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to women. But David judged this 1.100 opinion to be unjust, and declared that the profit should be divided equally among all. And this became a law from that time, commanding that those who guarded the baggage should share the spoils equally with those who fought. But when war broke out between the Israelites and the Palestinians, very many of the Hebrews were slain, and the three sons of Saul fell, and Saul himself was wounded in the abdomen. And knowing that he was mortally wounded and would not live, he told his armor-bearer to run him through, so that he would not be taken alive by the enemy. But when he would not obey and do what was commanded, he fell upon his own sword and died. And his armor-bearer, when he saw the king had fallen, also killed himself. On the next day, while the foreigners were stripping the fallen of the Israelites, they came upon the bodies of Saul and his sons on the mountains of Gilboa, and cutting off their heads they sent them to their own country, displaying them everywhere and proclaiming the good news, and they dedicated their armor to their own gods, and impaled their bodies on the wall of Methsam, which was later called Scythopolis. But when the inhabitants of the city of Jabesh in Gilead learned what had happened to Saul, the mightiest men went out, and pressing on their journey through the whole night, they took down the bodies of Saul and Jonathan, and bringing them to Jabesh they burned them, and gathering the bones they buried them. Saul reigned for eighteen years while Samuel was still alive, and for twenty-two after he died. 1.101 Now David had just returned from the slaughter of the foreigners when a man came to him reporting the defeat of the Israelites and the death of Saul and Jonathan. And when he was questioned whether he was reporting the truth, he said that Saul had received a mortal blow, and being unable on account of weakness to kill himself, had begged him, so that he would not be taken alive by the enemy, to dispatch him with a finishing blow as he lay fallen on his own sword; and that he had done as commanded and killed the king. And as proof of his words he held out the royal crown from his head and the gold on his arms, and gave them to David. So David and those with him mourned for Saul and Jonathan, but he punished the one who killed Saul, because he had laid his hand on the Lord’s anointed. And after this, at God's command, he went up to Hebron, a city of Judah, with both of his wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and the men who were with him, with their whole households; where he was chosen king by the tribe of Judah. And David blessed the men of Jabesh for having buried the bodies of Saul and Jonathan. But Abner, the commander of Saul's army, taking the remaining son of his lord, Ish-bosheth, proclaimed him king over all Israel, except Judah. Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king, and he held the kingship for two years. But Abner was angry with the tribe of Judah for making David king, and he set out against it. 1.102 Joab, who was the commander of David's army, met him with a force. And first, twelve from each army fought in single combat; but when all of them had fallen, both armies attacked each other, and Abner's men were defeated. Abishai and Asahel were brothers of Joab. And Asahel, who prided himself on his swiftness of foot, pursued after Abner. But he advised him to turn back; and since he would not listen, he struck him from behind with a mortal blow and killed him. But the kinsmen of the dead man, angered by their brother's slaughter, pursued Abner. But he, standing on the top of one of the hills, shouted to Joab, saying, "Do not provoke your kinsmen to battle; for Asahel sinned by not listening to me when I advised him to turn back, and for that reason he was wounded and died." So Joab, considering these words an entreaty, ordered the trumpet to sound a retreat and stopped the pursuit. From that time the civil war among the Hebrews began, and it lasted for a very long time, of the

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γυναιξίν. αδικον δὲ τὴν γνώμην ταύ1.100 την εκρινεν ὁ ∆αβίδ, καὶ ἐπ' ισης πᾶσι δεῖν μερισθῆναι τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἀπεφήνατο. ο καὶ νόμος εκτοτε γέγονε, συμμερίζειν κελεύων τοῖς μαχομένοις τὰ λάφυρα κατὰ τὸ ισον τοὺς τὰ σκεύη φυλάσσοντας. πολέμου δὲ συρραγέντος τοῖς ̓Ισραηλίταις καὶ τοῖς Παλαιστηνοῖς, πλεῖστοι μὲν κτείνονται τῶν ̔Εβραίων, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς δὲ παῖδες Σαοὺλ επεσον, καὶ αὐτὸς Σαοὺλ ἐτέτρωτο εἰς τὰ ὑποχόνδρια. καὶ γνοὺς καιρίως βεβλημένος καὶ οὐ ζησόμενος, ειπε τῷ ὁπλοφόρῳ αὐτοῦ ἐκκεντῆσαι αὐτόν, ινα μὴ ζῶν ετι τοῖς πολεμίοις ληφθῇ. τοῦ δὲ μὴ πειθομένου ποιῆσαι τὸ κελευόμενον, αὐτὸς ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέθανεν. καὶ ὁ ὁπλοφόρος αὐτοῦ ὡς ειδε πεσόντα τὸν βασιλέα καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέκτεινεν ἑαυτόν. τῇ δ' ἐπαύριον σκυλεύοντες οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τοὺς πεσόντας τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν ἐνέτυχον τοῖς νεκροῖς τοῦ Σαοὺλ καὶ τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ορεσι Γελβουέ, καὶ ἐκτεμόντες τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν επεμψαν χώραν, πανταχοῦ θεατρίζοντες ταύτας καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι, καὶ τὰς πανοπλίας αὐτῶν ἀνέθεντο τοῖς οἰκείοις θεοῖς, τὰ δὲ σώματα ἀνεσταύρωσαν παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος Μεθσάμ, η μετέπειτα ἐκλήθη Σκυθόπολις. τῶν δὲ τὴν πόλιν ̓Ιαβεὶς οἰκούντων ἐν Γαλαὰδ μαθόντων οσα συνέπεσον τῷ Σαούλ, ἐξῆλθον οἱ δυνατώτατοι, καὶ δι' ολης τῆς νυκτὸς συντείναντες τὴν πορείαν καθεῖλον τὰ σώματα Σαοὺλ καὶ ̓Ιωνάθαν, καὶ ἀπαγαγόντες εἰς ̓Ιαβεὶς εκαυσαν ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ συλλέξαντες εθαψαν. ἐβασίλευσε δὲ Σαοὺλ ζῶντος ετι τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ὀκτωκαίδεκα ετη, ἐκείνου δ' ἀποθανόντος δύο καὶ εικοσιν. 1.101 Αρτι δ' ἐπανῆλθε ∆αβὶδ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κοπῆς καί τις ἀνὴρ προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἀπαγγέλλων τὴν ητταν τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν καὶ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Σαοὺλ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιωνάθαν. ἀνακρινόμενος δὲ εἰ ἀληθῆ ἀπαγγέλλει, ειπε καιρίαν πληγῆναι τὸν Σαούλ, καὶ μὴ οιόν τε οντα δι' ἀσθένειαν ἑαυτὸν ἀνελεῖν παρακαλέσαι αὐτόν, ινα μὴ ζῶν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἁλῷ, ἐπιρρῶσαι αὐτῷ τὴν πληγὴν ἐπιπεσόντι τῇ ἰδίᾳ ῥομφαίᾳ· καὶ ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ἐπίταγμα, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα διαχειρίσασθαι. καὶ εἰς πίστιν τῶν λόγων προέτεινε τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐκείνου βασίλειον στέφανον καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς βραχίοσι χρυσόν, καὶ ἐδίδου ∆αβίδ. ἐθρήνησεν ουν ∆αβὶδ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν Σαοὺλ καὶ τὸν ̓Ιωνάθαν, τὸν δὲ τὸν Σαοὺλ ἀνελόντα ἐκόλασεν, οτι τῷ χριστῷ κυρίου τὴν χεῖρα ἐπήνεγκε. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ θεοῦ κελεύσαντος εἰς Χεβρὼν ἀνέβη, πόλιν ̓Ιούδα, μετὰ ἀμφοῖν τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτοῦ ̓Αχινοὸμ καὶ ̓Αβιγαίας, καὶ οἱ ανδρες οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ πανοικί· ενθα βασιλεὺς αἱρεῖται παρὰ τῆς ̓Ιούδα φυλῆς. εὐλόγησε δὲ ∆αβὶδ τοὺς ανδρας ̓Ιαβεὶς ὡς θάψαντας τοὺς τοῦ Σαοὺλ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιωνάθαν νεκρούς. ̔Ο δὲ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἀρχιστράτηγος ̓Αβεννὴρ λαβὼν τὸν περίλοιπον υἱὸν τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ τὸν ̓Ιεβοσθέ, βασιλέα ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν ̓Ισραήλ, τοῦ ̓Ιούδα χωρίς, ἀνηγόρευσεν. ην δὲ τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν, οτε ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ ̓Ιεβοσθέ, καὶ δύο ετη τῆς βασιλείας ἐκράτησεν. ὁ δὲ ̓Αβεννὴρ δι' ὀργῆς ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ̓Ιούδα φυλὴν ὡς βασιλεύσασαν τὸν ∆αβίδ, καὶ ωρμησε κατ' αὐτῆς. ἀπήντησε δ' αὐτῷ μετὰ δυνάμεως 1.102 ̓Ιωάβ, ος ην τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀρχιστράτηγος. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν δώδεκα ἐξ ἑκάστης ἐμονομάχησαν στρατιᾶς· πάντων δὲ πεπτωκότων ἐκείνων, καὶ αμφω αἱ στρατιαὶ ἀλλήλαις προσέβαλον, καὶ ἡττήθησαν οἱ τοῦ ̓Αβεννήρ. ̓Αβεσὰ δὲ καὶ ̓Ασαὴλ ἀδελφοὶ ̓Ιωάβ. ὁ δὲ ̓Ασαὴλ ἐπὶ ποδῶν ὠκύτητι σεμνυνόμενος ἐδίωκεν οπισθεν ̓Αβεννήρ. ὁ δὲ ἀναστρέφειν παρῄνει· ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ επειθε, πλήξας αὐτὸν ἐξόπισθεν καιρίως ἀπέκτεινε. τοῦ τεθνεῶτος δ' οἱ σύγγονοι διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σφαγὴν ὀργιζόμενοι μετέθεον τὸν ̓Αβεννήρ. ἐκεῖνος δὲ στὰς ἐπὶ κορυφῆς ἑνὸς τῶν βουνῶν ἐβόησε πρὸς ̓Ιωὰβ λέγων "μὴ παρόξυνε πρὸς μάχην ανδρας ὁμοεθνεῖς· καὶ ̓Ασαὴλ γὰρ ἡμάρτηκε μὴ πεισθείς μοι συμβουλεύοντι ἀναστρέφειν, κἀντεῦθεν τέτρωταί τε καὶ τέθνηκε." παράκλησιν ουν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὁ ̓Ιωὰβ ἡγησάμενος ἀνακλητικὸν ἠχῆσαι κελεύει τὴν σάλπιγγα καὶ τὴν δίωξιν εστησεν. ἀρχὴν δ' ἐξ ἐκείνου παρ' ̔Εβραίοις ελαβεν ὁ ἐμφύλιος πόλεμος, καὶ διέμεινεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, τῶν