13. JOAB the son of Zeruiah and David's servants went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

14. Abner said to JOAB, "Please let the young men arise and play before us!"JOAB said, "Let them arise!"

15. Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David's servants.

16. They each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: therefore that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

17. The battle was very severe that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before David's servants.

18. The three sons of Zeruiah were there, JOAB, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.

19. Asahel pursued Abner; and in going he didn't turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

20. Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is that you, Asahel?"He answered, "It is."

21. Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

22. Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look JOAB your brother in the face?"

23. However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

24. But JOAB and Abishai pursued Abner. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

25. The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.

26. Then Abner called to JOAB, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?"

27. JOAB said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother."

28. So JOAB blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.

29. Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.

30. JOAB returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men of David's and Asahel were missing.

31. But David's servants had struck Benjamin and of Abner's men so that three hundred sixty men died.

32. They took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. JOAB and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.

When Abner was returned to Hebron, JOAB took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

"Moreover you know also what JOAB the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist, and in his shoes that were on his feet.