II Samuel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 315

17 Consequently there arose an ex- 18 20 21 2*2 28 tremely fxerce battle on that day, and Abner and the Generals of Israel re- tired before the troops of David. And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, joab, and Abishai, and Ashahel, and Ashahel was swift of foot, like a wild stag; so Ashahel ran after Abner, and did not turn from his path to the right or the left from following Abner. But Abner turned is that you, And he replied, " It is} T11rn

to your right, or to your left, and seize one of the fellows for yourself, and take his armour} But Ashahel would not turn from following him. S0 Abner again said to Ashahel,

I`urn from following me! Why must I strike you to the earth? For then I could not lift up my face to your brother joabl But he refused to turn away, so

Abner struck him with the butt of his spear on the belly, and the spear went through to his back, and he fell there and died terribly. And when the forces arrived at the spot where Ashahel had fallen and died, they halted. But Abishai and joab pur— sued Abner till sunset; and at sunset they had reached Gibatt~amah, which is opposite Gikha, on the way to the Desert of Gibeon. And there the Benjaminites collected to Abner, and formed into line, and stood on the top ofthe hill, whence Abner called Must the sword devour for ever? Do you not know that it will be a bitterness to you hereafter, that you have not ordered the forces to turn back from pursuing your own countrymen ?’ By the

life of Gob! If you had not spoken, the forces should not have ceased from pursuing their countrymen until the morning} Then joab signalled by the trum-

pet, and all the force halted, and pursued Israel no farther, and did not continue the battle. So Abner and his men marched towards the Arbah all that night, and crossed the jordan, and went to Bithron, whence they arrived at Makhanim joab also returned from the pursuit

of Abner, and collected the whole of his forces, and found there were lost from David’s servants nineteen men, and Ashahel. But Davids troops wounded of Benjamin, and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty, and killed sixty. They also took up Ashahel, and buried him in the grave of his father in Bethlehem. Then ]oab and his men marched all night, and day broke to them in Hebron. T he war extended, however, be- 3 tween the house of Saul and the house of David; and David advanced and strengthened, but the house of Saul became weaker. David,a1so, had sons born to him 2 in Hebron, of whom the eldest was Amon from Akhinoam, the jezraal· itess,‘ and the second Kilab, from 3 Abigail the widow of Nabal, the Karmelite, and the third Abshalom, 4 the son of Makah, the daughter of Thalim king of Ghishur, and the fourth Adoniah, the son of Hageth, and the fifth Shifatias, son of Abital, and the sixth Ithram, by Agla of the 5 wives of David. These were born to David in Hebron. But the war continued between the 6 House of Saul and the Houseof David, and Abner was the strength of the House of Saul. Quarrzl between ,311ner mth Zzlyhuzbeih shunt iiigfalr, a tuihuhr uf Saul. Saul, however, had a slave wife,

and her name was Rizfah, the daugh· ter of Avah. Why have

you gone to that slave—wife of my But Abner was very angry at the

words of Ishbosheth, and exclaimed, ‘Am I a dog’s head,—·—wh0 have shown kindness to the House of Saul, your father, and his relatives, and friends, instead of to judah, and have not delivered you to the hand of David, that you accuse me of sin to~ day with that woman? May the Evnn·L1v1No do so to Abner, and more than that,-——if, according to what the EvER—L1v1NG has promised to David, I will not do for him, and transfer the Army from the House of Saul, and establish the throne of David over Israel and judah, from And he was not able in return to reply a word to Abner, for he was afraid of him. OTE IO II