rd

2 Samuel 3

1 Long warre betwene the houfes of Saúl and Dauid. 2 The children of Dauid in Hebrón. 12 Abnér turneth to Dauid. 27 Ioáb killeth him.
1.¶ Here was then a long warre betwene the houfe of Saúl and the houfe of Dauid: Dauid: but Dauid waxed ftronger, & the houfe of Saúl waxed weaker.
2.¶ And vnto Dauid were children borne in Hebrón: and his eldeft fonne was Amnón of Ahinóam the Izreelite,
3.And his fecóde, wasb Chileáb of Abigáil the wife of Nabál the Carmelite: and the third, Abfalóm the fonne of Maacáh the daughter of Talmái the King of Gefhúr,
4.And the fourth, Adoniíáh the fonne of Haggíth, and the fifth, Shephatiáh the fonne of Abital,
5.And the fixt, Ithreám by Egláh Dauids wife: thefe were borne to Dauid in c Hebrón.
6.¶ Now while there was warre betwene the houfe of Saúl and the houfe of Dauid, Abnér made all his power for ye houfe of Saúl.
7.And Saúl had a concubine named Rizpáh, the daughter of Aiíáh. And Ifh-bófheth faid to Abnér, Wherefore haft thou gone in to my fathers concubine?
8.Thē was Abnér very wrothe for the wordes of Ifh-bófheth, & faid, Am I a d dogs head, which againft Iudáh do fhewe mercy this day vnto the houfe of Saúl thy father, to his brethren, & to his neighbours, and haue not deliuered thee into the hand of Dauid, that thou chargeft me this day with a faute concerning this woman?
9.e So do God to Abnér, and more alfo, except, as the Lord hathe fworne to Dauid, euen fo I do to him,
10.To remoue the kingdome frō the houfe of Saúl, that the throne of Dauid may be ftablifhed ouer Ifraél, and ouer Iudáh, euen from Dan to Beer-fhéba.
11.And he durft no more anfwer to Abnér: for he feared him.
12.¶ Then Abnér fent meffengers to Dauid * on his behalfe, faying, Whofe is the land? Who fhulde alfo fay, Make couenant with me, & beholde, mine hand fhalbe with thee, to bring all Ifraél vnto thee.
13.Who faid, Wel, I wil make a couenant with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, that yu fee not my face except thou bring Michál Sauls daughter when thou commeft to fe me.
14.¶ Then Dauid fent meffengers to Ifh-bófheth Sauls fonne, faying, Deliuer me my wife Michál, which I maried for * an hundreth forefkinnes of the Philiftims.
15.And Ifh-bófheth fent, and toke her from her houfbād * Phaltiél the fonne of Láifh.
16.And her houfband went with her, and came weping behinde her, vnto Bahurím: then faid Abnér vnto him, Go, & returne. So he returned.
17.¶ And Abnér had f communicaciō with the Elders of Ifraél, faying, Ye fought for Dauid in times paft, that he might be your King.
18.Now then do it: for the Lord hathe fpoken of Dauid, faying, By the hand of my feruant Dauid I wil faue my people Ifraél out of the hands of the Philiftims, and out of the hands of all their enemies.
19.Alfo Abnér fpake * to Beniamín, and afterwarde Abnér went to fpeake with Dauid in Hebrón, concerning all that Ifraél was content with, and the whole g houfe of Beniamín.
20.So Abnér came to Dauid to Hebrón, hauing twenty men with him, and Dauid made a feaft vnto Abnér, and to the men that were with him.
21.Then Abnér faid vnto Dauid, I wil rife vp, and go gather all Ifraél vnto my lord ye King, that thei may make a couenāt with thee, & that thou maieft reigne ouer all that thine heart defireth. Then Dauid let Abnér departe, who went * in peace.
22.¶ And beholde, the feruants of Dauid and Ioáb came h from the cāpe, & brought a great pray with them (but Abnér was not with Dauid in Hebrón for he had fet him away, and he departed in peace)
23.When Ioáb, and all the hofte that was with him were come, men tolde Ioáb, faying, Abnér the fonne of Ner came to the King, and he hathe fent him away, and he is gone in peace.
24.Then Ioáb came to the King, and faid, What haft thou done? beholde, Abnér came vnto thee, why haft thou fent him away, and he is departed?
25.Thou knoweft Abnér the fōne of Ner: for he came to difceiue thee, & to knowe thy outgoing and ingoing, and to knowe all that thou doeft.
26.¶ And when Ioáb was gone out frō Dauid, he fent meffēgers after Abnér, which brought him againe frō the well of Siráh vnknowing to Dauid.
27.And when Abnér was come againe to Hebrón, * Ioáb toke him afide in the gate to fpeake with him * peaceably, and fmote him vnder the fift ryi, that he dyed, for the blood of * Afahél his brother.
28.¶ And when afterwarde it came to Dauids eare, he faid, I and my kingdome are k giltles before the Lord for euer, cōcerning the blood of Abnér the fonne of Ner.
29.Let the blood fall on the head of Ioáb, and on all his fathers houfe, that the houfe of Ioáb be neuer without fome yt haue running yffues, or lepre, or that leaneth on a ftaffe, or that doeth fall on the fworde, or that lacketh bread. 30 (So Ioáb and l Abifhái his brother flewe Abnér, becaufe he had flayne their brother Afahél at Gibeón in battel)
31.And Dauid said to Ioáb, and to all the people that were with him, Rent your clothes, and put on sackecloth, and mourne m before Abnér: and King Dauid him self followed the beare.
32.And when thei had buryed Abnér in Hebrón, the King lift vp his voyce, & wept beside the sepulchre of Abnér, and all the people wept.
33.And the King lamented ouer Abnér, and said, Dyed Abnér as n a foole dyeth?
34.Thine hands were not bounde, nor thy feete tyed in fetters of brasse: but as a mā falleth before wicked men, so didest thou fall. And all the people wept againe for him.
35.Afterwarde all the people came to cause Dauid eat o meat while it was yet day, but Dauid sware, saying, So do God to me & more also, if I taste bread, or oght els til the sunne be downe.
36.And all the people knewe it, & it p pleased them: as whatsoeuer the King did, pleased all the people.
37.For all the people and all Israél vnderstode that day, how that it was not the Kings dede that Abnér the sonne of Ner was slayne.
38.And the King said vnto his seruants, Knowe ye not, that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israél?
39.And I am this day weake and newly anointed King: and these men the sonnes of Zeruiáh be to q hard for me: ŷ Lord reward the doer of euil according to his wickednes.

Notes

1:a.
This is, without intermifsiõ, induring two yeres, which was the whole reigne of Ifh-bófheth.
29:l.
Abifhái is faid to flay hi with Ioáb, becaufe hē cōfented to ye murther.
29:b.
Who is called also Daniél. 1. Chro. 3.1.
29:c.
Within seuē yeres and fix moneths.
29:d.
Doeft thou efteme me no more then a dog, for all my feruice done to thy fathers houfe?
29:e.
We fe how the wicked cānot abide to be admonifhed of their fautes, but feke their difpleafure, & go about to bring them frō their wickednes.
29:*.
or fecretly.
29:*.
1. Sam. 18, 27.
29:*.
1. Sam. 25, 44.
29:f.
Rather for malice that he bare towarde Ifh-bófheth, then for loue he bare to Dauid.
29:*.
Euē to the eares of Beniamín.
29:g.
Who chalēged the kingdome, becaufe of their father Saúl.
29:*.
or, without hurt.
29:h.
From warre againft the Philiftims.
29:i.
Here appeareth the malicious mīde of Ioáb, who wolde haue had the King to flay Abnér for his priuate grudge.
29:*.
1. King. 2, 5.
29:*.
or, fecretly.
29:*.
Chap. 2, 23.
29:k.
the Lord knoweth that I did not confent to his death.
31:m.
Meaning, before ŷ corps.
33:n.
To declareth that Abnér dyed not as a wretch or vile persone, but as a valiant man might do, beīg traiterously deceiued by ŷ wicked.
35:o.
According to their custome, which was to banket at buryals.
36:p.
It is expedient sometime not onely to conserue inwarde sorow, but also that it may appeare to others to the intent that they may be satisfied.
39:q.
Or, cruel.