After this, David inquired of the LORD, saying, 'Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?' The LORD answered him, 'Go up.' David then asked, 'Where should I go?' And He said, 'To Hebron.'

And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.

David also brought up the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron.

And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

Then the men of Judah came and anointed David there as king over the house of Judah. They also informed David, 'It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.'

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.

David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, 'May you be blessed by the LORD for showing this kindness to your lord Saul by burying him.'

And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

'Now, may the LORD show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you this goodness because of what you have done.'

And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

'So now, be strong and valiant, for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.'

Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim.

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

There he made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. However, the house of Judah was loyal to David.

Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

The length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

Joab son of Zeruiah and David's servants also went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

Then Abner said to Joab, 'Let the young men come forward and compete before us.' And Joab said, 'Let them come forward.'

And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

So they stood up and were counted—twelve from Benjamin and from the followers of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.

Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Each man seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they fell together. So the place was called the Field of Flints, which is in Gibeon.

And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

The battle that day was fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.

And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift on foot as a gazelle in the open field.

And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he chased him.

And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

Then Abner turned and said, 'Is that you, Asahel?' He answered, 'It is I.'

Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

Abner said to him, 'Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize one of the young men and take his armor.' But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

Again Abner said to Asahel, 'Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you down? How could I then show my face to your brother Joab?'

And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

But Asahel refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died stood still.

Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

The men of Benjamin rallied to Abner, formed a single group, and took their stand on the top of a hill.

And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.

Abner called out to Joab and said, 'Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long will you delay telling the people to stop pursuing their brothers?'

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Joab answered, 'As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.'

And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or fought anymore.

So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, traveled through the Bithron, and arrived at Mahanaim.

And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

Joab stopped pursuing Abner and gathered all the troops. Nineteen of David’s men were missing, along with Asahel.

And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.

But David’s men had struck down three hundred and sixty men from Benjamin and Abner’s followers, who died in battle.

But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.

They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Joab and his men traveled all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.

And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.