Asahel

18The three sons of Zeruiah were there. They were Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a wild deer.

And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

NoteThe King James calls Asahel "light of foot as a wild roe." A roe is a kind of deer. It can run very fast.

19Asahel chased after Abner. He did not turn left or right. He just kept after Abner.

And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

20Abner looked behind him and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" Asahel said, "Yes, it is."

Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

21Abner said, "Turn to your right or your left. Go after one of the young men and take his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

NoteAfter a fight, winners took the weapons of the men they beat. Abner was telling Asahel to go chase someone easier.

22Abner said again, "Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you down? Then how could I look your brother Joab in the face?"

And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

NoteJoab was Asahel's older brother. Abner did not want Joab angry at him forever.

23But Asahel would not turn away. So Abner shoved the back end of his spear into Asahel's stomach. It came out his back. He fell and died right there. Every man who came to that spot stopped and stood still.

Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

NoteA spear is a long stick with a sharp point on one end. Abner hit him with the blunt back end instead.

24But Joab and Abishai kept chasing Abner. The sun was going down when they reached the hill of Ammah. It is near Giah, on the road to the dry land of Gibeon.

Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

Note"Dry land" here means empty country with few plants and no towns.

25The men of Benjamin gathered around Abner. They formed one group. They stood together on top of a hill.

And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.

26Then Abner called out to Joab. He said, "Must we keep killing each other forever? Don't you know this will end in sadness? How long until you tell your men to stop chasing their own brothers?"

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

NoteBoth armies were Israelites, one people. That is why Abner calls them brothers.

27Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, my men would have kept chasing their brothers until morning."

And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

Note"As God lives" was a strong promise. It meant "I am telling the truth."

28So Joab blew a horn. All the men stopped. They did not chase Israel anymore, and they did not fight anymore.

So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

NoteThe horn was made from a ram's horn. Blowing it was the signal for soldiers to stop.

29Abner and his men walked all that night through the flat land. They crossed the Jordan River. They kept going and came to Mahanaim.

And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

NoteThe Jordan is the big river running through that land. The flat land is the low ground beside the river.

30Joab came back from chasing Abner. He gathered all his men together. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were missing.

And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.

31But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from Benjamin.

But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.

32They carried Asahel away and buried him in his father's grave in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men walked all night. They reached Hebron as the sun came up.

And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.

NoteA grave then was often a small cave cut in rock. A whole family was buried in the same one. Bethlehem was the town David grew up in.

26Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought Abner back from the well of Sirah. David did not know about it.

And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.

NoteThe well of Sirah was a water well beside the road. It was a short way outside Hebron.

27When Abner came back to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway. He acted as if he wanted to talk quietly. There Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and Abner died. Joab did it to pay Abner back for killing his brother Asahel.

And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

NoteA town gate was a wide doorway where people met and talked. In those days, if a man was killed, his family was expected to pay the killer back. Joab was doing that for his brother Asahel.

28Later David heard what had happened. He said, "I did not kill Abner son of Ner. The LORD knows my kingdom and I are not guilty of his death, now or ever."

And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner:

29"Let the blame fall on Joab and on all his father's family. May Joab's family always have someone who is sick and does not get well, or has a bad skin disease. May some need a stick to walk. May some die by the sword. May some go hungry."

Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread.

NotePeople then stayed away from anyone with a bad skin disease. So being sick that way meant living apart from friends and family.

30Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner. They did it because Abner had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.