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He also produced
demonstrations that the king was slain, which were the golden bracelets that
had been on the king's arms, and his crown, which he had taken away from Saul's
dead body, and had brought them to him. So David having no longer any room to
call in question the truth of what he said, but seeing most evident marks that
Saul was dead, he rent his garments, and continued all that day with his
companions in weeping and lamentation. This grief was augmented by the
consideration of Jonathan; the son of Saul, who had been his most faithful
friend, and the occasion of his own deliverance. He also demonstrated himself
to have such great virtue, and such great kindness for Saul, as not only to
take his death to heart, though he had been frequently in danger of losing his
life by his means, but to punish him that slew him; for when David had said to
him that he was become his own accuser, as the very man who had slain the king,
and when he had understood that he was the son of an Amalekite, he commanded
him to be slain. He also committed to writing some lamentations and funeral
commendations of Saul and Jonathan, which have continued to my own age.
2. Now when David had
paid these honors to the king, he left off his mourning, and inquired of God by
the prophet which of the cities of the tribe of Judah he would bestow upon him
to dwell in; who answered that he bestowed upon him Hebron. So he left Ziklag,
and came to Hebron, and took with him his wives, who were in number two, and
his armed men; whereupon all the people of the forementioned tribe came to him,
and ordained him their king. But when he heard that the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul and his sons [honorably], he sent to them and
commended them, and took what they had done kindly, and promised to make them
amends for their care of those that were dead; and at the same time he informed
them that the tribe of Judah had chosen him for their king.
3. But as soon as
Abner, the son of Ner, who was general of Saul's army, and a very active man,
and good-natured, knew that the king, and Jonathan, and his two other sons,
were fallen in the battle, he made haste into the camp; and taking away with
him the remaining son of Saul, whose name was Ishbosheth, he passed over to the
land beyond Jordan, and ordained him the king of the whole multitude, excepting
the tribe of Judah; and made his royal seat in a place called in our own
language Mahanaim, but in the language of the Grecians, The Camps;
from whence Abner made haste with a select body of soldiers, to fight with
such of the tribe of Judah as were disposed to it, for he was angry that this
tribe had set up David for their king. But Joab, whose father was Suri, and his
mother Zeruiah, David's sister, who was general of David's army, met him,
according to David's appointment. He had with him his brethren, Abistiai and
Asahel, as also all David's armed men. Now when he met Abner at a certain
fountain, in the city of Gibeon, he prepared to fight.
And when Abner said to him,
that he had a mind to know which of them had the more valiant soldiers, it was
agreed between them that twelve soldiers of each side should fight together. So
those that were chosen out by both the generals for this fight came between the
two armies, and throwing their lances one against the other, they drew their
swords, and catching one another by the head, they held one another fast, and
ran each other's swords into their sides and groins, until they all, as it were
by mutual agreement, perished together. When these were fallen down dead, the
rest of the army came to a sore battle, and Abner's men were beaten; and when
they were beaten, Joab did not leave off pursuing them, but he pressed upon
them, and excited the soldiers to follow them close, and not to grow weary of
killing them. His brethren also pursued them with great alacrity, especially
the younger, Asahel, who was the most eminent of them.
He was very famous for his
swiftness of foot, for he could not only be too hard for men, but is reported
to have overrun a horse, when they had a race together. This Asahel ran
violently after Abner, and would not turn in the least out of the straight way,
either to the one side or to the other. Hereupon Abner turned back, and
attempted artfully to avoid his violence. Sometimes he bade him leave off the
pursuit, and take the armor of one of his soldiers; and sometimes, when he
could not persuade him so to do, he exhorted him to restrain himself, and not
to pursue him any longer, lest he should force him to kill him, and he should
then not be able to look his brother in the face: but when Asahel would not
admit of any persuasions, but still continued to pursue him, Abner smote him
with his spear, as he held it in his flight, and that by a back-stroke, and
gave him a deadly wound, so that he died immediately; but those that were with
him pursuing Abner, when they came to the place where Asahel lay, they stood
round about the dead body, and left off the pursuit of the enemy.
However, both Joab
(1) himself, and his brother Abishai,
ran past the dead corpse, and making their anger at the death of Asahel an
occasion of greater zeal against Abner, they went on with incredible haste and
alacrity, and pursued Abner to a certain place called Ammah: it was about
sun-set. Then did Joab ascend a certain hill, as he stood at that place, having
the tribe of Benjamin with him, whence he took a view of them, and of Abner
also. Hereupon Abner cried aloud, and said that it was not fit that they should
irritate men of the same nation to fight so bitterly one against another; that
as for Asahel his brother, he was himself in the wrong, when he would not be
advised by him not to pursue him any farther, which was the occasion of his
wounding and death.
So Joab consented to what he
said, and accepted these his words as an excuse [about Asahel], and called the
soldiers back with the sound of the trumpet, as a signal for their retreat, and
thereby put a stop to any further pursuit. After which Joab pitched his camp
there that night; but Abner marched all that night, and passed over the river
Jordan, and came to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, to Mahanaim. On the next day Joab
counted the dead men, and took care of all their funerals. Now there were slain
of Abner's soldiers about three hundred and sixty; but of those of David
nineteen, and Asahel, whose body Joab and Abishai carried to Bethlehem; and
when they had buried him in the sepulcher of their fathers, they came to David
to Hebron. From this time therefore there began an intestine war, which lasted
a great while, in which the followers of David grew stronger in the dangers
they underwent, and the servants and subjects of Saul's sons did almost every
day become weaker.
4. About this time
David was become the father of six sons, born of as many mothers. The eldest
was by Ahinoam, and he was called Arenon; the second was Daniel, by his wife
Abigail; the name of the third was Absalom, by Maacah, the daughter of Talmai,
king of Geshur; the fourth he named Adonijah, by his wife Haggith; the fifth
was Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth he called Ithream, by Eglah. Now while
this intestine war went on, and the subjects of the two kings came frequently
to action and to fighting, it was Abner, the general of the host of Saul's son,
who, by his prudence, and the great interest he had among the multitude, made
them all continue with Ishbosheth; and indeed it was a considerable time that
they continued of his party; but afterwards Abner was blamed, and an accusation
was laid against him, that he went in unto Saul's concubine: her name was
Rispah, the daughter of Aiah.
So when he was complained of
by Ishbosheth, he was very uneasy and angry at it, because he had not justice
done him by Ishbosheth, to whom he had shown the greatest kindness; whereupon
he threatened to transfer the kingdom to David, and demonstrate that he did not
rule over the people beyond Jordan by his own abilities and wisdom, but by his
warlike conduct and fidelity in leading his army. So he sent ambassadors to
Hebron to David, and desired that he would give him security upon oath that he
would esteem him his companion and his friend, upon condition that he should
persuade the people to leave Saul's son, and choose him king of the whole
country; and when David had made that league with Abner, for he was pleased
with his message to him, he desired that he would give this as the first mark
of performance of the present league, that he might have his wife Michal
restored to him, as her whom he had purchased with great hazards, and with
those six hundred heads of the Philistines which he had brought to Saul her
father.
So Abner took Michal from
Phaltiel, who was then her husband, and sent her to David, Ishbosheth himself
affording him his assistance, for David had written to him that of right he
ought to have this his wife restored to him. Abner also called together the
elders of the multitude, the commanders and captains of thousands, and spake
thus to them: That he had formerly dissuaded them from their own resolution,
when they were ready to forsake Ishbosheth, and to join themselves to David;
that, however, he now gave them leave so to do, if they had a mind to it, for
they knew that God had appointed David to be king of all the Hebrews by Samuel
the prophet; and had foretold that he should punish the Philistines, and
overcome them, and bring them under. Now when the elders and rulers heard this,
and understood that Abner was come over to those sentiments about the public
affairs which they were of before, they changed their measures, and came in to
David.
When these men had agreed to
Abner's proposal, he called together the tribe of Benjamin, for all of that
tribe were the guards of Ishbosheth's body, and he spake to them to the same
purpose. And when he saw that they did not in the least oppose what he said,
but resigned themselves up to his opinion, he took about twenty of his friends
and came to David, in order to receive himself security upon oath from him; for
we may justly esteem those things to be firmer which every one of us do by
ourselves, than those which we do by another. He also gave him an account of
what he had said to the rulers, and to the whole tribe of Benjamin; and when
David had received him in a courteous manner, and had treated him with great
hospitality for many days, Abner, when he was dismissed, desired him to bring
the multitude with him, that he might deliver up the government to him, when
David himself was present, and a spectator of what was done.
5. When David had sent
Abner away, Joab, the of his army, came immediately to Hebron; he had
understood that Abner had been with David, and had parted with him a little
before under leagues and agreements that the government should be delivered up
to David, he feared lest David should place Abner, who had assisted him to gain
the kingdom, in the first rank of dignity, especially since he was a shrewd man
in other respects, in understanding affairs, and in managing them artfully, as
proper seasons should require, and that he should himself be put lower, and be
deprived of the command of the army; so he took a knavish and a wicked course.
In the first place, he
endeavored to calumniate Abner to the king, exhorting him to have a care of
him, and not to give attention to what he had engaged to do for him, because
all he did tended to confirm the government to Saul's son; that he came to him
deceitfully and with guile, and was gone away in hopes of gaining his purpose
by this management: but when he could not thus persuade David, nor saw him at
all exasperated, he betook himself to a project bolder than the former: - he
determined to kill Abner; and in order thereto, he sent some messengers after
him, to whom he gave in charge, that when they should overtake him they should
recall him in David's name, and tell him that he had somewhat to say to him
about his affairs, which he had not remembered to speak of when he was with
him. Now when Abner heard what the messengers said, (for they overtook him in a
certain place called Besira, which was distant from Hebron twenty
furlongs,) he suspected none of the mischief which was befalling him, and came
back.
Hereupon Joab met him in the
gate, and received him in the kindest manner, as if he were Abner's most
benevolent acquaintance and friend; for such as undertake the vilest actions,
in order to prevent the suspicion of any private mischief intended, do
frequently make the greatest pretenses to what really good men sincerely do. So
he took him aside from his own followers, as if he would speak with him in
private, and brought him into a void place of the gate, having himself nobody
with him but his brother Abishai; then he drew his sword, and smote him in the
groin; upon which Abner died by this treachery of Joab, which, as he said
himself, was in the way of punishment for his brother Asahel, whom Abner smote
and slew as he was pursuing after him in the battle of Hebron, but as the truth
was, out of his fear of losing his command of the army, and his dignity with
the king, and lest he should be deprived of those advantages, and Abner should
obtain the first rank in David's court.
By these examples any one may
learn how many and how great instances of wickedness men will venture upon for
the sake of getting money and authority, and that they may not fail of either
of them; for as when they are desirous of obtaining the same, they acquire them
by ten thousand evil practices; so when they are afraid of losing them, they
get them confirmed to them by practices much worse than the former, as if no
other calamity so terrible could befall them as the failure of acquiring so
exalted an authority; and when they have acquired it, and by long custom found
the sweetness of it, the losing it again: and since this last would be the
heaviest of all afflictions they all of them contrive and venture upon the most
difficult actions, out of the fear of losing the same. But let it suffice that
I have made these short reflections upon that subject.
6. When David heard
that Abner was slain, it grieved his soul; and he called all men to witness,
with stretching out his hands to God, and crying out that he was not a partaker
in the murder of Abner, and that his death was not procured by his command or
approbation. He also wished the heaviest curses might light upon him that slew
him and upon his whole house; and he devoted those that had assisted him in
this murder to the same penalties on its account; for he took care not to
appear to have had any hand in this murder, contrary to the assurances he had
given and the oaths he had taken to Abner. However, he commanded all the people
to weep and lament this man, and to honor his dead body with the usual
solemnities; that is, by rending their garments, and putting on sackcloth, and
that things should be the habit in which they should go before the bier; after
which he followed it himself, with the elders and those that were rulers,
lamenting Abner, and by his tears demonstrating his good-will to him while he
was alive, and his sorrow for him now he was dead, and that he was not taken
off with his consent.
So he buried him at Hebron in
a magnificent manner, and indited funeral elegies for him; he also stood first
over the monument weeping, and caused others to do the same; nay, so deeply did
the death of Abner disorder him, that his companions could by no means force
him to take any food, but he affirmed with an oath that he would taste nothing
till the sun was set. This procedure gained him the good-will of the multitude;
for such as had an affection for Abner were mightily satisfied with the respect
he paid him when he was dead, and the observation of that faith he had plighted
to him, which was shown in his vouchsafing him all the usual ceremonies, as if
he had been his kinsman and his friend, and not suffering him to be neglected
and injured with a dishonorable burial, as if he had been his enemy; insomuch
that the entire nation rejoiced at the king's gentleness and mildness of
disposition, every one being ready to suppose that the king would have taken
the same care of them in the like circumstances, which they saw be showed in
the burial of the dead body of Abner.
And indeed David principally
intended to gain a good reputation, and therefore he took care to do what was
proper in this case, whence none had any suspicion that he was the author of
Abner's death. He also said this to the multitude, that he was greatly troubled
at the death of so good a man; and that the affairs of the Hebrews had suffered
great detriment by being deprived of him, who was of so great abilities to
preserve them by his excellent advice, and by the strength of his hands in war.
But he added, that
"God, who hath a regard to all men's actions, will not
suffer this man [Joab] to go off unrevenged; but know ye, that I am not able to
do any thing to these sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, who have more power
than I have; but God will requite their insolent attempts upon their own
heads."
And this was the fatal
conclusion of the life of Abner.
Footnotes
(1) It ought to be here
noted, that Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were all three David's nephews, the sons
of his sister Zeraiah, as 1 Chronicles 2:16; and that Amasa was also his nephew
by his other sister Abigail, ver. 17.
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