2 Samuel 2
1 He hnukah khaw David loh BOEIPA te a dawt tih, “Judah khopuei pakhat la ka cet aya?” a ti nah. Te vaengah anih te BOEIPA loh, “Cet saw,” a ti nah. Te dongah David loh, “Melam ka caeh eh,” a ti nah. Te vaengah, “Hebron la,” a ti nah.
Sometime after this, David asked the Lord, “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes, do it,” the Lord replied. “Which one should I go to?” David asked. “Go to Hebron,” said the Lord.
2 Te dongah David te a yuu rhoi, Jezreel nu Ahinoam, Karmel Nabal yurho Abigail neh a caeh puei.
So David moved there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.
3 Amah taengkah a hlang rhoek khaw David loh a cako neh rhip a caeh puei tih Hebron khopuei rhoek ah kho a sak uh.
He also brought the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
4 Te vaengah Judah hlang rhoek te ha pawk uh tih David te Judah imkhui kah manghai la pahoi a koelh uh. Te phoeiah Jabesh Gilead hlang rhoek loh Saul a up uh te thui ham David taengla puen uh.
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king of the people of Judah. When David found out that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,
5 Jabesh hlang rhoek taengla David loh puencawn a hlah tih, “Sitlohnah he na boei rhoek taeng neh Saul taengah khaw na saii uh tih anih na up uh dongah BOEIPA rhang neh na yoethen uh.
he sent messengers to them, saying, “May the Lord bless you, because you demonstrated your loyal love to Saul your master, and you buried him properly.
6 BOEIPA loh nangmih ham sitlohnah neh uepomnah han saii saeh. Hekah hno na saii uh dongah kai long khaw nangmih taengah hnothen he ka saii van bitni.
Now may the Lord show you loyal love and trustworthiness, and I will also be good to you because of what you did for Saul.
7 Te dongah na kut te thahuel lamtah hlang tatthai la om laeh. Na boei Saul te duek cakhaw Judah imkhui ah manghai la kai khaw ng'koelh ta,” a ti nah.
So be strong and be brave, for even though Saul your master is dead, the people of Judah have anointed me as their king.”
8 Tedae Saul taengkah caempuei mangpa Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishbosheth a loh tih Mahanaim a paan puei.
However, Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbosheth, son of Saul, to Mahanaim.
9 Anih te Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin neh Israel boeih soah a manghai sak.
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 Saul capa Ishbosheth te kum sawmli a lo ca vaengah Israel te a manghai thil tih kum nit manghai. Tedae Judah imkhui tah David hnukah bang uh.
Ishbosheth, son of Saul, was forty when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. However, the people of Judah were on David's side.
11 A khohnin he a tarhing la om. Manghai David he Hebron kah Judah imkhui ah kum rhih neh hla rhuk om.
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishbosheth kah sal rhoek te Mahanaim lamloh Gibeon la a khuen.
One day Abner and Ishbosheth's men left Mahanaim and went to the town of Gibeon.
13 Zeruiah capa Joab neh David kah sal rhoek khaw hlah uh tih amih neh Gibeon tuibuem ah tun hum uh. Te vaengah pakhat rhoek te tuibuem khat ben ah, khat ben rhoek khaw tuibuem khat ben ah ngol uh.
Joab, son of Zeruiah, and David's men set off and met them at the pool of Gibeon, where they all sat down, facing each other across the pool.
14 Abner loh Joab taengah, “Camoe rhoek he thoo uh saeh lamtah mamih mikhmuh ah nae uh saeh,” a ti nah hatah, Joab loh, “Thoo uh mai saeh,” a ti nah.
Abner said to Joab, “Why not let's have some of the men fight in hand to hand combat before us.” “Fine,” Joab agreed.
15 Te dongah Benjamin ham neh Saul capa Ishbosheth ham te hlang hlai nit, David sal lamkah hlai nit a tarhing la thoo uh tih cet uh.
So twelve men came forward from each side—twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, and twelve for David.
16 Te vaengah pakhat loh a hui lu te a kop, a hui long khaw a cunghang te a vae ah a kaelh van dongah darhek cungku uh. Te dongah tekah a hmuen Gibeon ah aka om te Helkathhazzurim la a khue.
Each man grabbed his opponent's head and drove his sword into his opponent's side so that they all fell down dead together. That's why this place in Gibeon is called the Field of Sword-edges.
17 Tekah khohnin ah caemtloek khaw kalthalh la muep om coeng tih Abner neh Israel hlang rhoek tah David sal rhoek kah mikhmuh ah yawk.
The battle that followed was hard-fought, but eventually Abner and his men were defeated by David's men.
18 Te vaengah Zeruiah ca rhoek Joab, Abishai neh Asahel pathum om uh tih Asahel tah kohong kirhang bangla a kap yanghoep.
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like a gazelle racing across the open countryside.
19 Asahel loh Abner hnuk te a hloem tih Abner hnuk lamkah banvoei, bantang la caeh ham khaw phael tlaih pawh.
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 Abner te a hnuk la mael tih, “Asahel te nang a,” a ti nah hatah, “Kai ni ue,” a ti nah.
Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it's me,” Asahel replied.
21 Te dongah anih te Abner loh, “Nang te banvoei la bantang la mael lamtah camoe rhoek khuikah pakhat te namah ham tu laeh. A pumoep te khaw namah ham lo,” a ti nah. Tedae anih hnuk lamkah a nong ham tah Asahel loh huem pawh.
Abner told him, “Leave me alone! Go and fight somebody else and take his weapons for yourself!” But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.
22 Abner loh koep a rhaep tih Asahel te, “Nang te kai hnuk lamloh nong, balae tih nang te lai la kan ngawn eh? Na manuca Joab taengah ka mik metlam ka dai eh?” a ti nah.
Abner warned Asahel again. “Stop chasing me!” he shouted. “Why do you want me to kill you? How could I ever face your brother Joab?”
23 Tedae nong ham te a aal coeng dongah anih te Abner loh a hnuk longah caai neh a bung ah a thun. Te vaengah caai a nam la pawlh tih pahoi a cungku dongah amah ah duek. Te dongah Asahel cungku tih a duek nah hmuen la aka pawk boeih tah sut pai uh.
But Asahel wouldn't stop chasing him, so Abner drove the handle of his spear into his belly. It came out the back, and he fell down dead right there. Everyone who passed by stopped at the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 Tedae Abner hnuk aka hloem Joab neh Abishai tah khomik a tlak daengah Gibeon khosoek longpuei, Giyak imdan kah Ammah som la pawk rhoi.
But Joab and Abishai set off to chase after Abner. By the time the sun went down they had got as far as the hill of Ammah near Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 Abner hnukkah Benjamin koca rhoek khaw coi uh thae tih rhoi at la om uh. Te phoeiah amih te som lu pakhat soah pai uh.
Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin rallied to him there, forming a tight group around him standing at the top of the hill.
26 Te vaengah Joab te Abner loh a khue tih, “Cunghang te a yoeyah la ca ne, hmailong ah hnorhih la a om ham te na ming moenih a? A manuca rhoek hnuk lamkah balkhong ham te pilnam taengah me hil nim na thui pawt ve,” a ti nah.
Abner shouted to Joab: “Do we have to keep killing each other forever? Don't you realize that if we go on it'll only get worse? How long are you going to wait before you order your men to stop chasing their brothers?”
27 Te dongah Joab loh, “Pathen kah hingnah vanbangla, mincang duela na thui ngawn pawt koinih, pilnam loh a manuca hnuk te khik a phatawt ni,” a ti nah.
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not said anything, my men would have continued chasing their brothers until the morning.”
28 Joab loh tuki a ueng vaengah pilnam loh boeih pai uh. Te daengah Israel hnuk te hloem voel pawt tih, vathoh ham khaw khoep voel pawh.
Joab blew the horn so all the men stopped—they didn't continue chasing or fighting the Israelites.
29 Abner neh a hlang rhoek tah khoyin khing Arabah longah khong uh. Jordan a poeng uh phoeiah, Bithron pum te a lan uh tih Mahanaim la pawk uh.
All through the night Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, and continued all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 Joab loh Abner hnuk te a mael tak tih pilnam pum te a coi. Te vaengah David kah hlang sal hlai ko neh Asahel te hma.
When Joab got back from chasing Abner, he gathered all the men together. Nineteen of David's men were missing in addition to Asahel.
31 Tedae David kah sal rhoek loh Benjamin neh Abner kah hlang rhoek te a ngawn uh tih hlang ya thum sawmrhuk duek.
However, they had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Asahel te a khuen uh tih Bethlehem kah a napa phuel ah a up uh. Joab neh a hlang rhoek khaw khoyin puet cet uh tih Hebron ah khothai uh.
They took Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem. Then they marched all through the night and reached Hebron at dawn.
