1 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.

1 Igitur post hæc consuluit David Dominum, dicens: Num ascendam in unam de civitatibus Juda? Et ait Dominus ad eum: Ascende. Dixitque David: Quo ascendam? Et respondit ei: In Hebron.

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

2 Ascendit ergo David, et duæ uxores ejus, Achinoam Jezraëlites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli:

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

3 sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua: et manserunt in oppidis Hebron.

4 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 Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul.

4 Veneruntque viri Juda, et unxerunt ibi David ut regnaret super domum Juda. Et nuntiatum est David quod viri Jabes Galaad sepelissent Saul.

5 ¶ And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, 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.

5 Misit ergo David nuntios ad viros Jabes Galaad, dixitque ad eos: Benedicti vos Domino, qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul, et sepelistis eum.

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

6 Et nunc retribuet vobis quidem Dominus misericordiam et veritatem: sed et ego reddam gratiam, eo quod fecistis verbum istud.

7 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.

7 Confortentur manus vestræ, et estote filii fortitudinis: licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul, tamen me unxit domus Juda in regem sibi.

8 ¶ But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

8 ¶ Abner autem filius Ner, princeps exercitus Saul, tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra,

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

9 regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Jezraël, et super Ephraim, et super Benjamin, et super Israël universum.

10 Ish-bosheth 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.

10 Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare cœpisset super Israël, et duobus annis regnavit: sola autem domus Juda sequebatur David.

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

11 Et fuit numerus dierum quos commoratus est David imperans in Hebron super domum Juda, septem annorum et sex mensium.

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

12 ¶ Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul, de castris in Gabaon.

13 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.

13 Porro Joab filius Sarviæ, et pueri David, egressi sunt, et occurrerunt eis juxta piscinam Gabaon. Et cum in unum convenissent, e regione sederunt: hi ex una parte piscinæ, et illi ex altera.

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

14 Dixitque Abner ad Joab: Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Joab: Surgant.

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

15 Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Benjamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David.

16 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 Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

16 Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul: vocatumque est nomen loci illius: Ager robustorum, in Gabaon.

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

17 Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa: fugatusque est Abner et viri Israël a pueris David.

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

18 ¶ Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviæ, Joab, et Abisai, et Asaël: porro Asaël cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis quæ morantur in silvis.

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

19 Persequebatur autem Asaël Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner.

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

20 Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait: Tune es Asaël? Qui respondit: Ego sum.

21 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.

21 Dixitque ei Abner: Vade ad dextram, sive ad sinistram, et apprehende unum de adolescentibus, et tolle tibi spolia ejus. Noluit autem Asaël omittere quin urgeret eum.

22 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?

22 Rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asaël: Recede, noli me sequi, ne compellar confodere te in terram, et levare non potero faciem meam ad Joab fratrem tuum.

23 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.

23 Qui audire contempsit, et noluit declinare: percussit ergo eum Abner aversa hasta in inguine, et transfodit, et mortuus est in eodem loco: omnesque qui transibant per locum illum, in quo ceciderat Asaël et mortuus erat, subsistebant.

24 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.

24 Persequentibus autem Joab et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit: et venerunt usque ad collem aquæductus, qui est ex adverso vallis itineris deserti in Gabaon.

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

25 Congregatique sunt filii Benjamin ad Abner: et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius.

26 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?

26 Et exclamavit Abner ad Joab, et ait: Num usque ad internecionem tuus mucro desæviet? an ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio? usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos?

27 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.

27 Et ait Joab: Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses, mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum.

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

28 Insonuit ergo Joab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Israël, neque iniere certamen.

29 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.

29 Abner autem et viri ejus abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa: et transierunt Jordanem, et lustrata omni Beth-horon, venerunt ad castra.

30 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.

30 Porro Joab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum: et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asaële.

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

31 Servi autem David percusserunt de Benjamin, et de viris qui erant cum Abner, trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt.

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

32 Tuleruntque Asaël, et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethlehem: et ambulaverunt tota nocte Joab et viri qui erant cum eo, et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron.