Abner

Sha'ul had had a concubine named Ritzpah, the daughter of Ayah; and [Ish-Boshet] challenged Avner: "Why did you go and sleep with my father's concubine?"

These words of Ish-Boshet's enraged Avner. "What am I," he shouted, "[that you treat me with such contempt]? A dog's head in Y'hudah? Till this moment I have shown only kindness to the house of Sha'ul your father, and to his brothers and to his friends; and I haven't handed you over to David. Yet you choose today to pick a fight with me over this woman!

May God bring terrible curses on Avner and worse ones yet if I don't accomplish what ADONAI swore to David-

Ish-Boshet couldn't answer Avner a word, because he was afraid of him.

Avner immediately sent envoys to David with this message: "Who is going to control the land? If you make yourself my ally, I will use my power to bring all Isra'el over to you."

Her husband went with her, crying as he went, and followed her to Bachurim. But when Avner told him, "Go back," he returned.

Then Avner conferred with the leaders of Isra'el. He said, "In the past, you wanted David to be king over you.

Avner also spoke with the people of Binyamin. Then Avner went to Hevron and reported to David everything that had been agreed to by Isra'el and the house of Binyamin.

When Avner came to David in Hevron he brought twenty men with him. David held a feast for Avner and his men.

Avner said to David, "I must get up and go to gather all Isra'el to my lord the king, so that they can make a covenant with you. Then you will be able to rule over everything your heart desires." David sent Avner off, giving him safe conduct.

Just then David's men and Yo'av returned from a raid, bringing a lot of plunder with them. But Avner was not with David in Hevron, because he had sent him off under safe conduct.

When Yo'av and all his army had arrived, Yo'av was told, "Avner the son of Ner came to the king, but he sent him off, and he has left under safe conduct."

Yo'av went to the king and said, "What have you done? Here, Avner came to you, and you sent him away, and now he's gone! Why?

You know Avner the son of Ner - he came only to deceive you, to learn what campaigns you're planning and to find out everything you're doing!"

After leaving David, Yo'av sent messengers after Avner, and they brought him back from the water cistern at Sirah without David's knowledge.

Upon Avner's return to Hevron, Yo'av took him aside into the space between the outer and inner city gates as if to speak with him privately; and there he struck him in the groin, so that he died - thus avenging the death of 'Asah'el his brother.

Afterwards, when David heard of it, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent of the death of Avner the son of Ner.

Thus Yo'av and Avishai his brother killed Avner, because he had killed their brother 'Asah'el during the battle in Giv'on.

But David said to Yo'av and all those with him, "Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn over Avner." King David himself walked behind the body as it was carried.

They buried Avner at Hevron; the king wept aloud at Avner's grave, and all the people wept.

The king sang this lament over Avner: "Should Avner have died like a thug?

So that day, all the people and all Isra'el understood that the king had had no part in the killing of Avner the son of Ner.

When Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul heard that Avner had died in Hevron, his courage failed; and all Isra'el became alarmed.

David then gave the order to his men, and they put them to death, cutting off their hands and feet and hanging them up next to the pool at Hevron. But they took the head of Ish-Boshet and buried it in Avner's grave at Hevron.

"Moreover, you are aware of what Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra'el, Avner the son of Ner and 'Amasa the son of Yeter - he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.