David Is Made King of Judah
1 After this, David asked the Lord, “Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord answered.
“Which one?” David asked.
“Hebron,” the Lord said. 2 So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel. 3 He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns around Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah.
When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent some men there with the message: “May the Lord bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him. 6 And now may the Lord be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done. 7 Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king.”
Ishbosheth Is Made King of Israel
8 The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim. 9 There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel. 10 He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years.
But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David, 11 and he ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.
War between Israel and Judah
12 Abner and the officials of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the city of Gibeon. 13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let's have some of the young men from each side fight an armed contest.”
“All right,” Joab answered.
15 So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men. 16 Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all twenty-four of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called “Field of Swords.”
17 Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer, 19 started chasing Abner, running straight for him. 20 Abner looked back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“Yes,” he answered.
21 “Stop chasing me!” Abner said. “Run after one of the soldiers and take what he has.” But Asahel kept on chasing him. 22 Once more Abner said to him, “Stop chasing me! Why force me to kill you? How could I face your brother Joab?” 23 But Asahel would not quit; so Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, struck him through the stomach so that the spear came out at his back. Asahel dropped to the ground dead, and everyone who came to the place where he was lying stopped and stood there.
24 But Joab and Abishai started out after Abner, and at sunset they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner again and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Abner called out to Joab, “Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?”
27 “I swear by the living God,” Joab answered, “that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning.” 28 Then Joab blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to stop pursuing the Israelites; and so the fighting stopped.
29 Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley all that night; they crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all the next morning, they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 When Joab gave up the chase, he gathered all his men and found that nineteen of them were missing, in addition to Asahel. 31 David's men had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 Joab and his men took Asahel's body and buried it in the family tomb at Bethlehem. Then they marched all night and at dawn arrived back at Hebron.
David ta ningi ohamba yaJuda, ndele Isboset ohamba yaIsrael
1 Ndele David okwa pula kOmwene ndele ta ti: “Nandi ye moshilando shimwe shomuJuda?” NOmwene okwe mu nyamukula: “Inda.” Opo nee David ta pula: “Ondi nokuya peni?” Ndele Ye ta nyamukula: “KuHebron.” 2 Ndele David okwa ya ko, nosho yo ovalikadi vaye vavali, Ahinoam wokuJisreel naAbigail, omwalikadi waNabal, Omukarmel. 3 Ndele David okwa twala ko yo ovalumenhu ava va li puye, keshe umwe neumbo laye, ndele va tula moilando yopuHebron. 4 Opo nee ovalumenhu Ovajuda ve uya ndele va vaeka David a ninge ohamba yepata laJuda. Eshi va shiivifila David nokutya, ovalumenhu ovaJabes muGilead va paka Saul, 5 David okwa tuma ovatumwa kuJabes shomuGilead ve va lombwele: “Omwene ne mu nangeke noupuna, eshi mwa fila onghenda omwene weni ndele mwe mu paka. 6 Omwene ne mu file onghenda noku mu diinina, naame mwene yo handi mu ningile ouwa, eshi mwa ninga oshinima eshi. 7 Ndele paife kaleni mwa nyatipala ovalumenhweelela. Nande omwene weni Saul a fya, epata laJuda la vaeka nge ndi ninge ohamba yalo.”
8 Ndelenee Abner yaNer, ondjai yaSaul, okwa kufa Isboset yaSaul ndele e mu twala kuMahanaim, 9 nokwe mu ninga ohamba yaGilead noyOvaasuri noyaJisreel noyaEfraim noyaBenjamin noyOvaisraeli aveshe. 10 Omido daIsboset yaSaul, eshi a ninga ohamba yaIsrael, da li omilongo nhee, ndele a pangela omido mbali. Epata laJuda alike la shikula David. 11 Nomido odo David okwa li ohamba muHebron nokupangela epata laJuda, oda li di fike pomido heyali neehani hamano.
Ovaisraeli nOvajuda tave lipilukile
12 Ndele Abner yaNer pamwe novapiya vaIsboset yaSaul va dja kuMahanaim va ya kuGibeon. 13 Joab yaSeruja novapiya vaDavid va fikama yo. Ndele vo eshi va shakena kumwe pomufima waGibeon, ova kala omutumba kombinga nombinga yomufima, va taalelafana. 14 Ndele Abner ta ti kuJoab: Ovamati nava fikame va danauke olwoodi moipafi yetu. Ndele Joab ta ti: Nava fikame! 15 Opo nee va fikama. Ndele muBenjamin mwa fikama mwa dja omulongo navavali kombinga yaIsboset yaSaul. Ndele movapiya vaDavid omulongo navavali. 16 Ndelenee vo ova kwatafana komitwe ndele va twaafana nomaongamukonda meemhati. Ndele vo aveshe va fila shimwe. Onghee hano onhele oyo tai ifanwa Onhele yEongamukonda muGibeon.
Asahel ta dipawa kuAbner
17 Ndele mefiku tuu olo olwoodi la ninga lipyu unene, ndelenee Abner novalumenhu Ovaisraeli va tewa kovapiya vaDavid. 18 Ndele pa li ovana ovamati vatatu vaSeruja: Joab naAbisai naAsahel. Ndele Asahel okwa li e nonhapo ngaashi omenye yomofuka. 19 Ndele Asahel okwa taataa Abner, ina henukila kolulyo ile kolumosho mokushikula Abner. 20 Opo nee Abner ta keuka ndele ta ti: “Oove tuu Asahel?” Ndele ta nyamukula: “Aame ou.” 21 Ndele Abner ta ti kuye: “Yapukila kolulyo ile kolumosho u kwate umwe womovamati ovo u mu kufe oiti yaye.” Ndelenee Asahel ina hala oku mu aluka. 22 Ndele Abner ta ti vali lumwe kuAsahel: “Ove u nokwaaluka nge, omolwashike ndi noku ku dipaa? Ame ohandi dulu ngahelipi okutala hano oshipala shomumwanyoko Joab?” 23 Ndelenee ye a anya okudja po. Opo nee Abner te mu tu neonga oshipilamo medimo, opo eonga le mu tyuuka ndele ta wile poshi ndele ta file monhele tuu oyo. Ndele aveshe ava ve uya ponhele opo Asahel a fila, ova kanghama. 24 Ndelenee Joab naAbisai va shikula Abner, netango la ningina vo eshi ve uya koshikulundu Amma, osho sha shaama naGiah pondjila yokombuwa yaGibeon.
25 Opo nee Ovabenjamin va ongala ongudu puAbner ndele va kala ofika koxulo yoshikulundu. 26 Opo nee Abner a ifana Joab ndele ta ti: Eongamukonda li nokulya fiyo ofiyo? Ku udite ko nokutya, konima otapa ka kala oixuna? Ito lombwele nokuli ovanhu va efe okutaataa ovamwaxe? 27 Ndele Joab ta nyamukula: Oshili, ngaashi Kalunga e nomwenyo, oshili, ngeno ino shi tya, ngeno ovanhu inava efa fiyo omongula okushikula ovamwaxe. 28 Opo nee Joab a shika enghuma loluvinga lodi yomhedi, novalumenhu aveshe va kanghama ndele inava shikula vali Israel ndele inave mu lwifa vali. 29 Ndele Abner novalumenhu vaye va tauluka omaluhaela oufiku aushe ndele va taulula Jordan naBitron ashishe ndele ve uya kuMahanaim. 30 Ndele Joab okwa ongela ovalumenhu aveshe, eshi a piluka nokwa efa okushikula Abner. Ndele movapiya vaDavid mwa yongolwa ovalumenhu omulongo nomugoi naAsahel. 31 Ndelenee ovapiya vaDavid va dipaa Ovabenjamin, nokutya movalumenhu vaAbner, novalumenhu omafele atatu nomilongo hamano va fya. 32 Ndele va kufa Asahel ndele ve mu paka mombila yaxe muBetlehem. Ndele Joab novalumenhu vaye va enda oufiku aushe ndele ve uya kuHebron eshi kwa sha.
