1 ǂOmxa ǁaebab ge toroba Sauli tsî Davidi tsîkha surib ǁaegu gere aiǃgû. Davidi surib ge ǃaruǀîǀgui gere ǀgai tsî Sauli surib ge ǃaruǀîǀgui gere ǂkhabu.
Davidi ôagu
2 Davidi ge sao ra ǀgôaga Hebrons ǃnâ ge ǁorabahe: Amnonni ge ge ǂguro ǀgôa i, Ahinoams, Jesreelǁîs diba. 3 ǀGamǁîb ge Kileab, Nabali ǃoataras Abigails, Karmelǁîs diba. ǃNonaǁîb ge Absalommi, Gesuri gao-aob Talmaib ôas Maakas diba. 4 Hakaǁîb ge Adoniab, Hagits ôaba. Koroǁîb ge Sefatjab, Abitals ôaba 5 tsî ǃnaniǁîb ge a Jitream, Davidi taras Eglas diba. ǁÎgu hoagab ge Davida Hebrons ǃnâ ge ǁorabahe.
Abneri ge Davidi ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e ra dī
6 Sauli surib tsî Davidi surib tsîkha ǁaegub toroba hâ hîab ge Abnera Sauli surib ǃnâ danaǂgaeǂgui-aose ge mâisen.
7 Sauli ge ǀnî xōǀkhātaras Rispa ti ǀon hâs, Ajab ôasa ge ūhâ i. Ob ge Sauli ôab, Isboseta Abnera ǀhapiǂgā-am tsî “Tare xū-i ǃaromats ra ti îb taradi di ǀguisa ǁgoe-ū?” ti ge mî. 8 Ob ge Abnera nē mîdi ǂama kaise ǁaixa tsî ge mî: “Judab arita, ǁîb ǃgâib ǃoa nî dī ta tita? Nēs kōse ta ge Sauli surib tsî ǃgâsagu âb tsî horesan âb tsîna ǂgomǂgomsase go ība i. Tita ge goro hui tsi, îts tā Davidi ǃomǁae ǁnā, tsîts ge nēsi tita nē taras ǂama ra ǀhapiǂgā-am. 9-10 ǃKhūb ge Davida gaosisab nî Sauli tsî ǁîb suriba xu ū tsîb Davida Israeli tsî Judab tsîkha hoakha ǂama ǀapasa xu ǃkhawagas kōse nî gao-aodī ǃkhaisa ge mîmâiba. Ab Eloba ǃgam te ǁnā ǃkhaisa ta ga dī tama io.” 11 ǁNātikōseb ge Isboseta Abnera ge ǃao, ǀgui mîs xawesab ge ǃeream ǁoa is kōse.
12 Abneri ge sîsabegu ǀkha Hebrons ǁga Davida ge haisiba: “Sa ǃhū tamaba nēba? Tita ǀkha ǁnâi ǃgaeǀhao-e dī re, o ta ge nî hui tsi, îb Israeli hoaba satsa sao.”
13 Ob ge Davida ge ǃeream: “ǃGâi i ge a, tita ge sats ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e nî dī, xawe ta ge ǀgui xū-e ra ǂgaoǀkhā tsi. Tita ǀkhats nî ǃhoasets ga ǀkhīo, tā Sauli ôas Mikals ose hā.” 14 Davidi ge ǁkhāti sîsabegu ǀkha Sauli ôab Isboseta ge haisiba: “Ti taras Mikals, ǀguikaidisi aikhōgu, Filisteǁîgu diga ta ge ti tara kais nîse ǁîs ama mataresa mā-oa te.” 15 Ob ge Isboseta ǁîsa ǁîs aob Paltieli, Lajisi ôaba xu ge ū. 16 Paltieli ge ǁîs ǀkha ge ǃgû, ā ra garuse ǁîsa Bahurims kōse ra saose. Ob ge Abnera ǁîb ǃoa “Dabasen, îts oa” ti ge mî, ob ge ge oa.
17 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Abnera Israeli ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǃoa ge mî: “Sadu kom ǀnai ǂomxa ǁaeba Davida sadu ǂama ra gao-aodī ǂgao-o. 18 ǁÎ ǃkhaisa ǁnâi nēsi dī re, ǃKhūb go Davida mîba xuige ‘Ti ǃgāb Davidi ǃnâ-u ta ge ti ǁaes Israelsa Filisteǁîn tsî nau khākhoen hoan âsa xu nî huiǂui.’ ” 19 Abneri ge ǁkhāti aitsama sī Benjaminǁîn ǀkha ge ǃhoa. ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti Davida aitsama sī Hebrons ǃnâ ge mîba tare-en ge Israelǁîn tsî Benjaminǁîn tsîna mîǀgui ǃkhaisa.
20 Abneri ge Davidi tawa Hebrons ǃnâ ǀgamdisi aogu ǀkha sī, ob ge Davida ǁîga ǂûǁaesa ge dība. 21 Ob ge Abnera Davidi ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ge nēsi ǃgû tsî Israelǁîn hoana sats, gao-aots tawa nî ǀhaoǀhao, ǃgaeǀhao-en sats ǀkha nî dīse, îts satsa turats ra khami gao.” Davidi ge Abnera ge tawedeǁnāxū tsîb ge ǂkhîb ǃnâ ge ǃgû.
Abneri ǃgamhes
22 ǃNubuse ǁnās khaoǃgâ gu ge Davidi toroǃkhamaogu tsî Joab tsîga ǃkhamma xu kaise ǂgui ǁkhâuǁnâxūn ǀkha ge oahā. Abneri ge ǁnā ǁaeb ai Davidi ǀkha Hebrons tawa ge hâ tama hâ i, ǁîbab ge tawedeǁnāxū tsî ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǃgû kai xui-ao. 23 Joab ge toroǃkhamaogu ǀkhab ge oahā, o ge mîbahe: “Neri ôab, Abneri ge gao-aob tawa go hā hâ i, tsî gao-aob ge ǁîba tawede tsî ǂkhîb ǃnâ go ǃgû kai.” 24 Ob ge Joaba gao-aob tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Tare-e nēts go dī-e? Abneri ge sats tawa go hā hâ i, tsîts kha ǁîba xū-ets dī bi tamase ǁkhawa go ǃgû kai? 25 Sats ge Neri ôab, Abnera a ǂan. ǁÎb ge satsab nî gāse tsî sa ǃgûǂoadi tsî dīts ra xūn hoanab nî ǂanǂuise ǀgui go hā.”
26 Joab ge Davida xub ge ǃgûo Davidi nēsa a ǀūse sîsabega Abnera ge sîǃgon tsî gu ge ǁîga ǁîba Siraxs di tsauba xu sī ge ūdawa. 27 Abneri ge Hebrons tawa hā, ob ge Joaba ǁîba ǃās di dao-ams ǀkhāb ǁga, ǁîb ǀkha ǀguri ra ǃhoa ǂgao khami ǂgaeǂgui tsî ǁîba ǃnāb ǃnâ ǃkhā tsî ge ǃkhāǃan, Joab ǃgâsab Asaeli hîab ge ǃgammi ǃaroma. 28 Egab ge Davida nēsab ge ǁnâu, o ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge a ǂan tita tsî ti gaosis, Neri ôab Abneri ǁōb ai hoaragase a ǀhapio ǃkhaisa. 29 Ab nēs ǃaroma hâ ǁkharaba Joab tsî ǁîb surib hoab ai hā. A i Joab surib ǃnâ hoaǁae khoe-e hâ, ǁgoe-ūgus ǃnâ-u ra hōhe ǀae-e ūhâ-i kas, ǃomamaxa-i kas, ǃhora-i kas, ǃgamhe hâ-i kas, ǂû-e ūhâ tama-i kas hoasa.” 30 Nēti kha ge Joab tsî ǁîb ǃgâsab Abisaib tsîkha Abnera ge ǃgam, ǁîkha ǃgâsab Asaelab ge torob ǃnâ Gibeons tawa ǃgam ǃkhais ǃaroma.
Abneri ǁkhōhes
31 Joab tsî ǁîb ǀkha hâ toroǂnubisab ge Davida ge mîmā: “Sago sarana ǀkhau, î ǃoab sarana ana tsî Abneri ǂama ǃoa.” Gao-aob Davidi ge ǁō hâb soros ǁgoe-ai tani-aixūba gere ǃgûsao. 32 Tsî Abneran ge Hebrons tawa ǁkhō-o, ob ge gao-aoba ǀhobas tawa ǃgarise ge ā, tsîn ge khoen hoana ǁkhāti ge ā. 33 Gao-aob ge ǃgaetsana-e Abneri ǂama ge khom:
“Tare xū-i ǃaromab kha Abnera gâre khoe-i khami nî ǁō?
34 Sa ǃomkha ge go ǃgaehe tama hâ i,
sa ǂaira ge ǂai ǁkhamkha ǃnâ go hâ tama hâ i.
Sats ge ǂkhabadī-aon xa ra ǃgamhe khoen khami go ǁō.”
On ge khoen hoana ǁîb ǂama ǁkhawa ge ā.
35 ǁNās khaoǃgân ge khoen hoana Davida hā gere ǀkhomatsâ, îb noxopa i a tsēa hîa xū-e ǂû, xaweb ge nū tsî ge mî: “Ab Eloba ǃgam te, sores ganupe ǂgâ tama hîa ta ga pere-i kas, ǀnî ǂûxū-i kas hoasa ǂûo.” 36 Hoan ge nē ǃkhaisa mû tsî ge ǃgâibahe. ǁÎn ge gao-aob ge dī xūn hoan xa ge ǃgâibahe i. 37 ǂNubis hoas tsî Israeli hoab ge ge ǁnâuǃā gao-aob di ǂâibasen tamas ge i ǃkhaisa Neri ôab, Abneri nî ǃgamhesa. 38 Tsîb ge gao-aoba ǂamkhoegu âb ǃoa ge mî: “Hōǃâ tama go hâ, nētsēb go ǂoaǂamsa ǂgaeǂgui-aoba Israeli ǃnâ ǁō ǃkhaisa? 39 Gao-aose ta Elob xa ǁhûihe hâ, xawe ta ge nētsē noxopa a ǂkhabusa tsî nē khoekha, Serujas ôakha ge kaise a ǀgaisaba te. Ab ǃKhūba aitsama ǂkhawadī-aokha tsūdīb âkha ǂama ǁkhara.”
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.”
