大衛做猶大王
1這事以後，大衛求問耶和華：「我可以回到猶大的城邑嗎？」耶和華說：「可以。」大衛又問：「我應該回到哪一座城呢？」耶和華說：「希伯崙。」 2大衛就帶著他的兩個妻子耶斯列人亞希暖和迦密人拿八的遺孀亞比該，一起上到希伯崙。 3他還把部下和他們的家屬一起帶去，住在希伯崙地區的城邑。 4猶大人到希伯崙膏立大衛做猶大支派的王。
大衛聽說是基列·雅比人埋葬了掃羅， 5就派人去告訴他們：「你們這樣厚待你們的主人掃羅，把他安葬，願耶和華賜福給你們！ 6願耶和華以慈愛和信實待你們，我也會厚待你們，因為你們做了這事。 7現在你們的主掃羅已經死了，猶大支派已經膏立我做他們的王，你們要剛強勇敢。」
大衛家與掃羅家爭戰
8那時，掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥帶著掃羅的兒子伊施波設過河來到瑪哈念， 9立他為王統治基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫和以色列其餘的地方。 10掃羅的兒子伊施波設四十歲登基，統治以色列兩年。猶大支派則跟隨大衛。 11大衛在希伯崙做王統治猶大支派七年半。
12有一次，尼珥的兒子押尼珥帶領掃羅的兒子伊施波設的軍隊，從瑪哈念前往基遍。 13洗魯雅的兒子約押帶領大衛的軍隊出來，在基遍池與他們相遇。一方坐在池這邊，一方坐在池那邊。 14押尼珥對約押說：「讓雙方的青年起來在我們面前較量一下吧。」約押說：「好啊。」 15於是，雙方都選了十二人出來， 16他們各自抓住對方的頭髮，用刀刺對方的肋旁，同歸於盡。於是基遍的那個地方叫「刀田」。 17那天，兩軍惡戰，押尼珥和以色列人被大衛的人馬殺敗。 18當時，洗魯雅的三個兒子約押、亞比篩和亞撒黑都在場。亞撒黑跑得飛快如鹿， 19他跟在押尼珥後面，不偏不離，窮追不捨。 20押尼珥回頭問道：「你是亞撒黑嗎？」亞撒黑說：「正是。」 21押尼珥說：「你去追趕別人，奪取他的兵器吧。」但亞撒黑還是窮追不捨。 22押尼珥又對他說：「快走開吧，非逼我殺你嗎？我若殺了你，還有何顏面見你哥哥約押呢？」 23但亞撒黑還是不肯甘休。押尼珥就用槍柄刺入他的肚腹，穿透了他的後背，他便倒地身亡。眾人趕到那裡，都停了下來。
24但約押和亞比篩卻繼續追趕押尼珥。太陽落山時，他們追到了基亞附近的亞瑪山，通往基遍曠野的路旁。 25便雅憫人在押尼珥的帶領下聚集在一個山頭上。 26押尼珥向約押喊道：「我們非要無休止地殺下去嗎？難道你不知道這樣下去必有苦果嗎？你什麼時候才命你的人停止追殺自己的同胞呢？」 27約押說：「我憑永活的上帝起誓，你要是不這樣說，我們會一直追到天亮。」 28於是，約押吹響號角，所有的人便停止了戰鬥，不再追趕以色列的軍隊。
29押尼珥和隨從連夜趕路，穿過了亞拉巴，過了約旦河，第二天又馬不停蹄地走了一個上午，回到瑪哈念。 30約押追趕押尼珥回來後細點人數，發現除亞撒黑外還損失了十九個人。 31大衛的軍隊殺了三百六十個跟隨押尼珥的便雅憫人。 32約押和他的隨從把亞撒黑送到伯利恆，葬在他父親的墳墓裡。然後，他們整夜趕路，黎明的時候回到了希伯崙。
David Is Anointed to Be King Over Judah
1After Saul and Jonathan died, David asked the Lord for advice. “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2So David went up there with his two wives. Their names were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel. Abigail was Nabal’s widow. 3David also took his men and their families with him. They made their homes in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron. There they anointed David to be king over the people of Judah.
David was told that the men from Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul’s body. 5So he sent messengers to them to speak for him. The messengers said, “You were kind to bury the body of your master Saul. May the Lord bless you for that. 6And may he now be kind and faithful to you. David will treat you well for being kind to Saul’s body. 7Now then, be strong and brave. Your master Saul is dead. And the people of Judah have anointed David to be king over them.”
The Armies of David and Saul Fight Each Other
8Abner, the son of Ner, was commander of Saul’s army. Abner had brought Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim. 9There Abner made Ish-Bosheth king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel. He also made him king over Ephraim, Benjamin and other areas of Israel.
10Ish-Bosheth was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. He ruled for two years. But the people of Judah remained faithful to David. 11David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.
12Abner, the son of Ner, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. The men of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul, went with him. 13Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and David’s men also went out. All of them met at the pool in Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool. The other group sat on the other side.
14Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight. Let’s tell them to fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right. Let them do it,” Joab said.
15So the young men stood up and were counted off. There were 12 on the side of Benjamin and Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth. And there were 12 on David’s side. 16Each man grabbed one of his enemies by the head. Each one stuck his dagger into the other man’s side. And all of them fell down together and died. So that place in Gibeon was named Helkath Hazzurim.
17The fighting that day was very heavy. Abner and the Israelites lost the battle to David’s men.
18The three sons of Zeruiah were there. Their names were Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild antelope. 19He chased Abner. He didn’t turn to the right or the left as he chased him. 20Abner looked behind him. He asked, “Asahel, is that you?”
“It is,” he answered.
21Then Abner said to him, “Turn to the right or the left. Fight one of the young men. Take his weapons away from him.” But Asahel wouldn’t stop chasing him.
22Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! If you don’t, I’ll strike you down. Then how could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23But Asahel refused to give up the chase. So Abner drove the dull end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. The spear came out through his back. He fell and died right there on the spot. Every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24But Joab and Abishai chased Abner. As the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah. It was near Giah on the way to the dry and empty land close to Gibeon. 25The men of Benjamin gathered in a group around Abner. They took their stand on top of a hill.
26Abner called out to Joab, “Do you want our swords to keep on killing us off? Don’t you know that all this fighting will end in bitter feelings? How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing their fellow Israelites?”
27Joab answered, “It’s a good thing you spoke up. If you hadn’t, the men would have kept on chasing them until morning. And that’s just as sure as God is alive.”
28So Joab blew a trumpet. All the troops stopped. They didn’t chase Israel anymore. They didn’t fight anymore either.
29All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah Valley. They went across the Jordan River. All morning long they kept on going. Finally, they came to Mahanaim.
30Then Joab stopped chasing Abner. He gathered together the whole army. Besides Asahel, only 19 of David’s men were missing. 31But David’s men had killed 360 men from Benjamin who were with Abner. 32They got Asahel’s body and buried it in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. They arrived at Hebron at sunrise.
