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 ma rire ombara mOjuda
1 Kombunda yoviṋa mbi David wa pura Ndjambi a tja: “Hi yende ku tjimwe tjovihuro vya Juda?”
Muhona wa zira nai: “Ii, twende.”
David wa pura a tja: “Hi yende ku tjiṋe?”
Muhona arire tje mu ziri nai: “Twende kOhebron!” 2 David otja ya ngo puna ovakazendu ve vevari Ahinoam wa Jesreel, na Abigail, omuhepundu wa Nabal, ngwa zire kOkarmel. 3 Eye wina wa twaerera ovarwe ve wovita puna omaṱunḓu wawo, nowo va katura movirongo mbya kondoroka Hebron. 4 Tjazumba ovarumendu Ovajuda otji ve ya kOhebron nave twirisa David okurira ombara mOjuda.
Nu David tja zuva kutja ovature va Jabes mOgilead va paka Saul, 5 arire tja tumu ko ovahindwa nombuze ndji: “Muhona nge mu sere ondaya kutja mwa raisa ondengero komuhona weṋu Saul, indu tji mwe mu paka. 6 Nambano Muhona nge mu ṱire otjari, nu nga kare omuṱakame ku eṋe, nami wina me mu tjitire ouwa mena rokutja mwa tjita otjiṋa hi. 7 Nambano rireye ovanamasa nu mu panḓipare! Omuhona weṋu Saul wa koka, nungwari ovarumendu Ovajuda ve ndji twirisa okurira ombara yawo.”
Isboset ma rire ombara mOisrael
8 Nu Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, omuhongore wotjimbumba tja Saul tjovita, wa twara Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, kOmahanaim, 9 ne kemuzika okurira ombara yOvagilead noyOvaaser noyOvabenjamin, okutja yOvaisrael avehe. 10 Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, wa ri nozombura omirongo vine tja rira ombara mOisrael, nu wa honapara ozombura mbari.
Nungwari imba Ovajuda porwe omba kakatera ku David. 11 David wa honaparera Ovajuda mOhebron oure wozombura hambombari nomieze hamboumwe.
Ovita pokati kOvaisrael nOvajuda
12 Abner, omuzandu wa Ner, wa kumuka puna ovarwe wovita va Isboset, omuzandu wa Saul, okuza mOmahanaim okuyenda kOgibeon. 13 Joab, omuzandu wa Seruja, wina wa kumuka puna ovarwe wovita va David. Novimbumba vivari mbi vyovita tji vya hakaenena perindi ra Gibeon vya kara pehi, tjimwe komunda mbuno, notjikwao komunda mbwina werindi. 14 Tjazumba Abner wa tja nai ku Joab: “Ovazandu tjiva ngave sekame okuza kominda aviyevari ve tjite enyando romarwiro momurungu wetu.”
Joab otja zira a tja: “Osemba, ngave sekame.”
15 Notji va sekama nave varwa omurongo na vevari va Isboset okuza kOvabenjamin, nomurongo na vevari okuza kovakarere va David. 16 Auhe wa kambura omukwao ngwa hungamasana na ye kotjiuru, nave twerasana nomangaruvyo mozombati, notji va wira pamwe avehe ave koka. Poṋa mbo opu pa za okuisanewa kutja “Okuti kwOmangaruvyo Omatwe,” nokwo ku ri popezu na Gibeon.
17 Meyuva tjingero ndo pa tjitwa omarwiro omazeu; nu Abner novarwe wovita vOvaisrael va haverwa i ovarumendu va David. 18 Nu pa ri ovazandu vetatu va Seruja motjimbumba tja David, okutja oJoab na Abisai na Asahel. Nu Asahel wa ri omunatjikara tjimuna omenye. 19 Eye wa ramba Abner, nokuhinokuyepa kokunene poo kokumuho. 20 Abner wa taviza kombunda na tja: “Oove Asahel are?”
Neye a ziri a tja: “Ii, owami.”
21 Abner arire tja tja ku ye: “Yepa kokunene poo kokumuho kwoye, nu kambura umwe womitanda u mu yeke ovirwise.” Nungwari Asahel kaa vanga okumuesa. 22 Tjazumba Abner otje mu raera nai porutjavari: “Za ko kombunda yandje! Me sokukuzepera tjike? Me sora vi okutara momurungu werumbi roye Joab?” 23 Nungwari Asahel wa panḓa okuyepa. Abner otje mu twera nenga mezumo, noro ra tuvakaṋa nga kongotwe, nu Asahel wa wira pehi na koka. Nu avehe mbe ya poṋa Asahel pa kokera, va kurama mbo.
24 Nungwari Joab na Abisai va ramba Abner, nu mokutoka kweyuva arire tji va kavaza kondundu Ama, ndji ri ombarakana na Giah mondjira yokuti onguza kwa Gibeon. 25 Ovabenjamin va woronganena pu Abner nave rire otjimbumba tjimwe, nowo va kurama kondomba yondunda yorive. 26 Abner wa ravaera omambo nga ku Joab: “Matu karerere pokurwa nga aruhe are? Ko nokutjiwa kutja omarwiro nga korusenina maye karira omavi are? Mo undju nga ruṋe okuraera ovarumendu woye kutja ve ise okutjera ovazamumwe vawo?”
27 Joab arire tja tja: “Tjimbe tja Ndjambi omunamuinyo, tjiri, andakuzu ko hungirire nai, ovarumendu vandje mba katjave isa okuramba momuhoko wawo nga komuhuka wependukirwa.” 28 Tjazumba Joab wa posisa onya yondwezu yonḓu, notjimbumba atjihe tjovita tja hirimana, atji ha ramba Ovaisrael natji he ve rwisa rukwao komurungu.
29 Nu Abner wa ka wondja puna ovarumendu ve ouṱuku auhe, nave katuurunga orutjandja rwa Jordan. Va kakonda onḓonḓu Jordan, ave katuurunga orupoko nave kavaza kOmahanaim.
30 Joab tja isa okuramba Abner otja woronganisa otjimbumba tje tjovita rukwao, nu pa varurwa ovarumendu va David omurongo na muvyu kumwe na Asahel. 31 Nungwari ovarumendu va David va zepere ovarwe va Abner wovita 360 vomuhoko wa Benjamin. 32 Nowo va toora orurova rwa Asahel nave kerupaka meyendo ra ihe kObetlehem. Tjazumba ooJoab novarumendu ve va ka wondja ouṱuku auhe, nga tji va kavaza kOhebron menyunguhuka.
