Study Desk

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.

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.

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. Asahel's body lay on the ground. Everyone who came that way stopped to look at Asahel,

So Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not try to fight the Israelites anymore.

Michal's husband, Paltiel, followed them, crying all the way to Bahurim. Finally, Abner said to him, "Go back home." So Paltiel went back home.

Abner said to David, "My lord and king, let me go bring all the Israelites to you. Then they will make an agreement with you, and you will rule over all Israel, as you wanted." So David let Abner leave in peace.

Joab and David's officers came back from battle. They had many valuable things that they had taken from the enemy. David had just let Abner leave in peace. So Abner was not there in Hebron with David.

When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab met him in the gateway, pulled him aside to talk in private, and then stabbed him in the stomach. So he got his revenge against Abner. Joab killed Abner because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.

So David commanded his young helpers to kill Recab and Baanah. The young men cut off the hands and feet of Recab and Baanah and hanged them by the pool of Hebron. Then they took the head of Ish Bosheth and buried it where Abner was buried at Hebron.

So all the leaders of Israel came to meet with King David at Hebron. He made an agreement with them in Hebron in front of the Lord , and they anointed David to be the king of Israel.

David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he got more slave women and wives. So David had more children who were born in Jerusalem.

So they carried the Holy Box out of Abinadab's house on the hill. The sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, drove the new wagon. Ahio was walking in front of the Holy Box.

But the Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him for that mistake. Uzzah showed he did not honor God when he touched the Holy Box, so he died there by God's Holy Box.

So David would not move the Lord 's Holy Box into the City of David. He put the Holy Box at the house of Obed Edom from Gath.

Later people told David, "The Lord has blessed the family of Obed Edom and everything he owns, because God's Holy Box is there." So David went and brought God's Holy Box from Obed Edom's house. David was very happy and excited.

Then David said to Michal, "The Lord chose me, not your father or anyone from his family. The Lord chose me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will continue dancing and celebrating in front of the Lord .

And I chose a place for my people, the Israelites. I planted the Israelites. I gave them their own place to live so that they will not have to move from place to place anymore. In the past, I sent judges to lead my people, but evil people gave them many troubles. That will not happen now. I am giving you peace from all of your enemies. I promise that I will make your family a family of kings.

Then King David went in and sat in front of the Lord . David said, "Lord God , why am I so important to you? Why is my family important? Why have you made me so important?

Lord God , this is why you are so great! There is no one like you. There is no god except you! We know that because of what we ourselves have heard about what you did.

He also defeated the Moabites. He forced them to lie on the ground in a long row. Using a rope to measure, those within two lengths of the rope were killed and those within every third length were allowed to live. So the Moabites became servants of David and paid tribute to him.