Bible Verses About Abner

There was a man from Binyamin named Kish the son of Avi'el, the son of Tz'ror, the son of B'khorat, the son of Afiach, the son of a man from Binyamin. He was a man of substance and brave as well.

Sha'ul's wife was named Achino'am the daughter of Achima'atz; the commander of his army was named Avner the son of Ner, Sha'ul's uncle.

Kish was the father of Sha'ul, and Ner the father of Avner was the son of Avi'el.

When Sha'ul saw David go out to fight the P'lishti, he said to Avner, the army's commander, "Avner, whose son is this boy?""By your life, O king," Avner replied, "I don't know."

David set out and went to where Sha'ul had pitched his camp. He saw where Sha'ul and Avner the son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping. Sha'ul was lying inside the barricade with the troops asleep all around him.

Then David called out to the troops and to Avner the son of Ner. "Avner! Aren't you going to answer?" Avner answered, "Who are you, calling to the king?"

Avner the son of Ner, commander of Sha'ul's army, had taken Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, brought him over to Machanayim,

and made him king over Gil'ad, the Ashuri, Yizre'el, Efrayim, Binyamin and all Isra'el.

Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul was forty years old when he began to rule over Isra'el, and he ruled for two years. But the house of Y'hudah followed David.

David was king in Hevron over the house of Y'hudah for seven years and six months.

Avner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul went out from Machanayim to Giv'on;

while Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah and David's servants also went out; and they met together by the pool at Giv'on. One group sat down on one side of the pool and the other on the other side.

Avner said to Yo'av, "If it's all right with you, let's have the young men get up and fight it out between themselves, while we watch." Yo'av said, "Yes, let them."

So they got up and paired off, twelve for Binyamin and Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, and twelve of David's servants.

Each one grabbed his partner by the head and drove his sword into his side, so that they fell down together. For this reason that place was named Helkat-Hatzurim [field of blades]; it is in Giv'on.

The battle that day was very fierce; Avner and the men of Isra'el were beaten by David's servants.

The three sons of Tz'ruyah were there, Yo'av, Avishai and 'Asah'el. 'Asah'el was as fleet-footed as a gazelle in an open field.

'Asah'el chased Avner, going straight for him, veering neither right nor left.

Avner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, 'Asah'el?""Yes, it is," he answered.

Avner said to him, "Turn off to your right or your left, catch one of the young men and take his armor." But 'Asah'el wouldn't turn aside and kept following him.

Avner said again to 'Asah'el, "Turn aside and stop following me! Why should I kill you? If I did, how could I look your brother Yo'av in the eye?"

But he still refused to turn aside; so Avner stabbed him in the groin with the back end of the spear, so that the shaft protruded behind him. He fell down and died on the spot. Everyone who came to the place where 'Asah'el lay dead stopped there.

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?"