1 And it came to be afterwards that Dawiḏ inquired of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, saying, “Do I go up to any of the cities of Yahuḏah?” And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to him, “Go up.” And Dawiḏ said, “Where should I go up?” And He said, “To Ḥeḇron.”
2 And Dawiḏ went up there, as well as his two wives, Aḥino’am the Yizre’ĕlitess, and Aḇiḡayil the widow of Naḇal the Karmelite.
3 And Dawiḏ brought up the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Ḥeḇron.
4 And the men of Yahuḏah came, and anointed Dawiḏ sovereign over the house of Yahuḏah there. They also reported to Dawiḏ, saying, “The men of Yaḇĕsh Gil’aḏ are they who buried Sha’ul.”
5 Dawiḏ then sent messengers to the men of Yaḇĕsh Gil’aḏ, and said to them, “You are baruḵ of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for you have shown this kindness to your master, to Sha’ul, that you buried him.
6 “And now, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 show kindness and truth to you, and I am also going to do you good, because you have done this deed.
7 “And now, let your hands be strengthened and be brave, for your master Sha’ul is dead, and also the house of Yahuḏah has anointed me sovereign over them.”
8 But Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, commander of the army of Sha’ul, took Ishbosheth the son of Sha’ul, and brought him over to Maḥanayim,
9 and appointed him to reign over Gil’aḏ, and over the Ashĕrites, and over Yizre’ĕl, and over Ephrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisra’ĕl.
10 Ishbosheth, son of Sha’ul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisra’ĕl, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Yahuḏah followed Dawiḏ.
11 And the time that Dawiḏ was sovereign in Ḥeḇron over the house of Yahuḏah was seven years and six months.
12 And Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, and the servants of Ishbosheth son of Sha’ul, went out from Maḥanayim to Giḇ’on.
13 And Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah, and the servants of Dawiḏ, went out and met them by the pool of Giḇ’on. And they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 And Aḇnĕr said to Yo’aḇ, “Let the young men now rise and compete before us.” And Yo’aḇ said, “Let them rise.”
15 And they rose and went over by number, twelve from Binyamin, followers of Ishbosheth son of Sha’ul, and twelve from the servants of Dawiḏ.
16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Giḇ’on.
17 And the battle was fierce that day, and Aḇnĕr and the men of Yisra’ĕl were smitten before the servants of Dawiḏ.
18 And there were three sons of Tseruyah there, Yo’aḇ and Aḇishai and Asah’ĕl. And Asah’ĕl was light on his feet, as one of the gazelles in the field.
19 And Asah’ĕl pursued Aḇnĕr, and in going he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from following Aḇnĕr.
20 And Aḇnĕr looked behind him and said, “Are you Asah’ĕl?” And he answered, “I am.”
21 And Aḇnĕr said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armour for yourself.” But Asah’ĕl would not turn aside from following him.
22 And Aḇnĕr again said to Asah’ĕl, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I smite you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Yo’aḇ?”
23 But he refused to turn aside, and Aḇnĕr smote him with the blunt end of the spear in the stomach, so that the spear came out of his back. And he fell down there and died on the spot. And it came to be that as many as came to the place where Asah’ĕl fell down and died, stood still.
24 And Yo’aḇ and Aḇishai pursued Aḇnĕr. And the sun was going down and they came to the hill of Ammah, which overlooks Giyaḥ by the way to the Wilderness of Giḇ’on.
25 And the children of Binyamin gathered together behind Aḇnĕr and became a single company, and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 And Aḇnĕr called to Yo’aḇ and said, “Should the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it is bitter in the latter end? And when are you going to say to the people to turn back from pursuing their brothers?”
27 And Yo’aḇ said, “As Elohim lives, if you had not spoken, then all the people would have given up pursuing their brothers only the next morning.”
28 Yo’aḇ then blew a ram’s horn, and all the people halted and pursued Yisra’ĕl no further, nor did they fight any more.
29 And Aḇnĕr and his men went on all that night through the desert plain, and passed over the Yardĕn, and went through all Bithron. And they came to Maḥanayim.
30 And Yo’aḇ turned back from pursuing Aḇnĕr. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of Dawiḏ’s servants nineteen men and Asah’ĕl.
31 But the servants of Dawiḏ had smitten, of Binyamin and Aḇnĕr’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died.
32 And they brought Asah’ĕl and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bĕyth Leḥem. And Yo’aḇ and his men went all night, and they came to Ḥeḇron at daybreak.