Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.
Day 100 and 98
ish bosheth, Saul's son, was forty
years old when he became king, and
he ruled from Mahanaim for two years.
Meanwhile, the people of
Judah remained loyal to David.
David made Hebron his capital,
and he ruled as king of Judah
for seven and a half years.
One day, Abner led Ish bosheth's
troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
About the same time, Joab son of
Zeruiah led David's troops out and
met them at the pool of Gibeon.
The two groups sat down there, facing each
other from opposite sides of the pool.
Then Abner suggested to Joab, Let's
have a few of our warriors fight
hand to hand here in front of us.
All right, Joab agreed.
So twelve men were chosen
to fight from each side.
Twelve men of Benjamin, representing
Ish bosheth, son of Saul, and
twelve representing David.
Each one grabbed his opponent by the
hair and thrust his sword into the
other's side, so that all of them died.
So this place at Gibeon has been known
ever since as the Field of Swords.
A fierce battle followed that day,
and Abner and the men of Israel were
defeated by the forces of David.
Joab, Abishai, and Azahel, the
three sons of Zeruiah, were
among David's forces that day.
Azahel could run like a gazelle,
and he began chasing Abner.
He pursued him relentlessly,
not stopping for anything.
When Abner looked back and saw him coming,
he called out, Is that you, Azahel?
Yes, it is, he replied.
Go fight someone else, Abner warned.
Take on one of the younger men
and strip him of his weapons.
But Azahel kept right on chasing Abner.
Again, Abner shouted to
him, Get away from here.
I don't want to kill you.
How could I ever face
your brother, Joab, again?
But Azahel refused to turn back,
so Abner thrust the butt end of his
spear through Azahel's stomach, and
the spear came out through his back.
He stumbled to the ground and died
there, and everyone who came by
that spot stopped and stood still
when they saw Azahel lying there.
When Joab and Abishai found out what
had happened, they set out after Abner.
The sun was just going down
as they arrived at the hill of
Amma, near Gaia, along the road
to the wilderness of Gibeon.
Abner's troops from the tribe of
Benjamin regrouped there at the
top of the hill to take a stand.
Abner shouted down to Joab, Must
we always be killing each other?
Don't you realize that
bitterness is the only result?
When will you call off your men from
chasing their Israelite brothers?
Then Joab said, God only knows what
would have happened if you hadn't spoken.
For we would have chased
you all night if necessary.
So Joab blew the ram's horn and his men
stopped chasing the troops of Israel.
All that night, Abner and his men
retreated through the Jordan Valley.
They crossed the Jordan River traveling
all through the morning and didn't
stop until they arrived at Mahanaim.
Meanwhile, Joab and his
men also returned home.
When Joab counted his casualties,
he discovered that only nineteen men
were missing, in addition to Azahel.
But three hundred and sixty of
Abner's men had been killed,
all from the tribe of Benjamin.
Joab and his men took
Azahel's body to Bethlehem.
And buried him there in his father's tomb.
Then they traveled all night
and reached Hebrew at Daybreak.
That was the beginning of a long
war between those who were loyal
to soul and those loyal to David.
As time passed, David became
stronger and stronger.
While Saul's dynasty
became weaker and weaker.
These are the sons who were
born to David in Hebron.
The oldest was Amnon, whose
mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel.
The second was Daniel, whose mother was
Abigail, the widow of Nabal, from Carmel.
The third was Absalom, whose
mother was Maacah, the daughter
of Talmai, king of Geshur.
The fourth was Adonijah.
whose mother was Haggith.
The fifth was Shephetiah,
whose mother was Abital.
The sixth was Ithrium, whose
mother was Egla, David's wife.
These sons were all born
to David, in Hebron.
As the war between the house of Saul and
the house of David went on, Abner became a
powerful leader among those loyal to Saul.
One day, Ish bosheth, Saul's son,
accused Abner of sleeping with
one of his father's concubines.
A woman named Rizpah, daughter of Eah.
Abner was furious.
Am I some Judean dog to be
kicked around like this?
He shouted.
After all I have done for your father Saul
and his family and friends by not handing
you over to David, is this my reward?
That you find fault with
me about this woman?
May God strike me and even kill me if I
don't do everything I can to help David
get what the Lord has promised him.
I'm going to take Saul's
kingdom and give it to David.
I will establish the throne of
David over Israel, as well as
Judah, all the way from Dan in the
north to Beersheba in the south.
Ish bosheth didn't dare say
another word, because he was
afraid of what Abner might do.
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.
All right.
David replied, But I will not negotiate
with you unless you bring back my wife
Michael, Saul's daughter, when you come.
David then sent this message
to Ish bosheth, Saul's son.
Give me back my wife Michael,
for I bought her with the lives
of one hundred Philistines.
So Ish bosheth took Michael away from
her husband, Paltai, son of Laish.
Paltai followed along behind her, as
far as Behurim, weeping as he went.
Then Abner told him, Go back home.
So Paltai returned.
Meanwhile, Abner had consulted
with the elders of Israel.
For some time now, he told them, you
have wanted to make David your king.
Now is the time, for the Lord has said,
I have chosen David to save my people
Israel from the hands of the Philistines
and from all their other enemies.
Abner also spoke with the men of Benjamin.
Then he went to Hebron to tell David
that all the people of Israel and
Benjamin had agreed to support him.
When Abner and twenty of his men
came to Hebron, David entertained
them with a great feast.
Then Abner said to David, Let me
go and call an assembly of all
Israel to support my lord the king.
They will make a covenant with you to
make you their king, and you will rule
over everything your heart desires.
So David sent Abner safely on his way.
But just after David had sent Abner
away in safety, Joab and some of
David's troops returned from a raid.
Bringing much plunder with them.
When Joab arrived, he was told that
Abner had just been there visiting the
king and had been sent away in safety.
Joab rushed to the king and
demanded, What have you done?
What do you mean by
letting Abner get away?
You know perfectly well that
he came to spy on you and find
out everything you're doing.
Joab then left David and sent
messengers to catch up with
Abner, asking him to return.
They found him at the well of
Syrah and brought him back, though
David knew nothing about it.
When Abner arrived back at Hebron,
Joab took him aside at the gateway
as if to speak with him privately.
But then he stabbed Abner in the
stomach and killed him in revenge
for killing his brother Azahel.
When David heard about it, he
declared, I vow by the Lord that I
and my kingdom are forever innocent of
this crime against Abner son of Ner.
Joab and his family are the guilty ones.
May the family of Joab be cursed in
every generation with a man who has open
sores or leprosy or who walks on crutches
or dies by the sword or begs for food.
So Joab and his brother Abishai.
Killed Abner, because Abner
had killed their brother
Asahel at the Battle of Gibeon.
Then David said to Joab and all
those who were with him, Tear
your clothes and put on burlap.
Mourn for Abner.
And King David himself walked
behind the procession to the grave.
They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king
and all the people wept at his graveside.
Then the king sang this
funeral song for Abner.
Should Abner have died as fools die?
Your hands were not bound.
Your feet were not chained.
No, you were murdered.
The victim of a wicked plot.
All the people wept again for Abner.
David had refused to eat anything
on the day of the funeral, and
now everyone begged him to eat.
But David had made a vow, saying,
May God strike me and even kill me
if I eat anything before sundown.
This pleased the people very much.
In fact, everything the
king did pleased them.
So everyone in Judah and all Israel
understood that David was not
responsible for Abner's murder.
Then King David said to his officials,
Don't you realize that a great
commander has fallen today in Israel?
And even though I am the anointed king,
these two sons of Zeruiah, Joab and
Abishai, are too strong for me to control.
So, may the Lord repay these
evil men for their evil deeds.
When Ish bosheth, Saul's son, heard
about Abner's death at Hebron,
he lost all courage, and all
Israel became paralyzed with fear.
Now there were two brothers, Baana
and Rechab, who were captains of
Ish bosheth's raiding parties.
They were sons of Rimen, a member of the
tribe of Benjamin, who lived in Beoroth.
The town of Beoroth is now part of
Benjamin's territory because the original
people of Beoroth fled to Gittayim,
where they still live as foreigners.
Saul's son Jonathan had a son named
Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child.
He was five years old when the report
came from Jezreel that Saul and
Jonathan had been killed in battle.
When the child's nurse heard the news,
she picked him up and fled, but as
she hurried away, she dropped him.
And he became crippled.
One day Rechab and Bayanah, the
sons of Rimmon from Beoroth, went
to Ishbosheth's house around noon
as he was taking his midday rest.
The doorkeeper, who had been sifting
wheat, became drowsy and fell asleep.
So Rechab and Bayanah slipped past her.
They went into the house and found
Ish bosheth sleeping on his bed.
They struck and killed
him and cut off his head.
Then, taking his head with
them, they fled across the
Jordan Valley through the night.
When they arrived at Hebron, they
presented Ish bosheth's head to David.
Look!
they exclaimed to the king.
Here is the head of Ish bosheth.
The son of your enemy Saul,
who tried to kill you.
Today the Lord has given my Lord the King
revenge on Saul and his entire family.
But David said to Recav and
Baanah, The Lord, who saves me
from all my enemies, is my witness.
Someone once told me, Saul is dead,
thinking he was bringing me good news.
But I seized him and killed him at Ziklag.
That's the reward I gave him for his news.
How much more should I reward evil
men who have killed an innocent man
in his own house and on his own bed?
Shouldn't I hold you
responsible for his blood?
Rid the earth of you.
So David ordered his young men
to kill them, and they did.
They cut off their hands and feet and hung
their bodies beside the pool in Hebron.
Then they took Seth's head and
buried it in Abner's tomb in Hebron.
Then all the tribes of Israel went
to David at Hebron and told him,
we are your own flesh and blood.
In the past, when Saul was
our king, you were the one who
really led the forces of Israel.
And the Lord told you, you will be
the shepherd of my people Israel.
You will be Israel's leader.
So there at Hebron, King David
made a covenant before the Lord
with all the elders of Israel.
And they anointed him king of Israel.
This concludes today's
Immerse Reading Experience.
Thank you for joining us.