Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 151
2S
| 2:20–3:3
S am u el – K I N G S
139
When Abner looked back and saw him coming, he called out, “Is that
you, Asahel?”
“Yes, it is,” he replied.
“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.
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?”
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.
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. Abner’s
troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill
to take a stand.
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?”
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.” So
Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.
All that night Abner and his men retreated through the Jordan Valley.
They crossed the Jordan River, traveling all through the morning, and
didn’t stop until they arrived at Mahanaim.
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. But 360 of Abner’s men had been killed, all from the tribe of
Benjamin. 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.
That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to
Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and
stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.
These are the sons who were born to David in Hebron:
The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel.
The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of
Nabal from Carmel.
The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of
Talmai, king of Geshur.