2 Samuel 2:18-32 Expanded Bible
Abner Kills Asahel
18 Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was ·a fast runner, as fast as a deer [L as fleet-footed as a gazelle] in the field. 19 Asahel chased Abner, ·going straight toward him [L turning neither to the right or left]. 20 Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it is.”
21 Then Abner said to Asahel, “·Turn to your right or left [Go elsewhere] and catch one of the young men and ·take his armor [strip him of his weapons; L take his spoil].” But Asahel refused to ·stop [L turn away from] chasing him.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, “·Stop chasing me [L Turn another way]! ·If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! [L Why should I strike you down?] Then ·I won’t be able to [L how could I…?] face your brother Joab again!”
23 But Asahel refused to ·stop chasing Abner [L turn aside/back]. So using the ·back [butt] end of his spear, Abner ·stabbed [struck] Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel [L fell/stumbled and] died right there, and everyone ·stopped [stood still] when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.
24 But Joab and Abishai ·continued chasing [took up the pursuit of] Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, ·near [in front of] Giah on the way to the ·desert [wilderness] near Gibeon. 25 The men of Benjamin [C part of Abner’s troops] came to Abner, and ·all stood together [regrouped; reunited] at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword ·kill [L devour] forever? Surely you must know this will only end in ·sadness [bitterness]! ·Tell [L How long before you tell…?] the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”
27 Then Joab said, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning.” 28 Then Joab blew a ·trumpet [ram’s horn], and his people stopped chasing ·the Israelites [L Israel]. They did not fight them anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the ·Jordan Valley [Arabah]. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all ·day [morning], arrived at Mahanaim.
30 After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David’s ·men [soldiers; L servants] were missing. 31 But David’s ·men [L servants] had ·killed [L struck] three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner. 32 David’s men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. ·The sun came up as [At daybreak] they reached Hebron.
Read full chapterThe Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
