And it happened after this, and David inquired of יהוה, saying, 'Shall I go up into one of the cities of Yehudah?' And יהוה said to him, 'Go up.' And David said, 'Where shall I go up?' And he said, 'To Ḥevron.'

And David went up there, and also his two wives, Aḥin'am the Yizre'elite, and Avigayil, the wife of Naval the Karmelite.

And the men who were with him, David brought up, each man and his household, and they lived in the cities of Ḥevron.

And the men of Yehudah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Yehudah. And they told David, saying, 'The men of Yaveish Gil'ad, they are the ones who buried Sha'ul.'

And David sent messengers to the men of Yaveish Gil'ad, and said to them, 'You are blessed by יהוה, because you showed this kindness to your Adonai, to Sha'ul, and you buried him.'

And now, may יהוה do with you kindness and truth. And also, I will do for you this good thing, which you have done this deed.

And now, may your hands be strengthened, and be valiant men, because your Adonai Sha'ul is dead, and also the house of Yehudah has anointed me as king over them.'

And Avner, son of Ner, the commander of the army of Sha'ul, took Ish-Boshet, son of Sha'ul, and brought him to Maḥanayim.

And he made him king over Gil'ad, and over the Ashuri, and over Yizre'el, and over Efrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisra'el.

Ish-Boshet, son of Sha'ul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisra'el, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Yehudah was with David.

And the number of days that David was king in Ḥevron over the house of Yehudah was seven years and six months.

And Avner, son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-Boshet, son of Sha'ul, went out from Maḥanayim to Giv'on.

And Yo'av, son of Tseruyah, and the servants of David went out, and they met them by the pool of Giv'on, together. And these sat by the pool on this side, and those sat by the pool on that side.

And Avner said to Yo'av, 'Let the young men now arise and play before us.' And Yo'av said, 'Let them arise.'

And they arose, and went through by number, twelve for Binyamin and for Ish-Boshet, son of Sha'ul, and twelve from the servants of David.

And each man grasped his companion by the head, and his sword in his companion's side, and they fell down together. And he called that place Ḥelkat-Haṣurim, which is in Giv'on.

And the battle was very severe on that day. And Avner and the men of Yisra'el were defeated before the servants of David.

And there were there three sons of Tseruyah: Yo'av, and Avishay, and Asa'el. And Asa'el was swift of foot like one of the gazelles in the field.

And Asa'el pursued Avner, and he did not turn to go to the right or to the left from after Avner.

And Avner looked behind him and said, 'Is that you, Asa'el?' And he said, 'It is I.'

And Avner said to him, 'Turn to your right or to your left, and take one of the young men, and take his spoil. But Asa'el refused to turn from after him.

And Avner spoke again to Asa'el, saying, 'Turn away from me. Why should I strike you to the ground? And how shall I lift up my face to Yo'av, your brother?'

But he refused to turn. And Avner struck him with the back of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out from behind him, and he fell down there and died under it. And it happened, everyone who came to the place where Asa'el fell and died, they stood.

And Yo'av and Avishay pursued Avner, and the sun was setting. And they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giḥah, on the way to the wilderness of Giv'on.

And the sons of Binyamin gathered themselves together behind Avner, and they became one company, and they stood on one mountaintop.

And Avner called out to Yo'av and said, 'Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? And how long will you not say to the people to turn back from following their brothers?'

And Yo'av said, 'As Elohim lives, if you had not spoken, then from the morning the people would have gone up, each man from after his brother.'

And Yo'av blew the shofar, and all the people stood still, and they no longer pursued after Yisra'el, and they no longer fought.

And Avner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed the Yarden, and they went through all of Bitron, and they came to Maḥanayim.

And Yo'av returned from pursuing Avner, and he gathered all the people. And there were missing from the servants of David nineteen men and Asa'el.

But the servants of David struck down from Binyamin and from the men of Avner three hundred and sixty men who died.

And they took up Asa'el and buried him in the grave of his father, which is in Beit Leḥem. And Yo'av and his men went all night, and it dawned for them in Ḥevron.