David Becomes King of Judah
1 Later, David asked the Lord, “Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?”
The Lord answered, “Yes.”
David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“Go to Hebron,” the Lord replied.
2 David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel. 3 David also told his men and their families to come and live in the villages near Hebron.
4 The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, “The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul.”
5 David sent messengers to tell them:
The Lord bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, 6 and I pray that the Lord will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. 7 Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.
Ishbosheth Becomes King of Israel
8 Abner the son of Ner had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan River to Mahanaim 9 and made him king of Israel, including the areas of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. 10 Ishbosheth was 40 years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, 11 and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.
The War between David and Ishbosheth
12 One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon. Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. 14 Abner yelled to Joab, “Let's get some of our best soldiers to stand up and fight each other!”
Joab agreed, 15 and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. 16 They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called “Field of Daggers.” 17 Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.
18 Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, 19 and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left.
20 When Abner turned and saw him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel answered, “Yes it is.”
21 Abner said, “There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself.”
But Asahel refused to stop.
22 Abner said, “If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again.”
23 But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. 24 But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. 25 Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”
27 Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” 28 Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. At once, the fighting stopped.
29 Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. 31 But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.
David ma rire ombara mOjuda
1 Kombunda yoviṋa mbi David wa pura Ndjambi a tja: “Hi yende ku tjimwe tjovihuro vya Juda?”
Muhona wa zira nai: “Ii, twende.”
David wa pura a tja: “Hi yende ku tjiṋe?”
Muhona arire tje mu ziri nai: “Twende kOhebron!” 2 David otja ya ngo puna ovakazendu ve vevari Ahinoam wa Jesreel, na Abigail, omuhepundu wa Nabal, ngwa zire kOkarmel. 3 Eye wina wa twaerera ovarwe ve wovita puna omaṱunḓu wawo, nowo va katura movirongo mbya kondoroka Hebron. 4 Tjazumba ovarumendu Ovajuda otji ve ya kOhebron nave twirisa David okurira ombara mOjuda.
Nu David tja zuva kutja ovature va Jabes mOgilead va paka Saul, 5 arire tja tumu ko ovahindwa nombuze ndji: “Muhona nge mu sere ondaya kutja mwa raisa ondengero komuhona weṋu Saul, indu tji mwe mu paka. 6 Nambano Muhona nge mu ṱire otjari, nu nga kare omuṱakame ku eṋe, nami wina me mu tjitire ouwa mena rokutja mwa tjita otjiṋa hi. 7 Nambano rireye ovanamasa nu mu panḓipare! Omuhona weṋu Saul wa koka, nungwari ovarumendu Ovajuda ve ndji twirisa okurira ombara yawo.”
Isboset ma rire ombara mOisrael
8 Nu Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, omuhongore wotjimbumba tja Saul tjovita, wa twara Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, kOmahanaim, 9 ne kemuzika okurira ombara yOvagilead noyOvaaser noyOvabenjamin, okutja yOvaisrael avehe. 10 Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, wa ri nozombura omirongo vine tja rira ombara mOisrael, nu wa honapara ozombura mbari.
Nungwari imba Ovajuda porwe omba kakatera ku David. 11 David wa honaparera Ovajuda mOhebron oure wozombura hambombari nomieze hamboumwe.
Ovita pokati kOvaisrael nOvajuda
12 Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, wa kumuka puna ovarwe wovita va Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, okuza mOmahanaim okuyenda kOgibeon. 13 Joab, omuzandu wa Seruja, wina wa kumuka puna ovarwe wovita va David. Novimbumba vivari mbi vyovita tji vya hakaenena perindi ra Gibeon vya kara pehi, tjimwe komunda mbuno, notjikwao komunda mbwina werindi. 14 Tjazumba Abner wa tja nai ku Joab: “Ovazandu tjiva ngave sekame okuza kominda aviyevari ve tjite enyando romarwiro momurungu wetu.”
Joab otja zira a tja: “Osemba, ngave sekame.”
15 Notji va sekama nave varwa omurongo na vevari va Isboset okuza kOvabenjamin, nomurongo na vevari okuza kovakarere va David. 16 Auhe wa kambura omukwao ngwa hungamasana na ye kotjiuru, nave twerasana nomangaruvyo mozombati, notji va wira pamwe avehe ave koka. Poṋa mbo opu pa za okuisanewa kutja “Okuti kwOmangaruvyo Omatwe,” nokwo ku ri popezu na Gibeon.
17 Meyuva tjingero ndo pa tjitwa omarwiro omazeu; nu Abner novarwe wovita vOvaisrael va haverwa i ovarumendu va David. 18 Nu pa ri ovazandu vetatu va Seruja motjimbumba tja David, okutja oJoab na Abisai na Asahel. Nu Asahel wa ri omunatjikara tjimuna omenye. 19 Eye wa ramba Abner, nokuhinokuyepa kokunene poo kokumuho. 20 Abner wa taviza kombunda na tja: “Oove Asahel are?”
Neye a ziri a tja: “Ii, owami.”
21 Abner arire tja tja ku ye: “Yepa kokunene poo kokumuho kwoye, nu kambura umwe womitanda u mu yeke ovirwise.” Nungwari Asahel kaa vanga okumuesa. 22 Tjazumba Abner otje mu raera nai porutjavari: “Za ko kombunda yandje! Me sokukuzepera tjike? Me sora vi okutara momurungu werumbi roye Joab?” 23 Nungwari Asahel wa panḓa okuyepa. Abner otje mu twera nenga mezumo, noro ra tuvakaṋa nga kongotwe, nu Asahel wa wira pehi na koka. Nu avehe mbe ya poṋa Asahel pa kokera, va kurama mbo.
24 Nungwari Joab na Abisai va ramba Abner, nu mokutoka kweyuva arire tji va kavaza kondundu Ama, ndji ri ombarakana na Giah mondjira yokuti onguza kwa Gibeon. 25 Ovabenjamin va woronganena pu Abner nave rire otjimbumba tjimwe, nowo va kurama kondomba yondunda yorive. 26 Abner wa ravaera omambo nga ku Joab: “Matu karerere pokurwa nga aruhe are? Ko nokutjiwa kutja omarwiro nga korusenina maye karira omavi are? Mo undju nga ruṋe okuraera ovarumendu woye kutja ve ise okutjera ovazamumwe vawo?”
27 Joab arire tja tja: “Tjimbe tja Ndjambi omunamuinyo, tjiri, andakuzu ko hungirire nai, ovarumendu vandje mba katjave isa okuramba momuhoko wawo nga komuhuka wependukirwa.” 28 Tjazumba Joab wa posisa onya yondwezu yonḓu, notjimbumba atjihe tjovita tja hirimana, atji ha ramba Ovaisrael natji he ve rwisa rukwao komurungu.
29 Nu Abner wa ka wondja puna ovarumendu ve ouṱuku auhe, nave katuurunga orutjandja rwa Jordan. Va kakonda onḓonḓu Jordan, ave katuurunga orupoko nave kavaza kOmahanaim.
30 Joab tja isa okuramba Abner otja woronganisa otjimbumba tje tjovita rukwao, nu pa varurwa ovarumendu va David omurongo na muvyu kumwe na Asahel. 31 Nungwari ovarumendu va David va zepere ovarwe va Abner wovita 360 vomuhoko wa Benjamin. 32 Nowo va toora orurova rwa Asahel nave kerupaka meyendo ra ihe kObetlehem. Tjazumba ooJoab novarumendu ve va ka wondja ouṱuku auhe, nga tji va kavaza kOhebron menyunguhuka.
