2:1 此後，大衛問耶和華說：「我上猶大的一個城去可以嗎？」耶和華說：「可以。」大衛說：「我上哪一個城去呢？」耶和華說：「上希伯崙去。」
2:2 於是大衛和他的兩個妻─一個是耶斯列人亞希暖，一個是作過迦密人拿八妻的亞比該─都上那裡去了。
2:3 大衛也將跟隨他的人和他們各人的眷屬一同帶上去，住在希伯崙的城邑中。
2:4 猶大人來到希伯崙，在那裡膏大衛作猶大家的王。有人告訴大衛說：「葬埋掃羅的是基列‧雅比人。」
2:5 大衛就差人去見基列‧雅比人，對他們說：「你們厚待你們的主─掃羅，將他葬埋。願耶和華賜福與你們！
2:6 你們既行了這事，願耶和華以慈愛誠實待你們，我也要為此厚待你們。
2:7 現在你們的主─掃羅死了，猶大家已經膏我作他們的王，所以你們要剛強奮勇。」
2:8 掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥，曾將掃羅的兒子伊施波設帶過河，到瑪哈念，
2:9 立他作王，治理基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫，和以色列眾人。
2:10 掃羅的兒子伊施波設登基的時候年四十歲，作以色列王二年；惟獨猶大家歸從大衛。
2:11 大衛在希伯崙作猶大家的王，共七年零六個月。
2:12 尼珥的兒子押尼珥和掃羅的兒子伊施波設的僕人從瑪哈念出來，往基遍去。
2:13 洗魯雅的兒子約押和大衛的僕人也出來，在基遍池旁與他們相遇；一班坐在池這邊，一班坐在池那邊。
2:14 押尼珥對約押說：「讓少年人起來，在我們面前戲耍吧！」約押說：「可以。」
2:15 就按著定數起來：屬掃羅兒子伊施波設的便雅憫人過去十二名，大衛的僕人也過去十二名，
2:16 彼此揪頭，用刀刺肋，一同仆倒。所以，那地叫作希利甲‧哈素林，就在基遍。
2:17 那日的戰事凶猛，押尼珥和以色列人敗在大衛的僕人面前。
2:18 在那裡有洗魯雅的三個兒子：約押、亞比篩、亞撒黑。亞撒黑腳快如野鹿一般；
2:19 亞撒黑追趕押尼珥，直追趕他不偏左右。
2:20 押尼珥回頭說：「你是亞撒黑嗎？」回答說：「是。」
2:21 押尼珥對他說：「你或轉向左轉向右，拿住一個少年人，剝去他的戰衣。」亞撒黑卻不肯轉開不追趕他。
2:22 押尼珥又對亞撒黑說：「你轉開不追趕我吧！我何必殺你呢？若殺你，有甚麼臉見你哥哥約押呢？」
2:23 亞撒黑仍不肯轉開。故此，押尼珥就用槍鐏刺入他的肚腹，甚至槍從背後透出，亞撒黑就在那裡仆倒而死。眾人趕到亞撒黑仆倒而死的地方，就都站住。
2:24 約押和亞比篩追趕押尼珥，日落的時候，到了通基遍曠野的路旁，基亞對面的亞瑪山。
2:25 便雅憫人聚集，跟隨押尼珥站在一個山頂上。
2:26 押尼珥呼叫約押說：「刀劍豈可永遠殺人嗎？你豈不知終久必有苦楚嗎？你要等何時才叫百姓回去、不追趕弟兄呢？」
2:27 約押說：「我指著永生的上帝起誓：你若不說戲耍的那句話，今日早晨百姓就回去，不追趕弟兄了。」
2:28 於是約押吹角，眾民就站住，不再追趕以色列人，也不再打仗了。
2:29 押尼珥和跟隨他的人整夜經過亞拉巴，過約旦河，走過畢倫，到了瑪哈念。
2:30 約押追趕押尼珥回來，聚集眾民，見大衛的僕人中缺少了十九個人和亞撒黑。
2:31 但大衛的僕人殺了便雅憫人和跟隨押尼珥的人，共三百六十名。
2:32 眾人將亞撒黑送到伯利恆，葬在他父親的墳墓裡。約押和跟隨他的人走了一夜，天亮的時候到了希伯崙。
In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.
10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.[a]
17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours[b] and came to Mahanaim.
30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.
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大衛雖然回以色列地，卻沒有馬上成為以色列的王，不過猶大支派膏他為王。然而卻在這時候，掃羅家族還是有力量，如經文所說：「掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥，曾將掃羅的兒子伊施波設帶過河，到瑪哈念，立他作王，治理基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫，和以色列眾人。掃羅的兒子伊施波設登基的時候年四十歲，作以色列王二年；惟獨猶大家歸從大衛。」
也因為這樣以色列就發生了內戰，然而在這個戰役中讓大衛的元帥約押一直記恨在心的就是弟弟亞撒黑被押尼珥所殺之事。當然在整個過程中，雙方都要負責任，因為押尼珥事想求和的人，卻被亞撒黑所阻擋，所以才會發生這樣的悲劇。
當然在將來的日子裡，上帝使大衛的勢力越來越大！不過上帝做事與世人的方式不同，上帝還是讓大衛先在希伯崙先磨練一段時間，正如經文所說：「大衛在希伯崙作猶大家的王，共七年零六個月。」
上帝一再讓我們覺得好事多磨，好讓大衛成為一個成熟的君王！其實上帝對我們的生命何嘗不是如此呢！也因此，我們要等候耶和華，不要任意妄為！
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