Ish-bosheth

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Second king of Israel.

Abner makes Ish-bosheth king

While David was anointed king over the house of Judah in Hebron, Abner the son of Ner made Ish-boseth the son of Saul king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and all Israel, in Mahanaim.

Ish-bosheth's army struggles against David's

In the battle of Gibeon, Joab the son of Zeruiah represented David against Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth at the place that became Helkath-hazzurim. Then the three sons of Zeuriah, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, pursued Abner. Abner killed Asahel, and the battle continued until Abner and the people of Benjamin prepared for a last stand on the hill of Ammah as the sun was going down. Abner called for the fight to end, and Joab complied. David's men missed 19 men, while Abner's men returned to Mahanaim in the morning, losing 360 men.

(2 Samuel 2)

Ish-bosheth accuses Abner and loses him to David

Saul's house grew weaker as David's increased. As Abner was making himself strong in Saul's house, he accused him of going into Saul's concubine. After having shown steadfast love to Saul's house, Abner was angry at being charged with a fault concerning a women, so he left and worked to unite all of Israel and Benjamin under David. (2 Samuel 3:1-11)

Ish-bosheth is murdered

Ish-bosheth's courage failed when he heard Abner had died at Hebron. As he was taking his noonday rest, his raiding band captains, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, came into the midst of his house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the stomach. They escaped, and Ish-bosheth went to his bed in his bedroom. Rechab and Baanah returned and struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night to present the head to David at Hebron. David's young men buried the head in the tomb of Abner at Hebron. (2 Samuel 4)