Dawid Di Yuda So Hene
1Mmere no ara mu, Dawid bisaa Awurade se, “Mensan nkɔ Yuda ana?”
Awurade buaa no se, “Kɔ.”
Dawid bisaa no se, “Kurow bɛn na menkɔ so?”
Awurade buaa no se, “Hebron.”
2Na Dawid yerenom ne Ahinoam a ofi Yesreel ne Abigail a ofi Karmel a na ɔyɛ Nabal yere no. Enti Dawid ne ne yerenom, 3ne ne mmarima ne wɔn fifo nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkurow so. 4Afei, Yuda ntuanofo kɔɔ Hebron, kɔsraa Dawid ngo sii no hene wɔ Yuda abusuakuw so.
Na bere a Dawid tee sɛ Yabes Gilead mmarima asie Saulo no, 5ɔsomaa abɔfo kosee wɔn se, “Awurade nhyira mo sɛ moayi nokware a ɛte saa adi, ama mo wura Saulo, na moasie no anuonyam so. 6Na afei, Awurade ne mo nni no yiye na ontua mo dɔ sononko yi so ka. Na me nso metua mo nea a moayɛ yi so ka. 7Afei a Saulo awu yi, mepɛ sɛ mobɛyɛ mʼasomfo nokwafo sɛ Yudafo a wɔasra me ngo sɛ minni wɔn so hene no.”
Is-Boset Di Hene Wɔ Israel
8Na Ner babarima Abner a na ɔyɛ Saulo safohene wɔ nʼakofo so ne Saulo babarima Is-Boset kɔɔ Mahanaim. 9Ɛhɔ na osii Is-Boset hene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifo2.9 Asuri yɛ Aser abusuakuw mu nnipa. asase ne Israel nyinaa so.
10Bere a Is-Boset dii ade no, na wadi mfirihyia aduanan, na odii ade fi Mahanaim mfe abien. Na Yuda abusuakuw no dii Dawid nokware. 11Dawid yɛɛ Hebron ne kuropɔn. Na odii Yuda so hene mfirihyia ason ne fa.
Israel Ne Yuda Di Ako
12Da koro bi, Abner dii Is-Boset asraafo anim, fi Mahanaim kɔɔ Gibeon. 13Saa bere koro no ara mu, Seruia babarima Yoab2.13 Yoab te sɛ Abisai ne Asahel nyinaa na na wɔyɛ Dawid wɔfaasenom (nkyekyɛmu 8). nso dii Dawid asraafo anim, fi Hebron na wohyiaa Abner wɔ Gibeon ɔtare ho. Akuw abien no tenatenaa ase a na wodi nhwɛanim. 14Afei, Abner susuw ho kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Ma yɛmfa yɛn akofo no mu kakra, na wɔmfa wɔn nsa nni ako.”
Yoab penee so kae se, “Wɔnsɔre nko ɛ.”
15Enti woyii mmarima dumien fii kuw biara mu sɛ wonni wɔn ho ako. 16Obiara soo ne tamfo tinwi mu, de nʼafoa wowɔɔ wɔn ho wɔn ho, maa wɔn nyinaa wuwui. Enti wɔfrɛ atɔe mu hɔ se Afoa Afuw de besi nnɛ.
17Afei, nsraadɔm abien no de ɔko hyehyɛɛ so, na saa da no baa awiei no, na Dawid nsraadɔm no adi Abner ne Israel so nkonim.
Asahel Wu
18Na Yoab, Abisai ne Asahel a wɔyɛ Seruia mmabarima baasa no ka Dawid asraafo no ho saa da no. Na Asahel tu mmirika te sɛ ɔforote, 19na ɔpam Abner ara sɛ ɔbɛkyere no. 20Bere a Abner twaa nʼani huu sɛ odi nʼakyi no, ɔteɛɛ mu se, “Wo ni, Asahel!”
Obuae se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me!” 21Na Abner ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ɛno de, kɔhwehwɛ obi foforo, na wone no nko. Kɔ na kotintim mmerante no baako, na gye nʼakode a ɛwɔ ne ho nyinaa.” Nanso Asahel, kɔɔ so taa no.
22Bio, Abner teɛɛ mu ka kyerɛɛ Asahel se, “Fi ha kɔ! Sɛ mikum wo a, merentumi nhwɛ wo nuabarima Yoab anim.”
23Nanso Asahel antie ara, enti Abner de ne peaw no wɔɔ ne yafunu mu, maa peaw no pue fii nʼakyi. Obu hwee fam wuu wɔ hɔ. Na obiara a oduu atɔe mu hɔ no gyinaa dinn hwɛɛ Asahel sɛ ɔda hɔ.
24Bere a Yoab ne Abisai tee asɛm a asi no, wɔkɔɔ sɛ wɔrekɔhwehwɛ Abner. Bere a woduu Amma bepɔw a ɛbɛn Gia a ɛwɔ ɔkwan a ɛda hɔ kɔ Gibeon sare so no, na onwini adwo. 25Abner asraafo a wofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ bepɔw no so yɛɛ krado maa ɔko.
26Ɛhɔ na Abner teɛɛ mu, ka kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Enti, ɛsɛ sɛ daa yɛfa afoa so de ka yɛn ntam asɛm ana? Munnhu sɛ, saa ɔkwan no de nitan bɛto yɛn ntam ana? Da bɛn na wobɛfrɛ wo mmarima no aka akyerɛ wɔn se, wonnyae wɔn nuanom Israelfo akyidi?”
27Na Yoab kae se, “Sɛ woankasa a anka, Onyankopɔn nko ara na onim nea ɛbɛba; anka yɛbɛtaa wo anadwo mu no nyinaa.”
28Enti Yoab hyɛn ne torobɛnto,2.28 Sɛ wɔhyɛn torobɛnto a na ɛkyerɛ ɔko bi mfiase anaasɛ nʼawiei. maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel asraafo no taa.
29Anadwo mu no nyinaa, Abner ne ne mmarima nantew kɔɔ Araba. Wotwaa Yordan bon, toaa so kɔɔ Bitron, beduu Mahanaim.
30Na Yoab gyaee Abner akyidi, na ɔboaboaa ne mmarima ano. Asahel akyi no, wohuu sɛ Dawid mmarima no mu dunkron ayera. 31Nanso na Dawid mmarima no akunkum Benyaminfo no mu nnipa ahansia ne aduosia a na wɔka Abner ho no. 32Wɔfaa Asahel siee no wɔ nʼagya ɔboda mu wɔ Betlehem. Na Yoab ne ne mmarima nantew anadwo mu no nyinaa koduu Hebron adekyee.
David Is Anointed to Be King Over Judah
1After Saul and Jonathan died, David asked the Lord for advice. “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2So David went up there with his two wives. Their names were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel. Abigail was Nabal’s widow. 3David also took his men and their families with him. They made their homes in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron. There they anointed David to be king over the people of Judah.
David was told that the men from Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul’s body. 5So he sent messengers to them to speak for him. The messengers said, “You were kind to bury the body of your master Saul. May the Lord bless you for that. 6And may he now be kind and faithful to you. David will treat you well for being kind to Saul’s body. 7Now then, be strong and brave. Your master Saul is dead. And the people of Judah have anointed David to be king over them.”
The Armies of David and Saul Fight Each Other
8Abner, the son of Ner, was commander of Saul’s army. Abner had brought Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim. 9There Abner made Ish-Bosheth king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel. He also made him king over Ephraim, Benjamin and other areas of Israel.
10Ish-Bosheth was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. He ruled for two years. But the people of Judah remained faithful to David. 11David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.
12Abner, the son of Ner, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. The men of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul, went with him. 13Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and David’s men also went out. All of them met at the pool in Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool. The other group sat on the other side.
14Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight. Let’s tell them to fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right. Let them do it,” Joab said.
15So the young men stood up and were counted off. There were 12 on the side of Benjamin and Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth. And there were 12 on David’s side. 16Each man grabbed one of his enemies by the head. Each one stuck his dagger into the other man’s side. And all of them fell down together and died. So that place in Gibeon was named Helkath Hazzurim.
17The fighting that day was very heavy. Abner and the Israelites lost the battle to David’s men.
18The three sons of Zeruiah were there. Their names were Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild antelope. 19He chased Abner. He didn’t turn to the right or the left as he chased him. 20Abner looked behind him. He asked, “Asahel, is that you?”
“It is,” he answered.
21Then Abner said to him, “Turn to the right or the left. Fight one of the young men. Take his weapons away from him.” But Asahel wouldn’t stop chasing him.
22Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! If you don’t, I’ll strike you down. Then how could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23But Asahel refused to give up the chase. So Abner drove the dull end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. The spear came out through his back. He fell and died right there on the spot. Every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24But Joab and Abishai chased Abner. As the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah. It was near Giah on the way to the dry and empty land close to Gibeon. 25The men of Benjamin gathered in a group around Abner. They took their stand on top of a hill.
26Abner called out to Joab, “Do you want our swords to keep on killing us off? Don’t you know that all this fighting will end in bitter feelings? How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing their fellow Israelites?”
27Joab answered, “It’s a good thing you spoke up. If you hadn’t, the men would have kept on chasing them until morning. And that’s just as sure as God is alive.”
28So Joab blew a trumpet. All the troops stopped. They didn’t chase Israel anymore. They didn’t fight anymore either.
29All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah Valley. They went across the Jordan River. All morning long they kept on going. Finally, they came to Mahanaim.
30Then Joab stopped chasing Abner. He gathered together the whole army. Besides Asahel, only 19 of David’s men were missing. 31But David’s men had killed 360 men from Benjamin who were with Abner. 32They got Asahel’s body and buried it in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. They arrived at Hebron at sunrise.
