2 Samuel 2
1 He hnukah khaw David loh BOEIPA tea dawt tih, “Judah khopuei pakhat la ka cet aya?” a tinah. Te vaengah anih te BOEIPA loh, “Cet saw,” a tinah. Te dongah David loh, “Melam ka caeh eh?,” a tinah. Te vaengah, “Hebron la,” a tinah.
Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go back to [live in] one of the towns in Judah?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, go up there.” Then David asked, “To which town should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.”
2 Te dongah DavidTe a yuu rhoi, Jezreel nu Ahinoam, Karmel Nabal yurho Abigal neh a caeh puei.
So David went up there, taking his two wives, Ahinoam who was from Jezreel [city], and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [city].
3 Amah taengkah a hlang rhoek khaw David loh a cako neh rhipa caeh puei tih Hebron khopuei rhoek ah kho a sakuh.
He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in villages near Hebron.
4 Te vaengah Judah hlang rhoek te ha pawk uh tih David te Judah imkhui kah manghai la pahoia koelhuh. Te phoeiah Jabesh Gilead hlang rhoek loh Saula up uhTe thui ham David taengla puenuh.
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and [one of] them poured olive oil on David’s head [to show they were appointing him to be] [MTY] the king of the tribe [MTY] of Judah. When David found out that the people of Jabesh [town] in [the] Gilead [region] had buried Saul’s body,
5 Jabesh hlang rhoek taengla David loh puencawna 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 yoethenuh.
he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them this: “I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless you for having shown, by burying the body of Saul your king, that you were loyal to him.
6 BOEIPA loh nangmih ham sitlohnah neh uepomnah han saii saeh. Hekah hno na saii uh dogah kai long khaw nangmih taengah hnothen he ka saii van bitni.
Now I also desire/hope that Yahweh will faithfully love you and be loyal to you. And I will do good things for you because of what you have done [for Saul].
7 Te dongah na kutTe thahuel lamtah hlang tatthai la om laeh. Na boei SaulTe duek cakhaw Judah imkhui ah manghai la kai khaw ng'koelh ta,” a tinah.
Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king.”
8 Tedae Saul taengkah caempuei mangpa Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishboshetha loh tih Mahanaima paan puei.
[While this was happening], Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and went across [the Jordan River] to Mahanaim [town].
9 AnihTe Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin neh Israel boeih soaha manghai sak.
There Abner proclaimed that Ishbosheth was now the king of [the] Gilead [region] and of the tribe of Asher and the region of Jezreel and the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. That meant that he was the king of all of the people of Israel.
10 Saul capa IshboshethTe kum sawmli a lo ca vaengah IsraelTe a manghai thil tih kum nit manghai. Tedae Judah imkhui tah David hnukah banguh.
Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he started to rule over the people of Israel. He ruled them for two years. But the tribe of Judah (was loyal to David/wanted David to be their king),
11 A khohnin he a tarhing la om. Manghai David he Hebron kah Judah imkhui ah kum rhih neh hla rhuk om.
and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
12 Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishbosheth kah sal rhoekTe Mahanaim lamloh Gibeon laa khuen.
[One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
13 Zeruiah capa Joab neh David kah sal rhoek khaw hlah uh tih amih neh Gibeon tuibuem ah tun humuh. Te vaengah pakhat rhoekTe tuibuem khat ben ah, khat ben rhoek khaw tuibuem khat ben ah ngoluh.
Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David’s officials [went from Hebron to Gibeon, and] met at the pool there. They all sat down, the one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
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 tinah.
Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
15 Te dongah Benjamin ham neh Saul capa Ishbosheth ham te hlang hlai nit, David sal lamkah hlai nita tarhing la thoo uh tih cetuh.
So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
16 Te vaengah pakhat loh a hui lu tea kop, a hui long khaw a cunghang te a vae ah a kaelh van dongah darhek cungkuuh. Te dongah tekaha hmuen Gibeon ah aka om te Helkathhazzurim laa khue.
Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man’s side. The result was that all 24 of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called ‘Field of Swords’.
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.
Then [the others started to fight]. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
18 Te vaengah Zeruiah ca rhoek Joab, Abishai neh Asahel pathum om uh tih Asahel tah kohong kirhang bangla a kap yanghoep.
Zeruiah’s three sons were there [on that day]: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast; he could run as fast as a wild gazelle/antelope.
19 Asahel loh Abner hnuk te a hloem tih Abner hnuk lamkah banvoei, bantang la caeh ham khaw phael tlaih pawh.
Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
20 AbnerTe a hnuk la mael tih, “Asahel te nang a,” a ti nah hatah, “Kai ni ue,” a tinah.
Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
21 Te dongah anih te Abner loh, “Nang te banvoei la bantang la mael lamtah camoe rhoek khuikah pakhatTe namah ham tu laeh. A pumoep te khaw namah ham lo,” a tinah. Tedae anih hnuk lamkaha nong ham tah Asahel loh huem pawh.
Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
22 Abner loh koepa rhaep tih Asahel te, “Nang te kai hnuk lamloh nong, balae tih nangTe lai la kan ngawn eh? Na manuca Joab taengah ka mik metlam ka dai eh?,” a tinah.
So Abner yelled at him again, “Stop (chasing after/pursuing) me! (Why should I kill you?/It would not be good for me to kill you!) [RHQ] If I did that, (how could I (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab?/it would be very difficult for me to (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab.) [RHQ]”
23 Tedae nong ham te a aal coeng dongah anihTe Abner loh a hnuk longah caai neha bung aha thun. Te vaengah caai a nam la pawlh tih pahoia cungku dongah amah ah duek. Te dongah Asahel cungku tiha duek nah hmuen la aka pawk boeih tah sut paiuh.
But Asahel refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner [suddenly turned and] thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear [went though Asahel’s body and] came out at his back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, [stunned].
24 Tedae Abner hnuk aka hloem Joab neh Abishai tah khomika tlak daengah Gibeon khosoek longpuei, Giyak imdan kah Ammah som la pawkrhoi.
But Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. At sunset they came to Ammah Hill, which is east of Giah, along the road to the desert near Gibeon.
25 Abner hnukkah Benjamin koca rhoek khaw coi uh thae tih rhoi at la omuh. Te phoeiah amihTe som lu pakhat soah paiuh.
The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a 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 hamTe pilnam taengah me hil nim na thui pawt ve,” a tinah.
Then Abner called out to Joab, saying “Are we going to continue to fight forever [RHQ]? Do you not realize that [if we continue fighting], the result will be very bad [RHQ]? We are all descendants of Jacob. [So we should stop fighting each other] (How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?/Tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us.)” [RHQ]
27 Te dongah Joab loh, “Pathen kah hingnah vanbangla, mincang duela na thui ngawn pawt koinih, pilnam loh a manuca hnuk te khika phatawt ni,” a tinah.
Joab replied, “Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!”
28 Joab loh tukia ueng vaengah pilnam loh boeih paiuh. Te daengah Israel hnukTe hloem voel pawt tih, vathoh ham khaw khoep voel pawh.
So Joab blew a trumpet [to signal that they should stop fighting]. So all his men did that. They did not pursue the soldiers of Israel any more, and they stopped fighting.
29 Abner neh a hlang rhoek tah khoyin khing Arabah longah khonguh. Jordana poeng uh phoeiah, Bithron pum te a lan uh tih Mahanaim la pawkuh.
That night Abner and his soldiers went through the Jordan [River] Valley. They crossed the Jordan [River] and marched all the next morning, and they finally arrived at Mahanaim.
30 Joab loh Abner hnuk tea mael tak tih pilnam pum tea coi. Te vaengah David kah hlang sal hlai ko neh AsahelTe hma.
Joab [and his soldiers] stopped pursuing Abner. And when he gathered all his soldiers together, he found out that in addition to Asahel, only 19 of them had been killed in the battle.
31 Tedae David kah sal rhoek loh Benjamin neh Abner kah hlang rhoek te a ngawn uh tih hlang ya thum sawmrhuk duek.
But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Asahel tea khuen uh tih Bethlehem kah a napa phuel aha upuh. Joab neh a hlang rhoek khaw khoyin puet cet uh tih Hebron ah khothaiuh.
[Some of Joab’s soldiers] took Asahel’s body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived [back home] at Hebron.
