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.
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.
