May 27th

So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron.

Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”

And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed of Yahweh because you have shown this lovingkindness with your lord, with Saul, and have buried him.

So now, may Yahweh show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.

So now, let your hands be strong and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

And he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel.

Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.

Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and hold a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

And each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

And that day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field.

And Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn to the right or to the left from following Abner.

Then Abner turned to look behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.”

So Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.

And Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”

However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. Now the sun was going down, and they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

And the sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a certain hill.

Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?”

And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have only gone away in the morning, each from following his brother.”

So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.

But Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to Mahanaim.

Now Joab returned from following Abner. And he had gathered all the people together, and nineteen of David’s servants besides Asahel were missing.

But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that 360 men died.

And they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day dawned at Hebron.

Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron.

Now it happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”

Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show lovingkindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman.

May God do so to Abner, and more also, if as Yahweh has sworn to David, I do not do this for him,

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.”

And he could no longer respond a word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

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

And he said, “Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but I ask one thing of you, namely, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.”

So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”

And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.

But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.

Now Abner had consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

So now, do it! For Yahweh has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ”

Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that was good in the sight of Israel and in the sight of the whole house of Benjamin.

Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

And Abner said to David, “Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may cut a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

Now Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, and they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.”

Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you sent him away and he is already gone?

You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you and to know of your going out and your coming in and to know all that you are doing.”

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.

But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.

Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true.

I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.”

So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”

These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I am saying to the world.”

They did not know that He had been speaking to them about the Father.

So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

As He was speaking these things, many believed in Him.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples;

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

I know that you are Abraham’s seed; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.