Bible Verses About Ish-Bosheth

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.

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 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.

The sons of Rimmon the Be'eroti, Rekhav and Ba'anah went and arrived during the heat of the day at the home of Ish-Boshet as he was taking his afternoon rest.

They went right into the house, as if they were coming to get wheat, and stabbed him in the groin; then Rekhav and Ba'anah his brother escaped.

They entered the house as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, stabbed him and killed him; then they beheaded him, took his head and fled all night along the road through the 'Aravah.

They brought the head of Ish-Boshet to David in Hevron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul your enemy, who wanted to take your life. Today ADONAI has taken revenge on Sha'ul and his son for the sake of my lord the king."

But David answered Rekhav and Ba'anah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Be'eroti, "As ADONAI lives, who has rescued me from every kind of difficulty,

when someone told me, 'Here, Sha'ul is dead,' thinking to himself that he was bringing good news, I didn't reward him for his news but seized him and killed him in Ziklag.

How much more, when criminals have killed an innocent man in his own house on his own bed, shouldn't I hold you responsible for his death and rid the earth of you?"

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.