Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak for him. They said,“ Who will rule over this land? Make a covenant with me. Then I’ll help you bring all the Israelites over to your side.”

押尼珥打发人去见大卫，替他说：“这国归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，我必帮助你，使以色列人都归服你。”

押尼珥派使者到大卫所在的地方，说：“这地归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，看哪，我必帮助你，使全以色列都拥护你。”

押尼珥派使者到大卫所在的地方，说：“这地归谁呢？”又说：“你与我立约，看哪，我必帮助你，使全以色列都拥护你。”

押尼珥派使者送信给大卫，说：“这个国家难道不是你的吗？如果你与我立约，我必帮助你统一以色列。”

押尼珥差派使者代表他去见大卫，说：“这地是属谁的呢？”又说：“你与我立约，我就必帮助你，使全以色列都归顺你。”

押尼珥打發人去見大衛，替他說：「這國歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，我必幫助你，使以色列人都歸服你。」

押尼珥派使者到大衛所在的地方，說：「這地歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，看哪，我必幫助你，使全以色列都擁護你。」

押尼珥派使者到大衛所在的地方，說：「這地歸誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約，看哪，我必幫助你，使全以色列都擁護你。」

押尼珥派使者送信給大衛，說：「這個國家難道不是你的嗎？如果你與我立約，我必幫助你統一以色列。」

押尼珥差派使者代表他去見大衛，說：“這地是屬誰的呢？”又說：“你與我立約，我就必幫助你，使全以色列都歸順你。”

押尼珥打發使者到希伯崙去見大衛，說：『這地屬誰呢？』又說：『和我立約吧，我的手就輔助你，使以色列人都轉向你。』

押尼珥派使者代表他去見大衛，說：「這地屬於誰呢？」又說：「你與我立約吧，看哪，我的手必輔助你，使全體以色列人都歸向你。」

押尼珥遣使見大衛曰、斯土屬誰乎、又曰、爾與我約、我手必助爾、使以色列眾悉歸爾、

押尼耳遣使、謂大闢曰、斯土屬誰乎。又曰、爾與我約、我則助爾、使以色列族眾歸爾。

押尼珥遣使往見大衛、謂之曰、此國屬誰乎、又曰、與我立約、我則助爾、使以色列人皆歸爾、

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,“ To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying,“ Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”

Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to turn all Israel over to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers to David at his place, saying,“ Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.”

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying,“ Whose is the land?” saying also,“ Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David,“ Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to hand all Israel over to you.”

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose[ is] the land? saying[ also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand[ shall be] with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

Then Abner sent messengers to David saying,“ To whom does the land belong? Make an agreement with me, and I will do whatever I can to cause all Israel to turn to you.”

Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,“ Whose is the land?” and saying,“ Make your alliance with me, and behold, my hand will be with you, to bring all Israel around to you.”

All these fighting men offered to serve in the army. Before they came to Hebron, they had agreed completely to make David king over all the Israelites. All the rest of the people also agreed to make David king.The men spent three days there with David. They ate and drank what their families had given them.Their neighbors also brought food. They brought it on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. They came from as far away as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali. There was plenty of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep. The Israelites brought all these things because they were so happy.

The whole community of Israel came together to see David at Hebron. They said,“ We are your own flesh and blood.In the past, Saul was our king. But you led the men of Israel in battle. The Lord your God said to you,‘ You will be the shepherd over my people Israel. You will become their ruler.’ ”All the elders of Israel came to see King David at Hebron. There he made a covenant with them in front of the Lord. They anointed David as king over Israel. It happened just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

Surely ordinary people are only a breath. Important people are not what they seem to be. If they were weighed on a scale, they wouldn’t amount to anything. Together they are only a breath.

So the hearts of all the men of Judah were turned toward David. All of them had the same purpose in mind. They sent a message to the king. They said,“ We want you to come back. We want all your men to come back too.”

“ So he called in each person who owed his master something. He asked the first one,‘ How much do you owe my master?’“‘ I owe 900 gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.“ The manager told him,‘ Take your bill. Sit down quickly and change it to 450 gallons.’“ Then he asked the second one,‘ And how much do you owe?’“‘ I owe 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ he replied.“ The manager told him,‘ Take your bill and change it to 800 bushels.’“ The manager had not been honest. But the master praised him for being clever. The people of this world are clever in dealing with those who are like themselves. They are more clever than God’s people.

Then Abner said to David,“ Let me go right now. I’ll gather together all the Israelites for you. After all, you are now my king and master. The people can make a covenant with you. Then you can rule over everyone you want to.” So David sent Abner away. And he went in peace.

All the tribes of Israel came to see David at Hebron. They said,“ We are your own flesh and blood.In the past, Saul was our king. But you led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you,‘ You will be the shepherd over my people Israel. You will become their ruler.’ ”All the elders of Israel came to see King David at Hebron. There the king made a covenant with them in front of the Lord. They anointed David as king over Israel.

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him to one side. He brought him into an inside room. Joab acted as if he wanted to speak to him in private. But he really wanted to get even with him. That’s because Abner had spilled the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel. So Joab stabbed Abner in the stomach, and he died.

You love those who hate you. You hate those who love you. The commanders and their troops don’t mean anything to you. You made that very clear today. I can see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.

Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king. They were saying to him,“ Why did the men of Judah take you away from us? They are our relatives. What right did they have to bring you and your family across the Jordan River? What right did they have to bring all your men over with you?”All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel. They said,“ We did that because the king is our close relative. So why should you be angry about what happened? Have we eaten any of the king’s food? Have we taken anything for ourselves?”Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah. They said,“ We have ten of the 12 tribes in the kingdom. So we have a stronger claim on David than you have. Why then are you acting as if you hate us? Weren’t we the first ones to talk about bringing back our king?” But the men of Judah argued their side even more forcefully than the men of Israel.An evil man who always stirred up trouble happened to be in Gilgal. His name was Sheba, the son of Bikri. Sheba was from the tribe of Benjamin. He blew his trumpet. Then he shouted,“ We don’t have any share in David’s kingdom! Jesse’s son is not our king! Men of Israel, every one of you go back home!”So all the men of Israel deserted David. They followed Sheba, the son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king. They remained with him from the Jordan River all the way to Jerusalem.David returned to his palace in Jerusalem. He had left ten concubines there to take care of the palace. He put them in a house and kept them under guard. He gave them what they needed. But he didn’t sleep with them. They were kept under guard until the day they died. They lived as if they were widows.The king said to Amasa,“ Send for the men of Judah. Tell them to come to me within three days. And be here yourself.”So Amasa went to get the men of Judah. But he took longer than the time the king had set for him.David said to Abishai,“ Sheba, the son of Bikri, will do more harm to us than Absalom ever did. Take my men and go after him. If you don’t, he’ll find cities that have high walls around them. He’ll go into one of them and escape from us.”So Joab’s men marched out with the Kerethites and Pelethites. They went out with all the mighty soldiers. All of them were under Abishai’s command. They marched out from Jerusalem and went after Sheba, the son of Bikri.They arrived at the great rock in Gibeon. Amasa went there to welcome them. Joab was wearing his military clothes. Over them at his waist he had strapped on a belt that held a dagger. As he stepped forward, he secretly took the dagger out.Joab said to Amasa,“ How are you, my friend?” Then Joab reached out his right hand. He took hold of Amasa’s beard to kiss him.Amasa didn’t notice the dagger in Joab’s left hand. Joab stuck it into his stomach. His insides spilled out on the ground. Joab didn’t have to stab him again. Amasa was already dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai went after Sheba, the son of Bikri.One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa’s body. He said to the other men,“ Are you pleased with Joab? Are you on David’s side? Then follow Joab!”Amasa’s body lay covered with his blood in the middle of the road. The man saw that all the troops stopped there. He realized that everyone was stopping to look at Amasa’s body. So he dragged it from the road into a field. Then he threw some clothes on top of it.After that happened, everyone continued on with Joab. They went after Sheba, the son of Bikri.

A very large crowd spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.Some of the people went ahead of him, and some followed. They all shouted,“ Hosanna to the Son of David!”“ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”( Psalm 118:26)“ Hosanna in the highest heaven!”When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. The people asked,“ Who is this?”