¹And the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long, and David kept going and growing stronger, while the house of Saul kept going and growing weaker.

²And sons were born to David in Hebron; his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite;

³and his second was Kileab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third was Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur;

⁴and the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

⁵and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, the wife of David. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶It happened, while the war was between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

⁷Now Saul had a concubine, and her name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And he said to Abner, "Why did you go in to the concubine of my father?"

⁸Then Abner burned exceedingly over the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said, "Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah? Today I do loyal love toward the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and I have not let you be found in the hand of David — yet you visit on me the guilt of the woman today!"

⁹"May God do so to Abner, and so may he add to him, if, just as Yahweh swore to David, I do not act so for him,

¹⁰to pass over the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan and to Beer-sheba."

¹¹And he could not return a word to Abner any more, because he feared him.

¹²Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, "To whom does the land belong?" and saying, "Cut your covenant with me, and look, my hand is with you, to turn all Israel around to you."

¹³He said, "Good. I will cut a covenant with you. Only one word I ask of you, saying: 'You will not see my face unless you first bring Michal, the daughter of Saul, when you come to see my face.'"

¹⁴And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, saying, "Give my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

¹⁵And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from a man, from Paltiel the son of Laish.

¹⁶And her husband went with her, going and weeping behind her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go, return." And he returned.

¹⁷And the word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, "Both yesterday and three days back you were seeking David as king over you.

¹⁸And now, act, for Yahweh has spoken to David, saying, 'By the hand of David my slave I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'"

¹⁹And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner also went to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of the whole house of Benjamin.

²⁰And Abner came to David at Hebron, and with him twenty men; and David made a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him.

²¹And Abner said to David, "Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may cut a covenant with you, and you will reign over all that your being desires." And David sent Abner away, and he went in wholeness.

²²And look, the slaves of David and Joab were coming from a raid, and they had brought great plunder with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in wholeness.

²³And Joab and all the host that was with him came, and they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in wholeness."

²⁴Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he is gone, quite gone?"

²⁵You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing."

²⁶And Joab went out from David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know.

²⁷And Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab turned him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately; and there he struck him in the belly, and he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

²⁸And David heard of it afterward and said, "I and my kingdom are clear with Yahweh forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

²⁹Let it whirl down upon the head of Joab and upon all the house of his father; and may there not be cut off from the house of Joab one with a discharge, one with a skin disease, one who holds the spindle, one who falls by the sword, or one lacking bread."

³⁰So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had put Asahel their brother to death at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and wail before Abner." And King David walked behind the bier.

³²And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.

³³And the king chanted for Abner and said, "Will Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴Your hands were not bound, and your feet were not put into bronze fetters. As one falls before sons of injustice, you have fallen." And all the people wept over him again.

³⁵And all the people came to make David eat food while it was still day; but David swore, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if before the sun goes in I taste food or anything at all.”

³⁶And all the people recognized it, and it went well in their eyes, as all that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people.

³⁷And all the people and all Israel knew on that day that it had not been from the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.

³⁸And the king said to his slaves, “Do you not know that a leader and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

³⁹And I am this day tender, and an anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. May Yahweh repay the one who does the evil according to his evil.”