The Reign of David

Yo'av and Avishai continued in pursuit of Avner; the sun went down when they arrived at Amah Hill, across from Giach along the Giv'on Desert road.

The people of Binyamin gathered themselves together into a phalanx behind Avner and stood on top of a hill.

Then Avner called out to Yo'av, "Must the sword go on devouring forever? Don't you know that in the end it can produce only bitterness? How long will it be, then, before you tell the people to quit pursuing their brothers?"

Yo'av said, "As God lives, if you hadn't said something, there is no doubt that the people would have kept following their brothers all night long."

Then Yo'av sounded the shofar, and with that the people halted. They stopped pursuing Isra'el, and they stopped fighting.

Avner and his men went through the 'Aravah all that night; they crossed the Yarden, went through all of Bitron and arrived at Machanayim.

Yo'av returned from following Avner. When he brought the troops together for review, nineteen of David's servants were missing, along with 'Asah'el.

But David's servants had killed 360 of Avner's men of Binyamin.

They took 'Asah'el and buried him in his father's tomb in Beit-Lechem. Then Yo'av and his men marched all night, so that they reached Hevron at daybreak.

The war between the house of Sha'ul and the house of David dragged on, but David grew stronger, while the house of Sha'ul became weaker.

Sons were born to David in Hevron. His firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Achino'am from Yizre'el;

his second, Kil'av, whose mother was Avigayil the widow of Naval from Karmel; the third, Avshalom, whose mother was Ma'akhah the daughter of Talmai king of G'shur;

the fourth, Adoniyah the son of Haggit; the fifth, Sh'fatyah the son of Avital;

and the sixth, Yitre'am, whose mother was 'Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hevron.

During the war that was going on between the house of Sha'ul and the house of David, Avner strengthened his position in the house of Sha'ul.

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-

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Sha'ul and set up the throne of David over Isra'el and Y'hudah, from Dan all the way to Be'er-Sheva!"

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."

David sent this reply: "Very well, I will be your ally - on one condition: you will not come into my presence unless at the same time you bring with you Mikhal Sha'ul's daughter."

David sent messengers to say to Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, "Give me back my wife Mikhal. I betrothed her to myself for 100 foreskins of the P'lishtim."

Ish-Boshet sent and took her from her husband Palti'el the son of Layish.

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