Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New 
York Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

                                   ABNER

1SA 9:1  There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son 
of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of 
Benjamin.

1SA 14:50  His wife's name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the 
commander of Saul's army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul's uncle.

1SA 14:51  Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

1SA 17:55  As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said 
to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" 
Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know."

1SA 26:5  Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. 
He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain 
down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

1SA 26:14  He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Aren't you 
going to answer me, Abner?" Abner replied, "Who are you who calls to the 
king?"

2SA 2:8  Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had 
taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

2SA 2:9  He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over 
Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

2SA 2:10  Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king 
over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, 
followed David.

2SA 2:11  The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of 
Judah was seven years and six months.

2SA 2:12  Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of 
Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.

2SA 2:13  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.

2SA 2:14  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.

2SA 2:15  So they stood up and were counted off--twelve men for Benjamin 
and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

2SA 2:16  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.

2SA 2:17  The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of 
Israel were defeated by David's men.

2SA 2:18  The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. 
Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.

2SA 2:19  He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as 
he pursued him.

2SA 2:20  Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It 
is," he answered.

2SA 2:21  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.

2SA 2:22  Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike 
you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"

2SA 2:23  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.

2SA 2:24  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.

2SA 2:25  Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed 
themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

2SA 2:26  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 brothers?"

2SA 2:27  Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, 
the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning."

2SA 2:28  So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no 
longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

2SA 2:29  All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They 
crossed the Jordan, continued through the whole Bithron and came to 
Mahanaim.

2SA 2:30  Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner and assembled all his men. 
Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing.

2SA 2:31  But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who 
were with Abner.

2SA 2:32  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.

2SA 3:6  During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, 
Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul.

2SA 3:7  Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And 
Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why did you sleep with my father's concubine?"

2SA 3:8  Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said and he 
answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to 
the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't 
handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving 
this woman!

2SA 3:9  May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do 
for David what the LORD promised him on oath

2SA 3:10  and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish 
David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba."

2SA 3:11  Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he 
was afraid of him.

2SA 3:12  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."

2SA 3:13  "Good," said David. "I will make an agreement with you. But I 
demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring 
Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me."

2SA 3:14  Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, 
"Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a 
hundred Philistine foreskins."

2SA 3:15  So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her 
husband Paltiel son of Laish.

2SA 3:16  Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the 
way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.

2SA 3:17  Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some 
time you have wanted to make David your king.

2SA 3:18  Now do it! For the LORD promised David, 'By my servant David I 
will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the 
hand of all their enemies.'"

2SA 3:19  Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to 
Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin 
wanted to do.

2SA 3:20  When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, 
David prepared a feast for him and his men.

2SA 3:21  Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all 
Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and 
that you may rule over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner 
away, and he went in peace.

2SA 3:27  Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the 
gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the 
blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

2SA 3:28  Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom 
are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of 
Ner.

2SA 3:29  May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his 
father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running 
sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who 
lacks food."

2SA 3:30  (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had 
killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

2SA 3:31  Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your 
clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner." King 
David himself walked behind the bier.

2SA 3:32  They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner's 
tomb. All the people wept also.

2SA 3:33  The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as 
the lawless die?

2SA 3:34  Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell 
as one falls before wicked men." And all the people wept over him again.

2SA 3:35  Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was 
still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it 
ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

2SA 3:36  All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the 
king did pleased them.

2SA 3:37  So on that day all the people and all Israel knew that the king 
had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

2SA 3:38  Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince 
and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?

2SA 3:39  And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these 
sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer 
according to his evil deeds!"

1CH 26:27  Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the 
repair of the temple of the LORD.

1CH 26:28  And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of 
Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated 
things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

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