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.
Dawuda keta Yahuuda moolu la mansa ti
1 Biriŋ wo tambita, Dawuda ye Yaawe* ñininkaa ko, “Fo ŋa seyi Yahuuda saatee kiliŋ to baŋ?” Yaawe ko, “Taa.” Dawuda ye a ñininkaa ko, “M be taa mintoo le?” Yaawe ye a jaabi ko, “Taa Heburoni.” 2 Wo to le Dawuda taata jee, a niŋ a la musu fuloo, Ahinowamu meŋ bota Yesireeli, aniŋ Abikali, Nabali la furuyaamusoo, meŋ bota Karimeli. 3 Dawuda ye kewolu mennu be a fee fanaa samba le, meŋ-wo-meŋ niŋ a la dimbaayaa, aduŋ ì sabatita Heburoni niŋ a saatewolu to le. 4 Bituŋ Yahuuda kewolu naata Heburoni, ì ye Dawuda toloo jee le to, ka a ke Yahuuda lasiloo la mansa ti.
Kabiriŋ ì ye a fo Dawuda ye ko, Yabesi-Kileyadi kewolu le ye Sawulu baadee, 5 a ye kiilaalu kii Yabesi-Kileyadi kewolu yaa, ka a fo ì ye ko, “Allamaa Yaawe ye neema ke ali ye, ka hiinoo soto Sawulu ali la keebaa ye, ka a baadee. 6 Allamaa Yaawe ye hiinoo niŋ tiliŋo sotondi ali ye, aduŋ nte fanaa be wo kuu kende kiliŋo le ke la ali ye, kaatu ali ye ñiŋ ne ke. 7 Bituŋ saayiŋ ali si fatiyaa, ali ye bambaŋ, kaatu Sawulu ali la kuntiyo faata le, aduŋ Yahuuda lasiloo moolu ye nte le toloo, ka ke ì la mansa ti.”
Isiboseti keta Banisirayilankoolu la mansa ti
8 Bari Abuna Neri dinkewo Sawulu la kelediŋ kafoo la ñaatonkoo ye Sawulu dinkewo Isiboseti taa le, a ye a samba Mahanayimu. 9 Abuna ye Isiboseti ke Kileyadi tundoo la mansa ti jee le, Yesireeli tundoo, Aseri, Efurayimu aniŋ Benjamini lasiloo moolu ka taa Banisirayila muumee bee. 10 Isiboseti Sawulu dinkewo be nuŋ sanji taŋ naani le, kabiriŋ a keta Banisirayilankoolu la mansa ti, aduŋ a ye maraloo ke le fo sanji fula.
Yahuuda lasiloo moolu, wolu ye Dawuda le nooma. 11 Waatoo meŋ na Dawuda keta mansa ti Heburoni, ka Yahuuda lasiloo moolu mara, a taata le fo sanji woorowula aniŋ kari wooro.
Keloo Banisirayilankoolu niŋ Yahuuda moolu teema
12 Abuna Neri dinkewo aniŋ Sawulu dinkewo Isiboseti la kewolu bota Mahanayimu le, ì taata Kibeyoni. 13 Yowabu, meŋ baamaa mu Seruya ti, aniŋ Dawuda la dookuulaa koteŋolu ye ì tara daloo le to, aduŋ ì bee siita jee. Kafu doo siita daloo kara doo le la, doo siita kara doo la. 14 Abuna ko Yowabu ye ko, “M batu, ñiŋ fondinkewolu ye naa ǹ ñaatiliŋo la, ì ye naa ñooseeyaa keloo ke.”
Yowabu ko, “Ì ye naa ñaato.”
15 Bituŋ kee taŋ niŋ fula le maabeeta Isiboseti niŋ Benjamini lasiloo too la, ì niŋ Dawuda la kee taŋ niŋ fuloo keleta. 16 Kee-wo-kee ye a mooñoo muta a kuŋo le to, ì ye ì la hawusaroo* muta ì bulu doo kono, ì ye ñoo soo a la ì karakuloolu teema, bituŋ itolu bee le faata ñoo la. Wo dulaa meŋ be Kibeyoni, ì ka a kumandi Hawusari Wuloo le la.
17 Wo luŋo keloo kandita baake le, aduŋ Dawuda la kewolu ye Abuna niŋ Banisirayila kewolu noo le. 18 Seruya dinkee saboo tarata nuŋ jee le, Yowabu, Abisayi aniŋ Asaheli. Asaheli ka bori le ko minaŋo. 19 Ate le borita Abuna nooma, a ye a loo a nooma, fo a si a muta. 20 Abuna ye a kooma juubee, a ye a ñininkaa ko, “Asaheli, fo ñiŋ mu ite le ti baŋ?”
A ye a jaabi ko, “Haa, nte le mu.”
21 Abuna ko a ye ko, “I foño m bayindoo la. I bori fondinkee kiliŋ nooma, niŋ i ye meŋ muta a bulu, i ye a taa.” Bari Asaheli maŋ i foño Abuna bayindoo la. 22 Abuna ye Asaheli dandalaa kotenke, “I foño m bayindoo la! Muŋ ne ye a tinna, m be i soo la? M be i kotoomaa Yowabu juubee la ñaadii le?” 23 Bari Asaheli maŋ soŋ na i foño la. Bituŋ Abuna ye sooroo koomoo taa, a ye Asaheli soo a la a konoo to, fo sooroo fintita niŋ a kooma la. A boyita wo loo le to, a faata. Kee-wo-kee naata Asaheli faa dulaa to, a ka loo jee le.
24 Wo to le Yowabu niŋ Abisayi ye Abuna bayindi, aduŋ kabiriŋ tiloo ka naa boyi, ì futata Amma Konkoo to, meŋ be Kibeyoni wuloo siloo daala Kiya ñaato. 25 Bituŋ Benjamini kewolu bee benta kotenke ka Abuna muru, aduŋ ì ye raŋolu ke konkoo santo. 26 Abuna ye Yowabu kumandi. A ko, “Fo m̀ be tu la keloo le la baŋ, ka ñoo faa, fo duniyaa ye kiri? Fo i maŋ a loŋ ko, a labaŋo be ke la niikuyaa le ti? Muŋ tuma le i be a fo la, i la kewolu ye i foño ì baadiŋolu bayindoo la?”
27 Yowabu ye a jaabi ko, “A be koyiriŋ ñaameŋ ko Alla be baluuriŋ ne, niŋ i maŋ diyaamu nuŋ, kewolu be tenteŋ na le, ka ali bayindi fo soomandaa.” 28 Wo to le Yowabu ye saakotoŋ binoo* fee, ka a ke taamanseeri ti, fo a la kewolu si i foño, ka Banisirayilankoolu bayindi. Bituŋ keloo tenkunta.
29 Abuna niŋ a la kewolu ye Yoridani wulumbaŋo taama le wo suutoo muumee. Ì naata Yoridani Boloŋo teyi, kabiriŋ ì ye wo saamoo soomandaa bee taama, wo to le ì naata futa Mahanayimu.
30 Kabiriŋ Yowabu ye i foño Abuna bayindoo la, a ye a la kewolu bee bendi, aduŋ a ye a je le ko, ì moo taŋ niŋ kononto le mankita, Asaheli daa boriŋo jee. 31 Bari Dawuda la kewolu ye Abuna la kee keme saba niŋ taŋ wooro le faa ka bo Benjamini lasiloo moolu kono. 32 Yowabu niŋ a la kewolu ye Asaheli furewo sika, ì taata a baadee a la moolu la baadeekoo to, meŋ be Betilehemu. Bituŋ ì ye suutoo bee taama, aduŋ fanikewo le ì futata Heburoni.
