1. After this, David asked the Lord, “Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?”“Yes,” the Lord answered.“Which one?” David asked.“Hebron,” the Lord said.
2. So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel.
3. He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns round Hebron.
4. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah.When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,
5. he sent some men there with the message: “May the Lord bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him.
6. And now may the Lord be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done.
7. Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king.”
8. The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim.
9. There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel.
10. He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years.But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David,
11. and he ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.
12. Abner and the officials of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the city of Gibeon.
13. Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side.
14. Abner said to Joab, “Let's get some of the young men from each side to fight an armed contest.”“All right,” Joab answered.
15. So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men.
16. Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all 24 of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called “Field of Swords”.
17. Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men.