Study Desk

Sha'ul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised men will come, run me through and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer refused, he was too frightened. So Sha'ul took his sword and fell on it.

He said to me, ‘I'm in agony, and I'm going to die, but I'm still alive. So please, stand next to me; and kill me.'

So I stood next to him and killed him, because I was sure he was so badly wounded that he couldn't live. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet on his arm and have brought them here to my lord."

I grieve for you, my brother Y'honatan, you meant so much to me! Your love for me was deeper than the love of women.

So David went up there with his two wives Achino‘am from Yizre‘el and Avigayil the widow of Naval from Karmel.

So David sent messengers to the men of Yavesh-Gil‘ad with this message: "May you be blessed by Adonai , because you showed this kindness to your lord, Sha'ul, and buried him.

So they got up and paired off, twelve for Binyamin and Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, and twelve of David's servants.

Each one grabbed his partner by the head and drove his sword into his side, so that they fell down together. For this reason that place was named Helkat-Hatzurim [field of blades]; it is in Giv‘on.

But he still refused to turn aside; so Avner stabbed him in the groin with the back end of the spear, so that the shaft protruded behind him. He fell down and died on the spot. Everyone who came to the place where ‘Asah'el lay dead stopped there.

They took ‘Asah'el and buried him in his father's tomb in Beit-Lechem. Then Yo'av and his men marched all night, so that they reached Hevron at daybreak.

So now, do it. For Adonai has said of David, ‘Through my servant David I will rescue my people Isra'el from the power of the P'lishtim and from the power of all their enemies.'"

Avner said to David, "I must get up and go to gather all Isra'el to my lord the king, so that they can make a covenant with you. Then you will be able to rule over everything your heart desires." David sent Avner off, giving him safe conduct.

Upon Avner's return to Hevron, Yo'av took him aside into the space between the outer and inner city gates as if to speak with him privately; and there he struck him in the groin, so that he died — thus avenging the death of ‘Asah'el his brother.

So that day, all the people and all Isra'el understood that the king had had no part in the killing of Avner the son of Ner.

So all the leaders of Isra'el came to the king in Hevron, and King David made a covenant with them in Hevron in the presence of Adonai . Then they anointed David king over Isra'el.

What David said on that day was, "In order to attack the Y'vusi, you have to climb up [from the spring outside the city] through the water tunnel. Then you can do away with those [so-called] ‘lame and blind'" (whom David despises — hence the expression, "The ‘blind and lame' keep him from entering the house").

David took for himself more concubines and wives in Yerushalayim after coming from Hevron, so that still more sons and daughters were born to David.

So David went to Ba‘al-P'ratzim and defeated them there. He said, " Adonai has broken through my enemies for me like a river breaking through its banks." This is why he called the place Ba‘al-P'ratzim [Lord of breaking through].

The P'lishtim had left their idols there, so David and his men took them away.

But Adonai 's anger blazed up against ‘Uzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his offense, so that he died there by the ark of God.