< 2 Samuel 2 >

1 It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron."
Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho uDavida wabuza eNkosini esithi: Ngenyukele yini komunye wemizi yakoJuda? INkosi yasisithi kuye: Yenyuka. UDavida wasesithi: Ngiye ngaphi? Yasisithi: EHebroni.
2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,
Ngakho uDavida wenyukela lapho, kanye labafazi bakhe bobabili, uAhinowama umJizereyelikazi loAbigayili umkaNabali umKharmeli.
3 and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron.
UDavida wasesenyusa abantu bakhe ababelaye, ngulowo lalowo labendlu yakhe; basebehlala emizini yeHebroni.
4 Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that the men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul,
Kwasekufika abantu bakoJuda, bamgcoba khona uDavida waba yinkosi phezu kwendlu yakoJuda. Basebemtshela uDavida besithi: Abantu beJabeshi-Gileyadi yibo abangcwaba uSawuli.
5 then he sent messengers to the lords of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, since you showed loyalty towards your lord, Saul, and have buried him.
UDavida wasethumela izithunywa ebantwini beJabeshi-Gileyadi, wathi kibo: Kalibusiswe yiNkosi, ngoba lenze lumusa enkosini yenu, kuSawuli, lamngcwaba.
6 Now may the LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.
Khathesi-ke, iNkosi kayilenzele umusa leqiniso; mina lami ngizalenzela lokhu okuhle, ngoba lenze loludaba.
7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
Khathesi-ke kaziqine izandla zenu libe ngamadodana amaqhawe; ngoba inkosi yenu uSawuli ifile; njalo lendlu yakoJuda ingigcobile mina ukuba yinkosi phezu kwabo.
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
Kodwa uAbhineri indodana kaNeri, induna yebutho uSawuli ayelalo, wathatha uIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, wamchaphisela eMahanayimi,
9 and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
wambeka waba yinkosi phezu kweGileyadi, laphezu kwamaAshuri, laphezu kweJizereyeli, laphezu kukaEfrayimi, laphezu kukaBhenjamini, laphezu kukaIsrayeli wonke.
10 Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
UIshiboshethi, indodana kaSawuli, wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amane esiba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli, wabusa iminyaka emibili. Kodwa indlu yakoJuda yalandela uDavida.
11 And the time that David ruled in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
Lenani lensuku uDavida owaba yinkosi ngazo eHebroni phezu kwendlu yakoJuda laliyiminyaka eyisikhombisa lenyanga eziyisithupha.
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
UAbhineri indodana kaNeri wasephuma, lenceku zikaIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, basuka eMahanayimi baya eGibeyoni.
13 Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
UJowabi indodana kaZeruya lenceku zikaDavida basebephuma bahlangana ndawonye echibini leGibeyoni; bahlala, abanye ngapha kwechibi labanye ngale kwechibi.
14 Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them arise."
UAbhineri wasesithi kuJowabi: Amajaha ake asukume adlale phambi kwethu. UJowabi wasesithi: Kawasukume.
15 Then they arose and went over by number: twelve of the sons of Benjamin of Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Kwasekusukuma kwedlula ngenani abalitshumi lambili koBhenjamini lakoIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, letshumi lambili lenceku zikaDavida.
16 They each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Field of Blades, which is in Gibeon.
Basebebamba ngulowo lalowo ikhanda lomunye, wagwazangenkemba yakhe ehlangothini lomunye; ngokunjalo bawa ndawonye. Ngakho leyondawo bayibiza ngokuthi yiHelekati-Hasurimi eseGibeyoni.
17 The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
Njalo kwaba lempi enzima kakhulu ngalolosuku, loAbhineri wehlulwa lamadoda akoIsrayeli phambi kwenceku zikaDavida.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle.
Ayekhona-ke lapho amadodana amathathu kaZeruya, oJowabi, loAbishayi loAsaheli. Njalo uAsaheli wayelesiqubu ezinyaweni njengomunye wemiziki yeganga.
19 Asahel pursued after Abner, and as he went he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
UAsaheli wasexotshana loAbhineri; njalo ekuhambeni kwakhe kaphambukelanga ngakwesokunene langakwesokhohlo ekulandeleni uAbhineri.
20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I."
UAbhineri wasenyemukula, wathi: Nguwe uAsaheli yini? Wasesithi: Yimi.
21 Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not stop from pursuing him.
UAbhineri wasesithi kuye: Phambukela wena ngakwesokunene loba ngakwesokhohlo, uzibambele elinye lamajaha, uzithathele izikhali zalo. Kodwa uAsaheli kavumanga ukuphambuka ekumlandeleni.
22 Abner said again to Asahel, "Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?"
UAbhineri wasebuya futhi esithi kuAsaheli: Phambuka wena ekungilandeleni; ngizakutshayelelani emhlabathini? Pho, ngingaphakamisa njani ubuso bami kuJowabi umfowenu?
23 But he refused to stop. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it came about that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stopped there.
Kodwa wala ukuphambuka; ngakho uAbhineri wamtshaya ngesidindi somkhonto kubambo lwesihlanu, umkhonto waze waphuma emuva kwakhe; wasewela phansi lapho, wafela kuleyondawo. Kwasekusithi bonke abafika endaweni lapho uAsaheli awela wafa khona, bema.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
UJowabi laye loAbishayi baxotshana loAbhineri; ilanga laselitshona, bona befika eqaqeni lweAma, olungaphambi kweGiya endleleni yenkangala yeGibeyoni.
25 The sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and formed a single group, and stood on the top of a hill.
Abantwana bakoBhenjamini basebebuthana ngemva kukaAbhineri, baba lixuku linye, bema phezu koqaqa oluthile.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to stop pursuing their brothers?"
UAbhineri wasememeza kuJowabi wathi: Inkemba izakudla njalonjalo yini? Kawazi yini ukuthi kuzakuba yikubaba ekucineni? Koze kube nini ungabatsheli abantu ukuthi babuye ekulandeleni abafowabo?
27 Joab said, "As the LORD lives, if you had not spoken, surely the people would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning."
UJowabi wasesithi: Kuphila kukaNkulunkulu, ngaphandle kokuthi ubukhulumile, isibili ngalesosikhathi kusukela ekuseni abantu ngabe benyukile, ngulowo lalowo esuka ekulandeleni umfowabo.
28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stopped, and no longer chased after Israel, and they no longer fought.
UJowabi wasevuthela uphondo, bonke abantu basebesima, kababe besaxotshana loIsrayeli, futhi kababe besalwa njalo.
29 Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and marched the whole morning, and came to Mahanaim.
UAbhineri labantu bakhe bahamba bedabula amagceke bonke lobobusuku, bachapha iJordani, badabula iBhithironi yonke, bafika eMahanayimi.
30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
UJowabi wasebuya ekulandeleni uAbhineri; esebuthanisile bonke abantu, encekwini zikaDavida kwasilela abalitshumi labayisificamunwemunye, loAsaheli.
31 But the servants of David had struck of the people of Benjamin, from the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men who died.
Kodwa izinceku zikaDavida zazitshayile koBhenjamini lemadodeni akaAbhineri; amadoda angamakhulu amathathu lamatshumi ayisithupha afa.
32 They took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.
Basebemthatha uAsaheli, bamngcwaba engcwabeni likayise elaliseBhethelehema. UJowabi labantu bakhe basebehamba ubusuku bonke, kwasa beseHebroni.

< 2 Samuel 2 >