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The Blue Letter Bible

2 Samuel 2 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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David Anointed King of Judah

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:1

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:1 - After this, David asked the LORD, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the LORD replied.
Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“To Hebron,” the LORD answered.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:2

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:2 - David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:3

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:3 - and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:4

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:4 - Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah.
When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:5

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:5 - he sent them this message: “May the LORD bless you for being so loyal to your master Saul and giving him a decent burial.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:6

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:6 - May the LORD be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, will reward you for what you have done.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:7

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:7 - Now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who have anointed me as their new king.”
Ishbosheth Proclaimed King of Israel

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:8

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:8 - But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had already gone to Mahanaim with Saul’s son Ishbosheth.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:9

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:9 - There he proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:10

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:10 - Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king, and he ruled from Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the people of Judah remained loyal to David.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:11

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:11 - David made Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years.
War between Israel and Judah

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:12

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:12 - One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:13

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:13 - About the same time, Joab son of Zeruiah led David’s troops out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down there, facing each other from opposite sides of the pool.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:14

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:14 - Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.”
“All right,” Joab agreed.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:15

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:15 - So twelve men were chosen to fight from each side—twelve men of Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve representing David.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:16

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:16 - Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:17

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:17 - A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David.
The Death of Asahel

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:18

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:18 - Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—the three sons of Zeruiah—were among David’s forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:19

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:19 - and he began chasing Abner. He pursued him relentlessly, not stopping for anything.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:20

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:20 - When Abner looked back and saw him coming, he called out, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“Yes, it is,” he replied.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:21

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:21 - “Go fight someone else!” Abner warned. “Take on one of the younger men, and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel kept right on chasing Abner.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:22

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:22 - Again Abner shouted to him, “Get away from here! I don’t want to kill you. How could I ever face your brother Joab again?”

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:23

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:23 - But Asahel refused to turn back, so Abner thrust the butt end of his spear through Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He stumbled to the ground and died there. And everyone who came by that spot stopped and stood still when they saw Asahel lying there.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:24

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:24 - When Joab and Abishai found out what had happened, they set out after Abner. The sun was just going down as they arrived at the hill of Ammah near Giah, along the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:25

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:25 - Abner’s troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill to take a stand.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:26

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:26 - Abner shouted down to Joab, “Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that bitterness is the only result? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?”

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:27

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:27 - Then Joab said, “God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t spoken, for we would have chased you all night if necessary.”

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:28

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:28 - So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:29

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:29 - All that night Abner and his men retreated through the Jordan Valley.[fn] They crossed the Jordan River, traveling all through the morning,[fn] and didn’t stop until they arrived at Mahanaim.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:30

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:30 - Meanwhile, Joab and his men also returned home. When Joab counted his casualties, he discovered that only 19 men were missing in addition to Asahel.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:31

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:31 - But 360 of Abner’s men had been killed, all from the tribe of Benjamin.

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Unchecked Copy Box 2Sa 2:32

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 2:32 - Joab and his men took Asahel’s body to Bethlehem and buried him there in his father’s tomb. Then they traveled all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Ishbosheth is another name for Esh-baal.
Hebrew Helkath-hazzurim.
Hebrew the Arabah.
Or continued on through the Bithron. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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2 Samuel Chapter 2 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras