7. Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, be ye bnei chayil; for adoneichem Sha'ul is dead, and also the Bais Yehudah have anointed me Melech over them.
8. But Avner ben Ner, Sar Tzava of Sha'ul, took Ishboshet Ben Sha'ul, and brought him over to Machanayim;
9. And made him melech over Gil`ad, and over the Ashuri, and over Yizre'el, and over Ephrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisroel.
10. Ishboshet ben Sha'ul was forty shanah when he began to reign over Yisroel, and reigned two shanim. But Bais Yehudah followed Dovid.
11. And the time that Dovid was Melech in Chevron over Bais Yehudah was shivah shanah and shishah chodashim.
12. And Avner ben Ner, and the avadim of Ishboshet Ben Sha'ul, went out from Machanayim to Giveon.
13. And Yoav Ben Tzeruyah, and the avadim of Dovid, went out, and met together by the pool of Giveon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
14. And Avner said to Yoav, Let the young men now arise for a contest before us. And Yoav said, Let them arise.
15. Then there arose and went over by mispar twelve of Binyamin, which pertained to Ishboshet ben Sha'ul, and twelve of the avadim of Dovid.
16. And they caught every one his re'a by the rosh, and thrust his cherev in his re'a's side; so they fell down together; therefore that makom was called Chelkat-Hatzurim, which is in Giveon.
17. And there was a very fierce milchamah that day; and Avner was defeated, and the Anshei Yisroel, before the Avadim of Dovid.
18. And there were three Bnei Tzeruyah there: Yoav, Avishai, Asahel; Asahel was as swift of foot as a gazelle.
19. Asahel pursued after Avner; and in going he turned not to the right nor to the left from following Avner.
20. Then Avner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.