Then Abner sent messengers to David saying,“ To whom does the land belong? Make an agreement with me, and I will do whatever I can to cause all Israel to turn to you.”

押尼珥打发人去见大卫，替他说：“这国归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，我必帮助你，使以色列人都归服你。”

押尼珥派使者到大卫所在的地方，说：“这地归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，看哪，我必帮助你，使全以色列都拥护你。”

押尼珥派使者到大卫所在的地方，说：“这地归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，看哪，我必帮助你，使全以色列都拥护你。”

押尼珥派使者送信给大卫，说：“这个国家难道不是你的吗？如果你与我立约，我必帮助你统一以色列。”

押尼珥差派使者代表他去见大卫，说：“这地是属谁的呢？”又说：“你与我立约，我就必帮助你，使全以色列都归顺你。”

押尼珥打發人去見大衛，替他說：「這國歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，我必幫助你，使以色列人都歸服你。」

押尼珥派使者到大衛所在的地方，說：「這地歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，看哪，我必幫助你，使全以色列都擁護你。」

押尼珥派使者到大衛所在的地方，說：「這地歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，看哪，我必幫助你，使全以色列都擁護你。」

押尼珥派使者送信給大衛，說：「這個國家難道不是你的嗎？如果你與我立約，我必幫助你統一以色列。」

押尼珥差派使者代表他去見大衛，說：“這地是屬誰的呢？”又說：“你與我立約，我就必幫助你，使全以色列都歸順你。”

押尼珥打發使者到希伯崙去見大衛，說：『這地屬誰呢？』又說：『和我立約吧，我的手就輔助你，使以色列人都轉向你。』

押尼珥派使者代表他去見大衛，說：「這地屬於誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約吧，看哪，我的手必輔助你，使全體以色列人都歸向你。」

押尼珥遣使見大衛曰、斯土屬誰乎、又曰、爾與我約、我手必助爾、使以色列眾悉歸爾、

押尼耳遣使、謂大闢曰、斯土屬誰乎。又曰、爾與我約、我則助爾、使以色列族眾歸爾。

押尼珥遣使往見大衛、謂之曰、此國屬誰乎、又曰、與我立約、我則助爾、使以色列人皆歸爾、

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak for him. They said,“ Who will rule over this land? Make a covenant with me. Then I’ll help you bring all the Israelites over to your side.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,“ To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying,“ Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”

Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to turn all Israel over to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers to David at his place, saying,“ Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying,“ Whose is the land?” saying also,“ Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to hand all Israel over to you.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose[ is] the land? saying[ also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand[ shall be] with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,“ Whose is the land?” and saying,“ Make your alliance with me, and behold, my hand will be with you, to bring all Israel around to you.”

All these men were warriors who were ready to march. They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation; all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king.They spent three days feasting there with David, for their relatives had given them provisions.Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb, for Israel was celebrating.

All Israel joined David at Hebron and said,“ Look, we are your very flesh and blood!In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The LORD your God said to you,‘ You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’”When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the LORD. They anointed David king over Israel, just as the LORD had announced through Samuel.

Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.

He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. Then they sent word to the king saying,“ Return, you and all your servants as well.”

So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first,‘ How much do you owe my master?’The man replied,‘ A hundred measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him,‘ Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’Then he said to another,‘ And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied,‘ A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him,‘ Take your bill, and write eighty.’The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light.

Abner said to David,“ Let me leave so that I may go and gather all Israel to my lord the king so that they may make an agreement with you. Then you will rule over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and he left in peace.

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying,“ Look, we are your very flesh and blood!In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel. The LORD said to you,‘ You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’”When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the LORD. They designated David as king over Israel.

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel.

You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, it would be all right with you.

Then all the men of Israel began coming to the king. They asked the king,“ Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, sneak the king away and help the king and his household cross the Jordan– and not only him but all of David’s men as well?”All the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel,“ Because the king is our close relative! Why are you so upset about this? Have we eaten at the king’s expense? Or have we misappropriated anything for our own use?”The men of Israel replied to the men of Judah,“ We have ten shares in the king, and we have a greater claim on David than you do! Why do you want to curse us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing back our king?” But the comments of the men of Judah were more severe than those of the men of Israel.Now a wicked man named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjaminite, happened to be there. He blew the trumpet and said,“ We have no share in David; we have no inheritance in this son of Jesse! Every man go home, O Israel!”So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.Then David went to his palace in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them. They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.Then the king said to Amasa,“ Call the men of Judah together for me in three days, and you be present here with them too.”So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than the time that the king had allotted him.Then David said to Abishai,“ Now Sheba son of Bicri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord’s servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure fortified cities for himself and get away from us.”So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his waist. When he advanced, it fell out.Joab said to Amasa,“ How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa’s beard as if to greet him with a kiss.Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.One of Joab’s soldiers who stood over Amasa said,“ Whoever is for Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came across Amasa stopped, the man pulled him away from the path and into the field and threw a garment over him.Once he had removed Amasa from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting,“ Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, saying,“ Who is this?”