4. Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.”
5. So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him.
6. Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter.
7. So then, let your hands be strong and be valiant, for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
8. But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9. He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it.
10. Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed David.
11. The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.
12. Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13. Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side.
14. Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come up and fight in our presence.” And Joab said, “Let them come up.”
15. So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
16. Then each seized his opponent by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
17. Then the battle became increasingly fierce on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.