1 Nu pa kara ovita orure pokati konganda ya Saul noya David; nu David wa ririra ko omunamasa, nonganda ya Saul ya ngundiparera ko.
Ovazandu va David mba kwaterwa mOhebron
2 David wa pandukirwa ovazandu mba mOhebron: Otjiveri tje wa ri Amnon ngwa zire mu ina Ahinoam wa Jesreel; 3 outjavari wa ri Kilab waina Abigail, omuhepundu wa Nabal, Omukarmel; outjatatu wa ri Absalom, omuzandu wa Maaka, omusuko wa Talmai, ombara ya Gesur; 4 outjaine wa ri Adonija waina Hagit; outjatano wa ri Sefatia waina Abital; 5 outjahamboumwe wa ri Itream waina Egla, omukazendu wa David. Ovazandu avehe va David mba va pandukirwa mOhebron.
Abner me rikutu kuna David
6 Nu ngunda ape novita pokati konganda ya Saul noya David, Abner tjandje ma ririre ko omunauvara monganda ya Saul.
7 Saul wa ri nomukazendu omumbanda wena Rispa, omusuko wa Aja. Neyuva rimwe Isboset wa pura Abner a tja: “Okutjavi tji wa karara pomukazendu omumbanda wa tate?” 8 Abner otja ṱomazenge tjinene mena romambo wa Isboset na tja: “Indu owami ombwa mOjuda are? Ami mbi raisa ondjingonekero konganda yaiho Saul na kovazamumwe we na komapanga we, nu hi ku isire okuwira momake wa David; nove ndino mo ndji kuminine omukazendu! 9 Nambano Ndjambi nga vere ami Abner, tji mbi hi nokutjita ihi Muhona tja yanena David. 10 Muhona wa yanena onganda ya Saul okuiyeka ouhona, nokuzika David a rire ombara ya Israel noya Juda, okuza kOdan nga kOberseba.” 11 Isboset ka sorere okuzira embo nangarire rimwe, tjinga aa tira Abner.
12 Abner otja hinda ovatumwa ku David nombuze ndji: “Owaṋi ngu ma honaparere ehi ndi? Ngatu tjite omazuvasaneno, nami me ku vatere okueta Israel atjihe kove.”
13 David wa zira a tja: “Osemba, ami me tjiti omazuvasaneno na ove; nungwari otjiṋa tjimwe tji me hepa kove, otjo hi: Tji mo ya komurungu wandje, orondu tji wa eterere Mikal, omusuko wa Saul.” 14 David wina wa tuma ovahindwa ku Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, ve katje nai: “Ndji kotorera omukazendu wandje Mikal ngu mba suta nomikova vyomasukarekero vyOvafilisti esere rimwe.” 15 Isboset arire tja hindi ovatumwa ve kaisepo Mikal pomurumendu we Paltiel, omuzandu wa Laish. 16 Nu Paltiel wa kongorera omukazendu we nga kObahurim, ama riri ondjira aihe. Abner arire tja tja ku ye: “Yaruka koyoye.” Neye otja yaruka.
17 Abner wa ya okukazuvasana novanane vOvaisrael na tja: “Oruveze orure eṋe mwe rizerira David kutja a rire ombara yeṋu. 18 Nambano tjiteye nao, Muhona tjinga a hungirira David nai: ‘Neke romukarere wandje David ami me kutura otjiwaṋa tjandje Israel mouvara wOvafilisti nowovanavita na tjo.’ ” 19 Abner wa hungira puna Ovabenjamin wina, na i kOhebron okukaraera David imbi Ovaisrael nOvabenjamin mbi va zuvasanene okutjita.
20 Abner tje ya ku David mOhebron puna ovarumendu omirongo vivari, David otje ve zepera omukandi. 21 Abner wa tja ku David: “Ami me vanga okukaworonganisira Ovaisrael avehe pomuhona wandje ombara kutja ve tjite omazuvasaneno na ove; otji mo sora okuhonapara kombanda yehi arihe otja pu wa vanga.” David arire tja isa Abner a yende; neye wa ya mohange.
Abner ma ṱu
22 Kombunda yanao Joab novarwe wovita ovakwao va David va kotoka kokukahuura, nave eterere ovihuurwa ovingi, Abner tjandje ke ri puna David mOhebron, David tjinga e mu esa kutja a yende mohange. 23 Joab tje ya konganda puna ovarwe avehe wovita, wa raerwa nai: “Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, we ere kombara, noyo ye mu esa okuyenda, notja ya mohange.” 24 Nu Joab wa ya kombara na katja nai ku yo: “Ove wa ungura tjike? Tara, Abner weya kove, nu okutjavi tji we mu esa kutja a yende nao uriri? 25 Ove mo tjiwa kutja Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, weya okukutikura nokuyekutjiwa omapitiro nomahitiro woye, na atjihe tji movanga okutjita.”
26 Tjazumba Joab wa zapo pu David na ka hinda ovatumwa okutezera Abner, nowo ve kemukotorera pondjombo ya Sira, David ngunda e hi nokutjiwa. 27 Abner tja kotoka kOhebron, Joab we mu twara posi yomuvero aayo ma vanga okuhungira na ye mongumumu. Neye we mu twera mezumo; komuhingo mbwi Abner otja ṱa mena rokutja wa zepa Asahel, omuangu wa Joab. 28 David tja zuva otjiṋa hi, wa tja nai: “Ami notjiwaṋa tjandje katu nondjo komurungu wa Muhona nga aruhe nombinḓu ya Abner, omuzandu wa Ner. 29 Ombinḓu ye ngai wire ku Joab na keṱunḓu re arihe. Onganda ya Joab aruhe ngai kare nomutjise wotjikamuha poo wongana poo novandu oviṱeṱu poo novandu mbu mave ṱengaruvyo poo mbu mave ṱondjara.” 30 OoJoab nomuangu we Abisai otji va zepa Abner mena rokutja eye wa zepa omuangu wawo Asahel movita vya Gibeon.
Abner ma pakwa
31 Tjazumba David wa tja ku Joab na kovarumendu, mba ri pu ye: “Nyondororeye ozombanda zeṋu, mu rivarange ovipiriko nu mu rorere Abner ondoro!” Nombara David omuini wa kongorera oruara. 32 Abner tja pakwa mOhebron, ombara ya rira tjinene peyendo re, notjiwaṋa atjihe tja rira puna yo. 33 Nombara David arire tja tangununa Abner na tja:
“Abner indu wa sokuṱa otja omurumendu omurunde are?
34 Omake woye kaye pandekerwe,
nozombaze zoye kaze kutirwe nouketanga wongoporo;
ove wa ṱa otja umwe ngwa ṱovapunde.”
Notjiwaṋa atjihe tje mu rira tjinene komurungu.
35 Otjiwaṋa atjihe tja kondjisa David kutja a rye okaṋa ngunda e ri omutenya, nungwari David wa yana a tja: “Ndjambi nge ndji vere, tji mba ri omboroto poo otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe, eyuva ngunda ari hiya hita.” 36 Otjiwaṋa atjihe tji tja muna otjiṋa hi, otji tja kara nohange. Avihe mbya tjitwa i ombara David, vya tjata kotjiwaṋa. 37 Otjiwaṋa atjihe nOvaisrael avehe meyuva ndo va muna kutja okuṱa kwa Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, kaku zire mombara. 38 Norukwao ombara ya tja nai kovahongore vayo: “Kamu nokutjiwa kutja ndino mwa ṱu omuhongore omunene mOisrael are? 39 Nungwari hiya ninga omasa, nandarire kutja mba twirisiwa okurira ombara; novarumendu mbo, ovazandu va Seruja, owo ovatwe pu ami. Muhona nga sutise ingwi omutjite wouvi otja kouvi we.”
1 This battle was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Saul's power grew weaker, but David's grew stronger.
David's Sons Born in Hebron
(1 Chronicles 3.1-4)2-5 Several of David's sons were born while he was living in Hebron. His oldest son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. David's second son was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. Absalom was the third. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David's wives.
Abner Decides To Help David
6 As the war went on between the families of David and Saul, Abner was gaining more power than ever in Saul's family. 7 He had even slept with a wife of Saul by the name of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. But Saul's son Ishbosheth told Abner, “You shouldn't have slept with one of my father's wives!”
8 Abner was very angry because of what Ishbosheth had said, and he told Ishbosheth:
Am I some kind of worthless dog from Judah? I've always been loyal to your father's family and to his relatives and friends. I haven't turned you over to David. And yet you talk to me as if I've committed a crime with this woman.
9 I ask God to punish me if I don't help David get what the Lord promised him! 10 God said that he wouldn't let anyone in Saul's family ever be king again and that David would be king instead. He also said that David would rule both Israel and Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.
11 Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not even answer.
12 Abner sent some of his men to David with this message: “You should be the ruler of the whole nation. If you make an agreement with me, I will persuade everyone in Israel to make you their king.”
13 David sent this message back: “Good! I'll make an agreement with you. But before I will even talk with you about it, you must get Saul's daughter Michal back for me.”
14 David sent a few of his officials to Ishbosheth to give him this message: “Give me back my wife Michal! I killed 100 Philistines so I could marry her.”
15 Ishbosheth sent some of his men to take Michal away from her new husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 Paltiel followed Michal and the men all the way to Bahurim, crying as he walked. But he went back home after Abner ordered him to leave.
17 Abner talked with the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “You've wanted to make David your king for a long time now. 18 So do it! After all, God said he would use his servant David to rescue his people Israel from their enemies, especially from the Philistines.”
19 Finally, Abner talked with the tribe of Benjamin. Then he left for Hebron to tell David everything that the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the people of Israel wanted to do. 20 Abner took 20 soldiers with him, and when they got to Hebron, David gave a big feast for them.
21 After the feast, Abner said, “Your Majesty, let me leave now and bring Israel here to make an agreement with you. You'll be king of the whole nation, just as you've been wanting.”
David told Abner he could leave, and he left without causing any trouble.
Joab Kills Abner
22 Soon after Abner had left Hebron, Joab and some of David's soldiers came back, bringing a lot of things they had taken from an enemy village. 23 Right after they arrived, someone told Joab, “Abner visited the king, and the king let him go. Abner even left without causing any trouble.”
24 Joab went to David and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you, and you let him go. Now he's long gone! 25 You know Abner—he came to trick you. He wants to find out how strong your army is and to know everything you're doing.”
26 Joab left David, then he sent some messengers to catch up with Abner. They brought him back from the well at Sirah, but David did not know anything about it. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended he wanted to talk privately with him. So he took Abner into one of the small rooms that were part of the town gate and stabbed him in the stomach. Joab killed him because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.
Abner's Funeral
28 David heard how Joab had killed Abner, and he said, “I swear to the Lord that I am completely innocent of Abner's death! 29 Joab and his family are the guilty ones. I pray that Joab's family will always be sick with sores and other skin diseases. May they all be cowards, and may they die in war or starve to death.”
30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
31 David told Joab and everyone with him, “Show your sorrow by tearing your clothes and wearing sackcloth! Walk in front of Abner's body and cry!”
David walked behind the stretcher on which Abner's body was being carried. 32 Abner was buried in Hebron, while David and everyone else stood at the tomb and cried loudly. 33 Then the king sang a funeral song about Abner:
Abner, why should you
have died like an outlaw?
34 No one tied your hands
or chained your feet,
yet you died as a victim
of murderers.
Everyone started crying again. 35 Then they brought some food to David and told him he would feel better if he had something to eat. It was still daytime, and David said, “I swear to God that I won't take a bite of bread or anything else until sunset!”
36 Everyone noticed what David did, and they liked it, just as they always liked what he did. 37 Now the people of Judah and Israel were certain that David had nothing to do with killing Abner.
38 David said to his officials, “Don't you realize that today one of Israel's great leaders has died? 39 I am the chosen king, but Joab and Abishai have more power than I do. So God will have to pay them back for the evil thing they did.”
