1 David asked God, “Do I go to Judah?” God said, “Go to Hebron.” ➡️️ 2 David went. He took his wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. ♂️ 3 David took his men and all their homes. They lived in the towns near Hebron. ️ 4 The men of Judah came. They made David the king of Judah. They told David, “Men from Jabesh buried Saul.” ⚰️ 5 David sent men to Jabesh. He said, “Thank you for being kind to Saul and burying him.” ✅ 6 David said, “May God be good to you. I will be good to you too.” ❤️ 7 David said, “Be strong and brave. Saul is gone. Judah made me king.” 8 Abner, the boss of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, to Mahanaim. ️✈️ 9 Abner made Ish-bosheth king over many places and over Israel. ️ 10 Ish-bosheth was 40 years old. He was king for 2 years. But Judah followed David. 4️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ 11 David was king in Hebron over Judah for 7 years and 6 months. 7️⃣️➕6️⃣️ 12 Abner and his men left Mahanaim. They went to Gibeon. ♂️️ 13 Joab and David’s men came too. The two sides sat by a pool, one on each side. ⚔️ 14 Abner said, “Let the young men fight.” Joab said, “Let them.” ️⚔️ 15 Twelve men from Abner’s side and twelve from David’s side stood up to fight. 1️⃣2️⃣vs1️⃣2️⃣ 16 They grabbed each other and stabbed each other. They all fell. People gave that place a name. ⚔️⚔️ 17 A big fight began that day. David’s men won over Abner’s men. 18 Three brothers were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel ran very fast. ♂️ 19 Asahel chased Abner. He did not turn right or left. ♂️➡️ 20 Abner looked back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He said, “Yes.” ️ 21 Abner said, “Turn away. Fight someone else and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away. ️❌ 22 Abner said again, “Turn away. I do not want to hurt you. I do not want to face your brother Joab after.” 23 Asahel did not stop. Abner hit him with the back of his spear. Asahel died. All who came stopped there. ️⚰️ 24 Joab and Abishai chased Abner. The sun went down near a hill by the road. ⛰️ 25 Men from Benjamin joined Abner. They stood together on a hill. ️⛰️ 26 Abner called to Joab, “Will we fight forever? Tell the men to stop.” ️️ 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you did not speak, my men would keep chasing.” ✋ 28 Joab blew a horn. All the men stopped. No one chased or fought more. 29 Abner and his men walked all night. They crossed a big river and went back to Mahanaim. ♂️ 30 Joab came back. He counted his men. Nineteen were gone, and Asahel too. 31 But David’s men had struck Abner’s side hard. Three hundred sixty men died. ⚔️3️⃣6️⃣0️⃣ 32 They took Asahel and put him in his family grave in Bethlehem. Joab and his men walked all night. Day came in Hebron. ⚰️➡️