so he said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me—go after one of the young soldiers. You could easily take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me, or I will have to kill you. Then I will not be able to look your brother Joab in the face again.”
23 But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So Abner used the back end of his spear and pushed it into Asahel’s stomach. The spear went deep into Asahel’s stomach and came out of his back. Asahel died right there.
Joab and Abishai Chase Abner
Asahel’s body lay on the ground. Everyone who came that way stopped to look at Asahel, 24 but Joab and Abishai[l] continued chasing Abner. The sun was just going down when they came to Ammah Hill. (Ammah Hill is in front of Giah on the way to the desert of Gibeon.) 25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab and said, “Must we fight and kill each other forever? Surely you know that this will only end in sadness. Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers.”
27 Then Joab said, “As surely as God is alive, if you had not said something, people would still be chasing their brothers in the morning.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not try to fight the Israelites anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River and then marched all day until they came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab stopped chasing Abner and turned back. Joab had gathered his men and learned that 19 of David’s officers were missing, including Asahel. 31 But David’s officers had killed 360 of Abner’s men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 David’s officers took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem.
Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up just as they reached Hebron.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:2 clothes … head This showed that the man was very sad.
- 2 Samuel 1:14 chosen king Literally, “anointed one.”
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Book of Jashar An ancient book about the wars of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 1:20 Gath The Philistine capital city.
- 2 Samuel 1:20 Ashkelon One of the five major Philistine cities.
- 2 Samuel 1:20 foreigners Literally, “uncircumcised.” This shows that the Philistines had not shared in Israel’s agreement with God.
- 2 Samuel 2:1 take control Literally, “go up against.”
- 2 Samuel 2:5 burying him The bodies of both Saul and Jonathan were burned and their bones were buried. See 1 Sam. 31:12.
- 2 Samuel 2:8 Ish Bosheth In the ancient Greek version and 1 Chron. 8:33; 9:39, his name is Ish Baal or Eshbaal. Later Hebrew scribes substituted Bosheth (“shame”) for Baal (“Lord”), because Baal was also the name for a Canaanite god.
- 2 Samuel 2:9 Israel Sometimes this means the whole country, Judah and Israel. Here, it means only the tribes that were not united with Judah.
- 2 Samuel 2:16 The Field of the Sharp Knives Or “Helkath Hazzurim.”
- 2 Samuel 2:24 Joab and Abishai Brothers of Asahel, the man who Abner killed. See verse 18.
2 Samuel 1-2
New International Version
2 Samuel 1-2
New International Version
David Hears of Saul’s Death(A)
1 After the death(B) of Saul, David returned from striking down(C) the Amalekites(D) and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2 On the third day a man(E) arrived from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head.(F) When he came to David, he fell(G) to the ground to pay him honor.(H)
3 “Where have you come from?” David asked him.
He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”
4 “What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.”
“The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
5 Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,(I)” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. 7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’
8 “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’
“‘An Amalekite,(J)’ I answered.
9 “Then he said to me, ‘Stand here by me and kill me!(K) I’m in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’
10 “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown(L) that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore(M) them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?”
“I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,(N)” he answered.
14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?(O)”
15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!”(P) So he struck him down, and he died.(Q) 16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head.(R) Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan
17 David took up this lament(S) concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,(T) 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):(U)
20 “Tell it not in Gath,(X)
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,(Y)
lest the daughters of the Philistines(Z) be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.(AA)
21 “Mountains of Gilboa,(AB)
may you have neither dew(AC) nor rain,(AD)
may no showers fall on your terraced fields.[b](AE)
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.(AF)
22 “From the blood(AG) of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow(AH) of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,(AI)
they were stronger than lions.(AJ)
24 “Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.(AK)
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve(AL) for you, Jonathan(AM) my brother;(AN)
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,(AO)
more wonderful than that of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”(AP)
David Anointed King Over Judah
2 In the course of time, David inquired(AQ) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,”(AR) the Lord answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives,(AS) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,(AT) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him,(AU) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron(AV) and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron,(AW) and there they anointed(AX) David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead(AY) who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless(AZ) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness,(BA) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong(BB) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
War Between the Houses of David and Saul(BC)
8 Meanwhile, Abner(BD) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth(BE) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.(BF) 9 He made him king over Gilead,(BG) Ashuri(BH) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.(BI)
10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.(BJ)
12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.(BK) 13 Joab(BL) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger(BM) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.[c]
17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated(BN) by David’s men.(BO)
18 The three sons of Zeruiah(BP) were there: Joab,(BQ) Abishai(BR) and Asahel.(BS) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.(BT) 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”(BU)
23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach,(BV) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.(BW)
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour(BX) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
28 So Joab(BY) blew the trumpet,(BZ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah.(CA) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours[d] and came to Mahanaim.(CB)
30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb(CC) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary.
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings
- 2 Samuel 2:16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.
- 2 Samuel 2:29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
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