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.
Davidi ge ra Judab gao-ao kai
1 Nēs khaoǃgâb ge Davida ǃKhūba ge dî: “ǃGû ta nî Judab ǃādi ǀguis ǁga?”
Ob ge ǃKhūba “ǃGû re” ti ge mî.
Davidi ge “Mâ ǃās ǁga ta nî ǃgû?” ti ge dî.
Ob ge ǃKhūba “Hebrons ǁga ǃgû” ti ge ǃeream. 2 Ob ge Davida, ǁîb tarara Ahinoams Jesreels dis tsî Abigails, Nabali ǃoataras Karmels dis tsîra ǀkha ǁnāǀî ge ǃgû. 3 ǁKhātib ge ǁîb khoega, ǁîgu taradi tsî ǀgôan tsîn hoan ǀkha ge ūsao tsîn ge Hebrons ǂnamipe hâ ǃādi ǃnâ sī ge ǁan. 4 O gu ge Judab ǂgaeǂgui-aoga Hebrons tawa hā tsî Davida Judab gao-aose ge ǀnau.
Tsî Davidi ge Jabes Gileadi dis aogu ge Saula ǁkhō ǃkhaisa ǁnâuo, 5 ob ge sîsabegu ǀkha ǁîga ge haisiba: “Ab ǃKhūba ǀkhae go re, ǁnā ǃgâidīb sadu gao-aob Saula go go dī-ūb ǃaroma, ǁîba go go ǁkhōs ǀkha. 6 Ab ǃKhūba ǃgâi tsî ǂgomǂgomsase ība go re. Tita on ge nē ǃkhaisa go go dī amaga nî ǃgâidī go. 7 ǀGai, î go ǁkhoaǂgaoxa re. Sadu gao-aob Sauli ge go ǁō, xawe Judab ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge tita ǁîn di gao-aose go ǀnau.”
Isboseti ge ra Israeli gao-ao kai
8 Xawe Neri ôab Abneri, Sauli toroǂnubis ǃkhōdana-aob ge Sauli ôab Isboseti ǀkha Jordanna ǃgâu tsî Mahanaims ǃoa ǃgû, 9 tsî ǁîba Gileadi, Aseri, Jesreels, Efraimǀkharib tsî Benjaminǀkharib tsî Israeli hoab ǂama ge gao-aodī. 10 Sauli ôab Isboseti ge hakadisi kurixa ge i Israeli ǂamab ge gao-ao kai ǃnubai tsîb ge ǀgam kurikha Israela ge gaoǂam.
Judab ǃhaos ǀguis ge Davida gere ǂkhâǃnâ. 11 Davidi ge Judab ǂama Hebrons ǃnâ hû kurigu tsî ǃnani ǁkhâga ge gao-ao i.
Torob, Israeli tsî Judab tsîkha ǁaegu
12 Neri ôab Abneri ge Isboseti ǂamkhoegu ǀkha Mahanaimsa xu Gibeons ǁga ge ǂoa. 13 Serujas ôab Joab ge Davidi ǂamkhoegu ǀkha ǁîga ǃgûǃoa tsî ǁîgu ǀkha Gibeons ǀaus tawa ge ǀhao. Tsî gu ge ǀgui ǃnans diga ǀguiǀkhāb ǁgams dib ai ge ǂnû tsî nau ǃnans diga nauǀkhāb ai. 14 Ob ge Abnera Joab ǃoa ge ǃhao: “A gu ǂkham khoega aibe toroǀhuru-ai-e ǁâtanin ǀkha dī re.”
Ob ge Joaba “A gu dī re” ti ge ǃeream.
15 ǃNubai gu ge disiǀgamǀa khoegu Benjaminni ǃhaos tsî Isboseti tsîn diga aisǀkhāb ǁga ge ǂoaxa tsî ǁnās ǁkhās xase disiǀgamǀagu Davidi digu ona. 16 Tsîb ge mâb hoaba nauba danaǀûn ai ǃkhō tsî gôab âba mâǃoasabeb âb ǂgommi ǃnâ ge ǃkhāǂgā tsî gu ge hoaga ǃkhais ai ǁnā tsî ge ǁō. ǁNā-amagab ge ǁnā ǃkhaib, Gibeons ǃnâ hâba ǀĀgôaguǃkhaib ti ra ǀonǂgaihe.
17 ǁNā tsēs ge kaise kai ǃkhamsa ge khâi tsî gu ge Abneri tsî Israelǁîgu tsîna Davidi toroǃkhamaogu xa ge danhe. 18 Serujas di ǃnona ǀgôagu, Joab, Abisaib tsî Asaeli tsîgu on ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i. Asaeli ge ǁgû-i ǃaub ai hâ-i khami ge supuǂai i, 19 tsîb ge Abnera ǀûs ose daob âb ai ge sauruǃgon. 20 Ob ge Abnera ǂnan tsî ge mî: “Asaeltse, satsa?”
Ob ge “Î, tita ge” ti ge ǃeream.
21 Ob ge Abnera ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Tita sauruǀû, îts toroǃkhamaogu ǀguiba ǃkhō tsî ūb hâna ūǀhana.” Xaweb ge sauruǀû ǂgao tama ge i. 22 Abneri ge ǁkhawa Asaeli ǃoa ge mî: “Sauruǀû te. Tare xū-i ǃaromats ra ǁgari te, î ta ǃgam tsi? Mâti ta sa ǃgâsab Joaba ais ǃnâ nî kō?” 23 Xaweb ge Asaela ǀû ǂgao tama ge i. Ob ge Abnera ǁhâigôab ǀkha ǃgâbǀkhāb ǁga, ǃnāb ǃnâ ge ǃkhā bi tsîb ge ǁhâigôaba ǁâb âb ǃnâ sī ge ǂoa. Asaeli ge ǃkhais ai ǁnā tsî ge ǁō tsî gu ge ǁîb go ǁnā ǃkhais tawa gere sī khoegu hoaga ǁnāpa gere mâ.
24 Xawe Joab tsî Abisaib tsîkha ge Abnera ge saurutsoatsoa tsîkha ge sores ra ǂgâ hîa ǃnâus Ammas, Gias aiǂoas ǃnâ Gibeons ǃgaroǃhūb daob ai hâs tawa ge sī. 25 Tsî Benjaminǁîgu ge Abneri ǃgâb ai ǀhao tsî ǃnâus ai sī ge mâ. 26 Ob ge Abnera Joab ǃoa ge ǃhao: “ǀAm tide ǃkhamma kha? Hōǃâ tamats hâ ǀams kaise sī nî tsûtsûsa ǃkhaisa? Mâǁaets toroǃkhamaogu âtsa nî mîmā, î gu sige, ǁîgu di Israelǁî ǃgâsage ǃgôaǃgonǀû?”
27 Ob ge Joaba ge ǃeream: “Elob a ûitsama ǃkhais ao, sats ga mî tama hâo, o gu ge ti aoga ǁgoas kōse ǁîgu di Israelǁî ǃgâsaga ǃgôaǃgons ǀkha ga aiǃgû hâ.” 28 Tsîb ge Joaba xâiǁnâsa ge xâi; o gu ge aogu hoaga ge mâ tsî Israelǁîga ǃaruǀî ǃgôaǃgon tama ge i tsî gu ge ge ǃkhamǀû.
29 Abneri tsî ǁîb aogu ge hoaraga tsuxuba Jordanni ǃgoaǃnāb ǃnâ-u ge ǃgû. ǁÎgu ge Jordanǃāba ǃgâu tsî ǁgoas kōse gu ge ǃgûs khaoǃgâ Mahanaims ǃnâ ge oasī.
30 Joab ge Abnera ǃgôaǃgonǀû tsî ǁîb aogu hoaga a ǀhaoǀhao, ob ge ge mû, Asaeli tsî ǀnî disikhoeseǀa aogu Davidi digu tsîn a ǀkhai ǃkhaisa. 31 Davidi aogu ge Benjaminǁîgu xa ǃnonakaidisi tsî ǃnanidisi khoegu Abneri ǀkha ge hâ iga ge ǃgam. 32 Joab hâgu ge Asaeli sorosa ūkhâi tsî Betlehems ǃnâ, ǁgûb ǀhobas ǃnâ sī ge ǁkhō. ǁNās khaoǃgâ gu ge hoaraga tsuxuba ǃgû tsî ǁgoaga Hebrons ǃnâ ge sī.
