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12 Once Abner son of Ner and the troops of Saul’s son Ish-bosheth went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Meanwhile Joab son of Zeruiah and the troops of David went out—they met each other by the pool of Gibeon, so they sat down, one group on one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men get up and compete before us.”
“Let them get up,” Joab replied. 15 Then they got up and came forward by number—12 for Benjamin and for Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and 12 from David’s servants. 16 Then each grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they all fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim[a], which is in Gibeon. 17 The battle was very fierce that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before David’s servants.
18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles of the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner, not swerving to the right or to the left from pursuing Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is it you, Asahel?”
“It is I,” he answered.
21 So Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him. 22 Once again Abner warned Asahel, “Turn away from pursuing me! Why should I strike you to the ground? How would I ever look your brother Joab in the face?” 23 But he refused to turn aside, so Abner struck him with the butt end of the spear in the groin, so that the spear came out through his back, and he fell down there and died on the spot. When all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stood still. 24 But Joab and Abishai continued pursuing Abner. As the sun was setting, they reached the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 Then the sons of Benjamin rallied to Abner and became one group, taking their stand on top of one of the hills. 26 Then Abner called out to Joab and said, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize how bitter it will be in the end? How long until you order the people to stop pursuing their kinsmen?”
27 “As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken, then surely the people would have gone up until the morning, everyone after his kinsman.” 28 So Joab blew the shofar, and all the soldiers halted, and pursued Israel no more, nor did they continue to fight any longer. 29 So Abner and his men marched all that night through the Arabah, then they crossed over the Jordan, and marched through all morning until they reached Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner, and when he had gathered all the troops, nineteen of David’s soldiers besides Asahel were missing. 31 But David’s soldiers had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that 360 men died. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Beth-lehem. Joab and his men marched all night, until the day dawned on them at Hebron.
Betrayal of Abner
3 Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. While David grew steadily stronger, the house of Saul grew steadily weaker. 2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3 his second was Chileab by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Absalom son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4 the fourth was Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth was 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 strengthened his position in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”
8 But Abner became very angry over Ish-bosheth’s words and said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? To this day I’ve been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his kinsmen, and to his friends, and I haven’t handed you over to David—yet today you are accusing me of wrongdoing with this woman. 9 May God do so to Abner and even more if, as Adonai has sworn to David, I don’t accomplish this for him— 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba!” 11 But Ish-bosheth could not respond to Abner another word, because he was afraid of him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and see, my hand will be with you to bring all Israel over to you.”
13 “Good!” said David. “I will cut a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you will not see my face unless you first bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see my face.”
14 Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth demanding, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for 100 Philistine foreskins.” 15 So Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. 16 But her husband accompanied her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return!” So he returned.
17 Now Abner had a word with the elders of Israel saying, “In times past you wanted David to be king over you. 18 So now do it! For Adonai has spoken of David saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David I will deliver My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’” 19 Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner went to Hebron to speak in the hearing of David about all that was agreeable to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin.
20 When Abner came to David in Hebron along with 20 other men, David held a banquet for Abner and the men with him. 21 Abner said to David, “Let me get up and go rally all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may cut a covenant with you, and you may reign over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he departed in shalom.
22 Just then, David’s soldiers and Joab came from a raid, bringing with them much spoil. By then Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he departed in shalom. 23 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, they told Joab, saying, “Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in shalom.”
24 Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look here, Abner came to you—why did you send him away? Now he is getting away! 25 You know Abner son of Ner—surely he came to deceive you, to spy on your goings and comings, and to find out all that you are doing.”
26 When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, so they brought him back from the well of Sirah, though David knew nothing about it. 27 Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside within the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the groin, so that he died—on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. 28 When David heard about it afterward, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before Adonai forever from the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May it whirl on Joab’s head and on all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without someone with discharge or tza’arat, lame or one fallen by the sword or one who lacks food.” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battle.
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Rend your clothes, gird with sackcloth, and lament before Abner.” King David walked behind the platform. 32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king lifted up his voice and wept aloud at Abner’s grave, and all the people wept. 33 Then the king chanted a lament for Abner and said,
“Should Abner die like a senseless fool?
34 Your hands were not bound,
your feet were never put in fetters.
As one falls
before the children of iniquity,
so did you fall.”
Then all the people wept again over him. 35 Then all the people came to urge David to eat some food while it was still day, but David vowed saying, “May God do so to me and even more if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.” 36 All the people took note of it and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king’s will to kill Abner son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his soldiers, “Don’t you realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel today? 39 So today I am vulnerable, even though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me to handle. May Adonai reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
Modeling Servanthood
13 Now it was just before the feast of Passover. Yeshua knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them until the end.[a]
2 While the seder meal was happening, the devil had already put in the heart of Judah from Kriot that he should hand over Yeshua. 3 Yeshua knew that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So He gets up from the meal and lays aside His outer garment; and taking a towel, He wrapped it around His waist. 5 Then He pours water into a basin. He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel wrapped around Him.
6 Then He comes to Simon Peter, who says to Him, “Master, are You going to wash my feet?”
7 Yeshua responded, “You don’t know what I am doing now, but you will understand after these things.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Yeshua answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Master, then not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Yeshua said to him, “He who has bathed has no need to wash, except the feet; he is completely clean. And you all are clean, though not every one.” 11 He knew who was betraying Him; for this reason, He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 So after He had washed their feet and put His robe back on and reclined again, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? 13 You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master’—and rightly you say, for I am. 14 So if I, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example—you should do for each other what I have done for you.
16 “Amen, amen I tell you, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and the one who is sent isn’t greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them!”
Yeshua Reveals His Betrayer
18 “I am not speaking to all of you—I know whom I have chosen. But so the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ [b] 19 From now on I am telling you, before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I am. 20 Amen, amen I tell you, he who receives the one I send, receives Me; and he who receives Me, receives the One who sent Me.”
21 After He said these things, Yeshua was agitated in spirit and testified, “Amen, amen I tell you, one of you will betray Me!”
22 The disciples began looking at each other, perplexed—who was He talking about? 23 One of His disciples, whom Yeshua loved, was reclining at His side. 24 Simon Peter nods to him and says, “Ask Him—who is He talking about?”
25 Then he who leaned on Yeshua’s chest says to Him, “Master, who is it?”
26 Yeshua answers, “It’s the one I will give this bit of matzah to, after I dip it.” After dipping the matzah,[c] He takes it and gives it to Judah from Kriot, the son of Simon. 27 And with that bit, satan entered into him. Then Yeshua tells him, “What you’re about to do, do quickly!”
28 But no one reclining at the table knew why Yeshua said this to him. 29 Since Judah had the moneybox, some thought Yeshua was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after Judah received the bit of matzah, he left immediately. Now it was night.
Learn Torah Letter by Letter
Psalm 119
ALEPH א
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Torah of Adonai.
2 Happy are those who keep His testimonies,
who seek Him with a whole heart,
3 who also do no injustice, but walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded that Your precepts
be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways were steadfast
to observe Your decrees!
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
when I consider all Your mitzvot.
7 I will praise You with an upright heart
as I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will observe Your statutes.
Never abandon me utterly!
BET ב
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought You
—let me not stray from Your mitzvot.
11 I have treasured Your word in my heart,
so I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, Adonai.
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I rehearse
all the rulings of Your mouth.
14 I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies
above all wealth.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
and regard Your ways.
16 I will delight in Your decrees.
I will never forget Your word.
29 Adonai is far from the wicked,
but hears the prayer of the righteous.[a]
30 Bright eyes bring joy to the heart.
Good news gives health to the bones.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.