heart for fighting his
own kinsmen, the people of the north. His method was to win them over
without conquest. His chief difficulty in this was to restrain his own
followers. Fighting always leads to more fighting. A bitter personal
feud flamed up between Joab, David's chief general, and Abner, who
was the real power in the other kingdom. David did not dare to punish
Joab, yet he plainly showed his displeasure. When finally Ishbaal
himself was murdered in his sleep, David put the assassins to death.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| [Illustration: CANAANITE CHISEL (BRONZE)] |
| |
| [Illustration: CANAANITE FILE] |
| |
| [Illustration: BRONZE HAMMERHEAD] |
| |
| [Illustration: VERY ANCIENT CANAANITE FLINT, FOR MAKING STONE |
| KNIVES] |
| |
| [Illustration: BONE AWL HANDLE] |
| |
| [Illustration: A FISH-HOOK] |
| |
| [Illustration: CANAANITE WHETSTONES] |
| |
| [Illustration: CANAANITE OR HEBREW NAILS] |
| |
| Cuts on this page used by permission of the Palestine Exploration |
| Fund. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

By this policy he pleased the people, both in the north and in the
south. And after seven years of division the leading men of all the
tribes came to David at Hebron, in Judah his headquarters, and made
him king over the entire Hebrew nation, north, east, and south.

=David's victories.=--Soon after this David declared his independence
of the Philistines. War broke out and for a time it went against the
Hebrews. But in the end they were able to rally their res