1. And it came to be afterwards that Dawiḏ inquired of יהוה, saying, “Do I go up to any of the cities of Yehuḏah?” And יהוה said to him, “Go up.” And Dawiḏ said, “Where should I go up?” And He said, “To Ḥeḇron.”
2. And Dawiḏ went up there, as well as his two wives, Aḥino‛am the Yizre‛ĕlitess, and Aḇig̅ayil the widow of Naḇal the Karmelite.
3. And Dawiḏ brought up the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Ḥeḇron.
4. And the men of Yehuḏah came, and anointed Dawiḏ sovereign over the house of Yehuḏah there. They also reported to Dawiḏ, saying, “The men of Yaḇĕsh Gil‛aḏ are they who buried Sha’ul.”
5. Dawiḏ then sent messengers to the men of Yaḇĕsh Gil‛aḏ, and said to them, “You are blessed of יהוה, for you have shown this kindness to your master, to Sha’ul, that you buried him.
6. “And now, יהוה show kindness and truth to you, and I am also going to do you good, because you have done this deed.
7. “And now, let your hands be strengthened and be brave, for your master Sha’ul is dead, and also the house of Yehuḏah has anointed me sovereign over them.”
8. But Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, commander of the army of Sha’ul, took Ishbosheth the son of Sha’ul, and brought him over to Maḥanayim,
9. and set him up to reign over Gil‛aḏ, and over the Ashĕrites, and over Yizre‛ĕl, and over Ephrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisra’ĕl.
10. Ishbosheth, son of Sha’ul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisra’ĕl, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Yehuḏah followed Dawiḏ.
11. And the time that Dawiḏ was sovereign in Ḥeḇron over the house of Yehuḏah was seven years and six months.
12. And Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, and the servants of Ishbosheth son of Sha’ul, went out from Maḥanayim to Giḇ‛on.
13. And Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah, and the servants of Dawiḏ, went out and met them by the pool of Giḇ‛on. And they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.