The three sons of Zeruiah were there – Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. (Now Asahel was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.)

<p class="bodytext">Then Abner turned and asked, &#8220;Is that you, Asahel?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;Yes it is!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,<n id="1" />

Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he followed Abner.p>

So Abner spoke again to Asahel, &#8220;Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground.<n id="1" /> How then could I show<n id="2" /> my face in the presence of Joab your brother?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David&#8217;s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

They took Asahel&#8217;s body and buried him in his father&#8217;s tomb at Bethlehem.<n id="1" /> Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.

<p class="bodytext">So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in Gibeon during the battle.p>

Abner said to him, &#8220;Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of the soldiers<n id="1" /> and take his equipment for yourself!&#8221; But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.

But Asahel<n id="1" /> refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the back end of his<n id="2" /> spear. The spear came out his back; Asahel<n id="3" /> collapsed on the spot and died there right before Abner.<n id="4" /> Everyone who now comes to the place where Asahel fell dead pauses in respect.<n id="5" />p>

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him<n id="1" /> in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel.<n id="2" />p>