19. Asahel ran straight toward Abner and began chasing him.
20. Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel said, “Yes, it’s me.”
21. Abner didn’t want to hurt Asahel, so he said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me—go after one of the young soldiers. You could easily take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner.
22. Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me, or I will have to kill you. Then I will not be able to look your brother Joab in the face again.”
23. But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So Abner used the back end of his spear and pushed it into Asahel’s stomach. The spear went deep into Asahel’s stomach and came out of his back. Asahel died right there. Asahel’s body lay on the ground. Everyone who came that way stopped to look at Asahel,
24. but Joab and Abishai continued chasing Abner. The sun was just going down when they came to Ammah Hill. (Ammah Hill is in front of Giah on the way to the desert of Gibeon.)
25. The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner at the top of the hill.
26. Abner shouted to Joab and said, “Must we fight and kill each other forever? Surely you know that this will only end in sadness. Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers.”
27. Then Joab said, “As surely as God is alive, if you had not said something, people would still be chasing their brothers in the morning.”
28. So Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not try to fight the Israelites anymore.