14. Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young men get up and compete in front of us.”“Let them get up,” Joab replied.
15. So they got up and were counted off — 12 for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and 12 from David’s soldiers.
16. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.
17. The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
18. The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.
19. He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him.
20. Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel? ”“Yes it is,” Asahel replied.
21. Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22. Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face? ”
23. But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the end of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. When all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped,
24. but Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25. The Benjaminites rallied to Abner; they formed a single unit and took their stand on top of a hill.
26. Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers? ”