David ta ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
1 Konima yaambika David okwa pula Omuwa ta ti: “Nandi ye, ndi ka lale po oshilando shimwe shomiilando yomuJuda?”
Omuwa okwa yamukula a ti: “Eeno.”
David okwa pula a ti: “Oshini?”
Omuwa okwa ti: “OHebron!”
2 David okwa kutha aakadhi yaali: Ahinoam a za kuJesreel naAbigal, ngoka a li omuselekadhi gwaNabal gwokuKarmel, nokwa yi nayo kuHebron. 3 Okwa fala ko wo aantu ye nomagumbo gawo noya tula momikunda dha kunduka Hebron. 4 Nena Aajuda oye ya kuHebron noya gwayeke David omukwaniilwa gwaJuda.
David sho u uvu kutya Aajabesh muGilgal ya fumvike Saul, 5 okwa tumu ko aantu yamwe ye na elaka tali ti: “Omuwa ne mu yambeke molwashoka mwa holola esimaneko lyokufumvika omukwaniilwa gweni. 6 Ngashingeyi Omuwa ne mu hololele ontalanteni ye nuudhiginini we. Ngame wo otandi ke mu ninga nawa molwashoka mwa ningi nawa. 7 Ikoleleleni, mu pendapale! Omukwaniilwa gweni Saul a si, nAajuda oya gwayeke ndje, ndi ninge omukwaniilwa gwawo.”
Ishboshet ta ningi omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael
8 Ondjayi yiita yaSaul, edhina lye Abner yaNer, okwa fadhuka po pamwe nomuna gwaSaul Ishboshet ya tokola omulonga Jordan yu uka muMahanaim. 9 Nkwiyaka Abner okwa ningi Ishboshet omukwaniilwa gwoshitopolwa shaGilead, Aser, Jesreel, Efraim naBenjamin, eeno, nogwaIsrael alihe. 10 Okwa li e na omimvo omilongo ne, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael nokwa lele omimvo mbali.
Ihe ezimo lyaJuda olya landula David, 11 nokwa lele Juda muHebron omimvo heyali netata.
Iita pokati kaIsrael naJuda
12 Abner nomalenga gaIshboshet oya zi kuMahanaim yu uka koshilando Gibeon. 13 Joab, yina oZeruia, nomalenga omakwawo gaDavid oye ya tsakaneke pedhiya lyaGibeon mpoka ya kala yamwe ye li handika, manga yakwawo ye li gama handiyaka. 14 Abner okwa ti kuJoab: “Natu kuthe aagundjuka yamwe koombinga adhihe, ya ninge elolelathano lyiita.”
Joab okwa ti: “Onawa!”
15 Aamati omulongo nayaali oya kalele po Ishboshet nezimo lyaBenjamin ya kondjitha aamati omulongo nayaali yaDavid. 16 Omuntu kehe okwa kwata omukondjithi gwe komutse e ta tsu omwele gwe moombati dhomukondjithi gwe, onkee ayehe omilongo mbali nayane ya si oshita. Omolwashoka eha ndyoka muGibeon lya lukwa “Elundu lyomagongamwele.”
17 Nena olugodhi olwa tukuluka. Abner nAaisraeli oya sindwa kaantu yaDavid. 18 Oyanamati yatatu yaZeruia: Joab, Abisai naAsael oko ya li. Asael, ngoka ha vulu 19 okwa tameke okutidha Abner e mu endja mo. 20 Abner okwa tala konima e ta ti: “Ongoye Asael?”
Okwa yamukula a ti: “Eee.”
21 Abner okwa ti: “Etha okulandula ndje. Tidha gulwe gwomaakwiita, u yuge ko shoka e na.” Ihe Asael okwe mu lamba owala. 22 Lumwe natango Abner okwa ti kuye: “Etha okutidha ndje. Omolwashike to thiminike ndje, ndi ku dhipage. Otandi vulu ngiini okutsakaneka omumwanyoko Joab?” 23 Ihe Asael ina kankama, onkee Abner e mu tsu oshilwanima negonga mela e tali tunukile kombunda. Asael okwi ihata pevi omukukutu, noshaa ngoka e ya pehala mpoka a kangawala, okwa kankama.
24 Ihe Joab naAbisai oya tameke okutidha Abner. Pokuningina kwetango oye ya poshikulundundu shaAmma, shoka shi li kuuzilo waGiak mondjila yu uka kombuga yaGibeon. 25 Aantu yomezimo lyaBenjamin oya gongalele Abner ishewe noya kala kondungu yondundu. 26 Abner okwi igidha Joab ta ti: “Otatu kondjithathaneni sigo aluhe? Ku wete kutya otashi hulile ashike muuwinayi? Tse aakwashilongo aakweni. Otashi kala sigo uunake, manga inoo lombwela aantu yoye, ye ethe oku tu landula?”
27 Joab okwa yamukula ta ti: “Otandi gana kuKalunga omunamwenyo kutya ando wa li inoo popya, ando aantu yandje ye mu landula, sigo ongula taku shi.” 28 Nena Joab okwa hiki ombenda endhindhiliko lyokulombwela aantu ye, ye ethe okutidha Aaisraeli, nosho ngaaka olugodhi lwa hulu.
29 Abner naantu ye oye ende uusiku auhe ya taakana olusilu lwaJordan, oya tokola omulonga Jordan noya shuna kuMahanaim esiku lya landula ko.
30 Joab sho e etha okutidha Abner, okwa gongaleke aantu ye ayehe nokwa mono kutya aalumentu omulongo nomugoyi kaye po mwa kwatelwa Asael. 31 Aantu yaDavid oya dhipaga aantu yaAbner yomezimo lyaBenjamin 360. 32 Joab naantu ye oya kutha po omudhimba gwaAsael e taye gu fumvike mombila yahe. Nena oye ende uusiku auhe noya thiki kuHebron pokutenda kweluwa.
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.
