Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Samuel chapters
2 through 4. Chapter 2 It happened after this
that David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall
I go up to any of the cities of Judah? And the
Lord said to him, Go up. David said, Where shall
I go? And he said to Hebron. So David went up
there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
And David brought up the men who were with him,
every man with his household. So they dwelt in
the cities of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came,
and there they anointed David king over the house
of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men
of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.
So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh
-Gilead and said to them, You are blessed of
the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to
your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. And
now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you.
I also will repay you this kindness, because
you have done this thing. Now therefore let your
hands be strengthened and be valiant, for your
master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah
has anointed me king over them. But Abner the
son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish
-bosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over
to Mahanim. And he made him king over Gilead,
over the Asherites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim,
over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ish -bosheth,
Saul's son, was forty years old when he began
to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years.
Only the house of Judah followed David. And the
time that David was king in Hebron over the house
of Judah was seven years and six months. Now
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish
-bosheth, the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim
to Gibeon. And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the
servants of David went out and met them by the
pool of Gibeon. So they sat down one on one side
of the pool and the other on the other side of
the pool. Then Abner said to Joab, Let the young
men now arise and compete before us. And Joab
said, Let them arise. So they arose and went
over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers
of Ish -bosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve
from the servants of David. And each one grasped
his opponent by the head and thrust his sword
in his opponent's side. So they fell down together.
Therefore that place was called the Field of
Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. So there was
a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and
the men of Israel were beaten before the servants
of David. Now the three sons of Zeruiah were
there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel
was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. So Asahel
pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to
the right hand or to the left from following
Abner. Then Abner looked behind him and said,
Are you Asahel? He answered, I am. And Abner
said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or
to your left, and lay hold on one of the young
men, and take his armor for yourself. But Asahel
would not turn aside from following him. So Abner
said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following
me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How
then could I face your brother Joab? However,
he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck
him in the stomach with the blunt end of the
spear, so that the spear came out of his back,
and he fell down there and died on the spot.
So it was that as many as came to the place where
Asahel fell down and died, stood still. Joab
and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was
going down when they came to the hill of Ammah,
which is before Giah, by the road to the wilderness
of Gibeon. Now the children of Benjamin gathered
together behind Abner and became a unit and took
their stand on top of a hill. Then Abner called
to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever?
Do you not know that it will be bitter in the
latter end? How long will it be then until you
tell the people to return from pursuing their
brethren? And Joab said, As God lives, unless
you had spoken, surely then by morning all the
people would have given up pursuing their brethren.
So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood
still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor
did they fight anymore. Then Abner and his men
went on all that night through the plain, crossed
over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron.
And they came to Mahanaim. Chapter 3 Now there
was a long war between the house of Saul and
the house of David. But David grew stronger and
stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and
weaker. Sons were born to David in Hebron. His
firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess.
His second, Kiliab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal
the Carmelite. The third, Absalom the son of
Maka, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.
The fourth, Adonijah, the son of Hagith. The
fifth, Shephatiah, the son of Abital. And the
sixth, a dream by David's wife, Eglah. These
were born to David in Hebron. Now it was so,
while there was war between the house of Saul
and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening
his hold on the house of Saul. And Saul had a
concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter
of Ayah. So Ish -bosheth said to Abner, Why have
you gone into my father's concubine? Then Abner
became very angry at the words of Ish -bosheth,
and said, Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah?
Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David,
saying, whose is the land saying also make your
covenant with me and indeed my hand shall be
with you to bring all israel to you and david
said good i will make a covenant with you but
one thing i require of you you shall not see
my face unless you first bring mikhail saul's
daughter when you come to see my face so david
sent messengers to ishbosheth saul's son saying
Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself
for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. And
Ish -bosheth sent and took her from her husband
from Paltiel the son of Laish. Then her husband
went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind
her. So Abner said to him, Go, return. And he
returned. Now Abner had communicated with the
elders of Israel, saying, In time past you were
seeking for David to be king over you. Now then,
do it. For the Lord has spoken to David, saying,
By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel from the hand of the Philistines
and the hand of all their enemies. And Abner
also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner
also went to speak in the hearing of David in
Hebron, all that seemed good to Israel, and the
whole house of Benjamin. So Abner and twenty
men with him came to David at Hebron. And David
made a feast for Abner and the men who were with
him. Then Abner said to David, I will rise and
go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king,
that they may make a covenant with you, and that
you may reign over all that your heart desires.
So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
At that moment the servants of David and Joab
came from Arad and brought much spoil with them.
But Abner was not with David and Hebron, for
he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
When Joab and all the troops that were with him
had come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son
of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away,
and he has gone in peace. Then Abner came to
the king and said, What have you done? Look,
Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him
away, and he has already gone? Surely you realize
that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you.
to know you're going out and you're coming in,
and to know all that you are doing. And when
Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent
messengers after Abner, who brought him back
from the well of Sirah. But David did not know
it. Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab
took him aside in the gate to speak with him
privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach,
so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.
Afterward, when David heard it, he said, My kingdom
and I are guiltless before the Lord forever of
the blood of Abner the son of Ner. Let it rest
on the head of Joab and on all his father's house.
And let there never fail to be in the house of
Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who
leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who
lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai his brother
killed Abner, because he had killed their brother
Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. Then David said
to Joab and to all the people who were with him,
Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth,
and mourn for Abner. And King David followed
the coffin. So they buried Abner in Hebron, and
the king lifted up his voice and wept at the
grave of Abner, and all the people wept. And
the king sang a lament over Abner and said, Should
Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not
bound, nor your feet put in fetters. As a man
falls before wicked men, so you fell. Then all
the people wept over him again. And when all
the people came to persuade David to eat food
while it was still day, David took an oath, saying,
God do so to me, and more also if I taste bread
or anything else, till the sun goes down. Now
all the people took note of it, and it pleased
them, since whatever the king did pleased all
the people. For all the people and all Israel
understood that day that it had not been the
king's intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. Then
the king said to his servants, Do you not know
that a prince and a great man has fallen this
day in Israel? And I am weak today, though anointed
king. And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are
too harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer
according to his wickedness. Chapter 4 When Saul's
son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost
heart, and all Israel was troubled. Now Saul's
son had two men who were captains of troops.
The name of one was Banna, and the name of the
other was Rechab, the sons of Ramon the Beorotite,
of the children of Benjamin. For Beirut was also
part of Benjamin, because the Beirutites fled
to Getaim and have been sojourners there until
this day. Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who
was lame in his feet. He was five years old when
the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel,
and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened
as she made haste to flee that he fell and became
lame. His name was Mephibosheth. Then the sons
of Ramon the Beorotite, Rechab and Banna, set
out and came at about the heat of the day to
the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his
bed at noon. They came there all the way into
the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed
him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Banna, his
brother, escaped. For when they came into the
house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom.
Then they struck him and killed him, beheaded
him and took his head, and were all night escaping
through the plain. And they brought the head
of Ish -bosheth to David at Hebron, and said
to the king, Here is the head of Ish -bosheth,
the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life.
And the Lord has avenged my lord the king this
day of Saul and his descendants. But David answered
Rechab and Banna his brother, the sons of Ramon
the Beorotite, and said to them, As the Lord
lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity,
when someone told me, saying, Look, Saul is dead,
thinking to have brought good news, I arrested
him and had him executed in Ziklag, the one who
thought I would give him a reward for his news.
How much more when wicked men have killed a righteous
person in his own house, on his own bed! Therefore
shall I not now require his blood at your hand
and remove you from the earth? So David commanded
his young men, and they executed them, cut off
their hands and feet, and hanged them by the
pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish
-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in
Hebron. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God
bless you and have a great day.