Davide Adzozedwa Kukhala Mfumu ya Yuda
1Patapita nthawi, Davide anafunsa Yehova kuti, “Kodi ndipite ku umodzi mwa mizinda ya Yuda?”
Yehova anayankha kuti, “Pita.”
Davide anafunsanso kuti, “Kodi ndipite kuti?”
Yehova anayankha kuti, “Ku Hebroni.”
2Choncho Davide anapita kumeneko ndi akazi ake awiri, Ahinoamu wa ku Yezireeli ndi Abigayeli mkazi wamasiye uja wa Nabala wa ku Karimeli. 3Davide anatenganso anthu amene anali nawo aliyense ndi banja lake, ndipo anakakhala ku midzi ya ku Hebroni. 4Kenaka amuna a ku Yuda anabwera ku Hebroni ndipo kumeneko anadzoza Davide kukhala mfumu ya fuko la Yuda.
Davide atawuzidwa kuti anthu a ku Yabesi Giliyadi ndi amene anayika mʼmanda Sauli, 5iye anatuma amithenga kwa anthu a ku Yabesi Giliyadi kuti akayankhule nawo kuti, “Yehova akudalitseni poonetsa kukoma mtima kwanu kwa Sauli mbuye wanu pomuyika mʼmanda. 6Tsopano Yehova akuonetseni kukoma mtima ndi kukhulupirika kwake ndipo inenso ndidzakukomerani mtima chifukwa munachita zimenezi. 7Tsopano khalani amphamvu ndi olimba mtima, pakuti Sauli mbuye wanu wafa, ndipo fuko la Yuda landidzoza kukhala mfumu yawo.”
Nkhondo Pakati pa Otsatira Davide ndi Otsatira Sauli
8Pa nthawi imeneyi Abineri mwana wa Neri, wolamulira ankhondo a Sauli, anatenga Isi-Boseti mwana wa Sauli ndi kubwera naye ku Mahanaimu. 9Iye anamuyika kuti akhale mfumu yoyangʼanira Giliyadi, Asuri ndi Yezireeli, pamodzi ndi Efereimu, Benjamini ndi Israeli yense.
10Isi-Boseti mwana wa Sauli anali wa zaka makumi anayi pamene anakhala mfumu ya Israeli ndipo analamulira zaka ziwiri. Koma fuko la Yuda linatsatira Davide. 11Davide anakhala mfumu ku Hebroni akulamulira fuko la Yuda, kwa zaka zisanu ndi chimodzi ndi miyezi isanu ndi umodzi.
12Abineri mwana wa Neri, pamodzi ndi ankhondo a Isi-Boseti mwana wa Sauli, anachoka ku Mahanaimu ndi kupita ku Gibiyoni. 13Yowabu mwana wa Zeruya pamodzi ndi ankhondo a Davide anapita ndi kukakumana nawo ku dziwe la ku Gibiyoni. Gulu lina linakhala mbali ina ya dziwelo pamene gulu lina linakhala mbali inayo.
14Kenaka Abineri anati kwa Yowabu, “Tiye tibweretse ena mwa anyamata athu kuti amenyane patsogolo pathupa.”
Yowabu anayankha, “Chabwino, amenyane.”
15Kotero anayimirira ndipo anawawerenga: anyamata khumi ndi awiri a fuko la Benjamini ndi Isi-Boseti mwana wa Sauli ndiponso anyamata khumi ndi awiri a Davide. 16Tsono aliyense anagwira mutu wa mnzake namubaya mnzakeyo mʼnthiti ndi mpeni ndipo onse anagwera pansi limodzi. Kotero malo amenewo ku Gibiyoni amatchedwa Helikati Hazurimu.
17Tsiku limeneli nkhondo yake inali yoopsa kwambiri, ndipo Abineri ndi ankhondo a Israeli anagonjetsedwa ndi ankhondo a Davide.
18Ana atatu aamuna a Zeruya, Yowabu, Abisai ndi Asaheli anali komweko. Koma Asaheli anali waliwiro ngati insa. 19Iye anathamangitsa Abineri ndipo sanakhotere kumanja kapena kumanzere pamene amamutsatira. 20Abineri anayangʼana mʼmbuyo ndipo anafunsa, “Kodi ndiwe Asaheli?”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Ndine.”
21Ndipo Abineri anati kwa iye, “Khotera kumanja kapena kumanzere: tsatira mmodzi mwa anyamatawa ndipo umulande zida zake.” Koma Asaheli sanasiye kumuthamangitsa.
22Abineri anamuchenjezanso Asaheli, “Siya kuthamangitsa ine! Kodi ndikukanthe chifukwa chiyani? Kodi ndikaonana naye bwanji mʼbale wako Yowabu?”
23Koma iye anakana kuleka kumuthamangitsa. Choncho Abineri anabaya Asaheli mʼmimba ndi msonga ya mkondo wake ndipo mkondowo unatulukira mbali ina. Iye anagwa ndi kufera pamalo pomwepo. Ndipo munthu aliyense amayima akafika pamalo pamene anagwera ndi kufa.
24Koma Yowabu ndi Abisai anathamangitsa Abineri, ndipo dzuwa likulowa, anafika ku phiri la Ama, pafupi ndi Giya pa njira yopita ku chipululu cha ku Gibiyoni. 25Pamenepo anthu a fuko la Benjamini anasonkhana kudzathandiza Abineri. Iwo anapanga gulu ndipo anayima pamwamba pa phiri.
26Abineri anayitana Yowabu, “Kodi tipitirize kumenyana mpaka kalekale? Kodi sukuzindikira kuti mathero ake kudzakhala kuwawidwa mitima? Kodi udzawaletsa liti ankhondo ako kuthamangitsa abale awo?”
27Yowabu anayankha kuti, “Pali Yehova wamoyo, ukanapanda kuyankhula, ankhondo anga akanapitiriza kuthamangitsa abale awo mpaka mmawa.”
28Chomwecho Yowabu analiza lipenga, ndipo ankhondo onse anayima. Iwo analeka kuthamangitsa Aisraeli kapena kumenyana nawo.
29Usiku wonsewo Abineri ndi ankhondo ake anayenda kudutsa Araba. Iwo anawoloka Yorodani, napitirira mpaka kudutsa dera lonse la Bitironi ndipo anafika ku Mahanaimu.
30Choncho Yowabu anabwerera kuchokera kothamangitsa Abineri ndipo anasonkhanitsa ankhondo ake onse. Kupatula Asaheli, panali ankhondo khumi ndi anayi a Davide amene anasowa. 31Koma ankhondo a Davide anapha ankhondo a fuko la Benjamini 360 amene anali ndi Abineri. 32Iwo anatenga Asaheli ndi kukamuyika mʼmanda a abambo ake ku Betelehemu. Ndipo Yowabu ndi ankhondo ake anayenda usiku wonse ndi kufika ku Hebroni kukucha.
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.
