19. Asahel went after Abner, staying completely focused in his pursuit of Abner.
20. Abner looked behind him and said, "Is that you, Asahel?""Yes, it’s me," Asahel answered.
21. "Break off your pursuit!" Abner told him. "Fight one of the young warriors and take his gear for yourself!" But Asahel wouldn’t stop chasing him.
22. So Abner repeated himself to Asahel: "Stop chasing me. Why should I kill you? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"
23. But Asahel wouldn’t turn back, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. But the spear went through Asahel’s back. He fell down and died right there.Everyone who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died just stood there,
24. but Joab and Abishai went after Abner. The sun was setting when they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the Gibeon wilderness.
25. The Benjaminites rallied behind Abner, forming a single unit. Then they took their positions on the top of a hill.
26. Abner yelled down to Joab, "Must the sword keep killing forever? Don’t you realize that this will end bitterly? How long before you order the troops to stop chasing their brothers?"
27. "As surely as God lives," Joab replied, "if you hadn’t just said that, the soldiers would have continued after their brothers until morning."
28. Joab blew the trumpet, and all the soldiers stopped. They didn’t pursue Israel anymore, nor did they continue to fight.
29. Abner and his men then marched all night through the wilderness, crossing the Jordan River and marching all morning until they got to Mahanaim.