After some time had passed, David went before the LORD to seek His direction. He asked if he should go up to any of the towns of Judah, and the LORD told him to go.
David then asked where he should go, and the LORD answered that he should go to Hebron.
So David went up to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. He also took along the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they all settled in Hebron and the surrounding towns.
The men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David as king over the house of Judah. When David was informed that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them. He told them that the LORD would bless them for showing kindness to Saul their master by burying him. He prayed that the LORD would now show them kindness and faithfulness, and he promised that he too would show them favor for what they had done. David encouraged them to be strong and courageous, reminding them that Saul was dead and that the house of Judah had anointed him king over them.
Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, took Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, and brought him to Mahanaim. Abner made him king over Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. David ruled over the house of Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months.
Abner and the men of Ish-Bosheth left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out to meet them, and they gathered by the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, and the other group sat on the opposite side.
Abner suggested to Joab that some of the young men should get up and fight hand to hand in front of them. Joab agreed. Twelve men from Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth's side stood up, along with twelve men from David's side. Each man grabbed his opponent by the head and drove his dagger into his opponent's side, and they all fell down together. Because of this, that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
The fighting that day became very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men. The three sons of Zeruiah were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was very fast, as swift as a wild gazelle. He chased after Abner, refusing to turn aside to the right or the left as he pursued him.
Abner looked behind him and asked if it was Asahel, and Asahel confirmed it was. Abner told him to turn aside and attack one of the young men instead, but Asahel would not stop chasing him. Abner warned him again, telling him to stop pursuing him, asking how he could face Joab if he struck Asahel down. Still, Asahel refused to turn back.
So Abner struck Asahel with the butt of his spear in the stomach, and the spear came out through his back. Asahel fell and died on the spot. Every man who came to the place where Asahel had fallen stopped there.
Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. As the sun was setting, they reached the hill of Ammah near Giah, on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. The men of Benjamin gathered around Abner, formed themselves into a single group, and took their stand on top of a hill.
Abner called out to Joab and asked if the sword must keep devouring forever. He warned that the outcome would be bitterness and asked how long it would be before Joab ordered his men to stop pursuing their own brothers. Joab replied that as surely as God lives, if Abner had not spoken earlier, the men would have kept pursuing their brothers until morning.
Joab then blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped. They no longer pursued Israel, and the fighting ended. That night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah, crossed the Jordan, passed through the whole region of Bithron, and arrived at Mahanaim.
Joab returned from chasing Abner and gathered all his men together. Nineteen of David's men were missing, in addition to Asahel. But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched through the night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.