1. There followed a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, in which David grew ever stronger, but the house of Saul ever weaker.
2. Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam from Jezreel;
3. the second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom, son of Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;
4. the fourth, Adonijah, son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah, son of Abital;
5. and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
6. During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was gaining power in the house of Saul.
7. Now Saul had had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal, son of Saul, said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”
8. Enraged at the words of Ishbaal, Abner said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? As of today, I have been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, and I have kept you out of David’s clutches; and today you charge me with a crime involving a woman!
9. May God do thus to Abner, and more, if I do not carry out for David what the Lord swore to him—