3 Therefore a long strife was made betwixt the house of David and the house of Saul; and David profited and ever[more] was stronger than himself, in comparison of time passed, for his power increased ever, but the house of Saul decreased each day. (And so for a long time there was strife between the house of David and the house of Saul; and David grew in strength, that is, as more time that passed, the more his power increased, but the house of Saul grew ever weaker.)

² And sons were born to David in Hebron; and his first begotten son was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

³ and after him was Chileab, of Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel; and the third was Absalom, the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

⁴ and the fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; and the fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

⁵ and the sixth was Ithream, of Eglah, the wife of David. These (sons) were born to David in Hebron.

⁶ Therefore when battle was betwixt the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner, the son of Ner, governed the house of Saul.

⁷ And to Saul was a concubine, that is, a secondary wife, Rizpah by name, the daughter of Aiah; and Abner entered [in] to her. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, Why hast thou entered [in] to the concubine of my father?

⁸ And Abner was wroth greatly for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Whether I am the head of a dog against Judah today, and I have done mercy on the house of Saul, thy father, and on his brethren, and neighbours, and I betook not thee into the hands of David, and (yet) thou hast sought in me that, that thou shouldest reprove for a woman today? (And Abner was greatly angered by Ishbosheth’s words, and said, Am I the head of a dog, that is, a traitor, and do I serve Judah today? have I not shown mercy, or loyalty, to the house of Saul, thy father, and to his brothers, and to his neighbours? I did not deliver thee into the hands of David, and yet today thou hast sought that for which thou wouldest reprove me for, yea, for but a woman!)

⁹ God do these things to Abner, and add these things to him, no but as the Lord swore to David, so I do with him (so I shall do for him),

¹⁰ that the realm be translated from the house of Saul (that the kingdom be transferred from the house of Saul), and (that) the throne of David be raised on Israel and on Judah, from Dan till to Beersheba.

¹¹ And Ishbosheth might not answer anything to Abner, for he dreaded Abner (for he feared Abner).

¹² Therefore Abner sent messengers to David, and they said for him, Whose is the land? and that the messengers should (also) speak thus, Make thou friendships with me, and mine hand shall be with thee, and I shall bring (over) all Israel to thee.

¹³ And David said, Best, I shall make friendships with thee; but I ask of thee one thing, and say, Thou shalt not see my face, before that thou bring Michal, the daughter of Saul, and so thou shalt come, and shalt see me. (And David answered, Very well, I shall be friends with thee; but I require one thing from thee, and that is, that thou shalt not see my face, until thou bring Saul’s daughter Michal to me; only then shalt thou come, and see me.)

¹⁴ Therefore David sent messengers to Ishbosheth (And David also sent messengers to Ishbosheth), the son of Saul, and said, Yield thou my wife Michal, whom I espoused to me for an hundred prepuces of Philistines.

¹⁵ Therefore Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, Phaltiel, the son of Laish; (And so Ishbosheth sent some men, and took her away from her husband, Phaltiel, the son of Laish;)

¹⁶ and her husband followed her, and wept till to Bahurim. And Abner said to him, Go thou, and turn again; and he turned again. (and her husband followed her, and wept all the way to Bahurim. But Abner said to him, Go thou back home! and so he went home.)

¹⁷ Also Abner brought in a word to the elder men of Israel, and said, Both yesterday and the third day ago ye sought David, that he should reign upon you.

¹⁸ Now therefore do ye; for the Lord spake to David, and said, In the hand of my servant David I shall save my people Israel from the hand of Philistines, and of all his enemies. (And so now do ye it; for the Lord spoke to David, and said, By my servant David I shall save my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines, and from all their enemies.)

¹⁹ And also Abner spake to Benjamin; and he went, that he should speak to David, in Hebron, (of) all things that pleased Israel and all Benjamin. (And Abner also spoke to the Benjaminites; and then he went to speak to David in Hebron, about all that the Israelites and the Benjaminites had agreed to do.)

²⁰ And he came to David, in Hebron, with twenty men. And David made a feast to Abner, and to the men that came with him (And David made a feast for Abner, and the men who came with him).

²¹ And Abner said to David, I shall rise up, that I gather all Israel to thee, my lord the king, and that I make (a) bond of peace with thee, and that thou reign on all, as thy soul desireth. Therefore when David had led forth Abner, and he had gone in peace, (And Abner said to David, I shall rise up, and gather all Israel to thee, my lord the king, and they shall make a covenant with thee, and thou shalt reign upon all of them, as thy soul desireth. And after David had let Abner go away, with a guarantee of surety, or of safety,)

²² anon the servants of David and Joab came with a full great prey, when the thieves were slain; and Abner was not then with David, in Hebron, for David had let him go, and he went forth in peace. (shortly thereafter David’s men and Joab came back from a raid, with a great deal of prey; and Abner was then not with David, in Hebron, for David had let him go away, with a guarantee of safety.)

²³ And Joab, and the hosts that were with him, came afterward; therefore it was told to Joab of tellers, (saying,) Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and the king let go him, and he went forth in peace. (And so Joab, and the men who were with him, came shortly thereafter; and people said to Joab, Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and the king let him go away, with a guarantee of safety.)

²⁴ And Joab entered to the king, and said, What hast thou done? Lo! Abner came to thee; why lettest go thou him (why hast thou let him go), and he went, and departed from thee?

²⁵ Knowest thou not (that) Abner, the son of Ner, for hereto he came to thee, that he should deceive thee, and that he should know thy going out and thine entering, and should know all things which thou doest? (Thou must know that Abner, the son of Ner, came to thee so that he could deceive thee, and learn thy going out and thy coming in, and so know all the things that thou doest.)

²⁶ Therefore Joab went out from David, and sent messengers after Abner; and led him again from the cistern of Sirah (and they brought him back from the Well of Sirah), while David knew not.

²⁷ And when Abner had come again into Hebron, Joab led him asides half to the middle of the gate, (as if) that he should speak to him in guile; and he smote Abner there in the share-bone, and he was dead, into vengeance of the blood of his brother Asahel (and Joab struck, or stabbed, Abner in the belly, and he died there, in revenge for killing Joab’s brother Asahel).

²⁸ That when David had heard this thing done, he said, I am clean, and my realm, with God into without end from the blood of Abner, the son of Ner; (And when David had heard that this thing was done, he said, I and my kingdom, be clean with God forevermore, of the blood, or of the murder, of Abner, the son of Ner;)

²⁹ and come it on the head of Joab, and upon all the house of his father; and fail there not from the house of Joab a man suffering flowing of seed, and a leprous man, (and a man) holding a spindle, and a man falling by sword, and (a man) having need to bread. (yea, let it come upon Joab’s head, and upon all his father’s family; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab a man suffering the flowing out of his seed, or a leprous man, or a man holding a spindle, or a man falling by the sword, or a man having need of bread.)

³⁰ Therefore Joab, and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner, for he had slain Asahel, their brother (for he had killed their brother Asahel), in Gibeon, in battle.

³¹ And David said to Joab, and to all the people that was with him, Rend ye your clothes, and be ye gird with sackcloths, and bewail ye before the hearses, either dirge, of Abner. Forsooth king David followed the bier. (And David said to Joab, and to all the people who were with him, Tear ye your clothes, and be ye gird with sackcloths, and bewail ye the dirge for Abner. And King David himself followed the bier.)

³² And when they had buried Abner in Hebron, king David raised (up) his voice, and wept on the burial of Abner; and certainly all the people wept.

³³ And the king bewailed, and bemourned Abner, and said, Abner, thou diedest not as dreadful men, either cowards, be wont to die (Abner, thou hast not died like fearful men, or like cowards, be wont to die).

³⁴ Thine hands were not bound, and thy feet were not grieved with stocks, but thou hast fallen down, as men be wont to fall before the sons of wickedness. And all the people doubled together, and wept on him. (Thy hands were not bound, and thy feet were not put in the stocks, but thou hast fallen, like men be wont to fall before the sons of wickedness. And all the people wept again for him.)

³⁵ And when all the multitude came to take meat with David, while the day was yet clear, David swore, and said, God do to me these things, and add these things too, if I shall taste bread, either any other thing, before the going down of the sun.

³⁶ And all the people heard this; and all things which the king did in the sight of all the people pleased them;

³⁷ and all the common people and all Israel knew in that day, that it was not done of the king (that it was not done by the king), that Abner, the son of Ner, was slain.

³⁸ Also the king said to his servants, Whether ye know not, that the prince and the greatest (man) hath fallen down today in Israel?

³⁹ And I am yet tender, and anointed king; and these sons of Zeruiah be (too) hard to me; the Lord yield to him that doeth evil after his (own) malice. (And I am yet weak, though anointed the king; and these sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me; may the Lord yield to him who doeth evil after his own malice.)