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.”

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 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.

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.”

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 of these, being men of war who helped in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel also were of one mind to make David king.They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them.Moreover, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel.

Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron and said,“ Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you,‘ You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be leader over My people Israel.’ ”So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the Lord through Samuel.

People of low standing are only breath, and people of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up. Together they are lighter than breath.

So he turned the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, saying,“ Return, you and all your servants.”

And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first,‘ How much do you owe my master?’And he said,‘ A hundred jugs of oil.’ And he said to him,‘ Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’Then he said to another,‘ And how much do you owe?’ And he said,‘ A hundred kors of wheat.’ He* said to him,‘ Take your bill, and write eighty.’And his master complimented the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

Abner said to David,“ Let me set out and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David let Abner go, and he went in peace.

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said,“ Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you,‘ You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.’ ”So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel.

So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel.

by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have revealed today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right as far as you are concerned.

And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king,“ Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, abducted you and brought the king and his household and all David’s men with him, over the Jordan?”Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel,“ Because the king is a close relative to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense, or has anything been taken for us?”But the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said,“ We have ten parts in the king, therefore we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Was it not our advice first to bring back our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.Now a worthless man happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet and said,“ We have no share in David, Nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, Israel!”So all the men of Israel withdrew from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah remained loyal to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.Then David came to his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left behind to take care of the house, and put them in custody and provided them with food, but did not have relations with them. So they were locked up until the day of their death, living as widows.Now the king said to Amasa,“ Summon the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.”So Amasa went to summon the men of Judah, but he was delayed longer than the set time which he had designated for him.And David said to Abishai,“ Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight.”So Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors; and they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was dressed in his military attire, and over it he had a belt with a sword in its sheath strapped on at his waist; and as he went forward, it fell out.And Joab said to Amasa,“ Is it going well for you, my brother?” And Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.But Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand, so he struck him in the belly with it and spilled out his intestines on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.Now one of Joab’s young men stood by him and said,“ Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”But Amasa was wallowing in his own blood in the middle of the road. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa from the road to the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still.As soon as he was removed from the road, all the men went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,“ Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying,“ Who is this?”