8 Abner got very angry over what Ishbosheth had said."Am I some sort of dog’s head?" Abner asked. "I’ve been nothing but loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his brothers and his friends. I haven’t handed you over to David, but today you accuse me of doing something wrong with this woman.
9 May God deal harshly with me, Abner, and worse still if I don’t do for David exactly what the Lord swore to him—
10 removing the kingdom from Saul’s house and securing David’s throne over Israel and over Judah, from Dan all the way to Beer-sheba!"
11 Ishbosheth couldn’t say a single word in reply to Abner because he was afraid of him.
12 Abner sent messengers to represent him to David and to say, "Who will own the land? Make a covenant with me, then I’ll help bring all Israel over to your side."
13 "Good!" David replied. "I will make a covenant with you, but on one condition: don’t show yourself in my presence unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me."
14 Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ishbosheth. "Give me my wife Michal," he demanded. "I became engaged to her at the cost of one hundred Philistine foreskins."