Samuel 2 2
1 Le ɣeyiɣi aɖe megbe la, David bia Yehowa be, “Mayi Yuda duawo dometɔ ɖeka mea?” Yehowa ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, yi.” David gabiae be, “Du ka mee mayi?” Yehowa ɖo eŋu be, “Yi Hebron.”
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 Ale David kplɔ srɔ̃awo, Ahinoam tso Yezreel kple Abigail, Nabal ƒe ahosi tso Karmel,
So David moved there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.
3 eƒe amewo kple wo srɔ̃wo kple wo viwo katã eye woyi Hebron.
He also brought the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
4 Yuda ƒe kplɔlawo va ɖo David fiae ɖe Yuda ƒe dukɔ ƒoƒuwo nu. Esi David se be Yabes Gileadtɔwo ɖi Saul la,
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 eɖo du ɖe wo be, “Yehowa nayra mi le ale si miewɔ nuteƒe na miaƒe aƒetɔ eye mieɖii kple bubu la ta.
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 Yehowa nave mia nu eye wòatsɔ eƒe lɔlɔ̃ ƒe ɖeɖefia kple nyateƒe aɖo eteƒe na mi. Nye hã mave mia nu le nu si miewɔ la ta.
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 Azɔ la, mele biabiam tso mia si be esi Saul ku la, mianye nye ame sesẽwo, eye miawɔ nuteƒe nam. Minɔ abe Yuda ƒe viwo, ame siwo tsɔm ɖo woƒe Fia yeye ene.”
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 Ke Abner, Saul ƒe aʋafia do ŋgɔ yi Mahanaim be yeatsɔ Saul ƒe viŋutsu Is Boset aɖo fiae,
However, Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbosheth, son of Saul, to Mahanaim.
9 be wòaɖu fia ɖe Gilead, Asuri, Yezreel, Efraim, Benyamin kple Israel ƒe akpa bubuawo keŋ dzi.
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 Exɔ ƒe blaene hafi woɖoe fiae eye wòɖu Israel dzi ƒe eve. Ke Yuda ƒe viwo nɔ David yome
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 eye wòɖu fia le Hebron ɖe Yuda dzi ƒe adre kple afã.
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 Gbe ɖeka la, Aʋafia Abner kplɔ Is Boset ƒe aʋawɔlawo tso Mahanaim yi Gibeon,
One day Abner and Ishbosheth's men left Mahanaim and went to the town of Gibeon.
13 eye Aʋafia Yoab, Zeruya ƒe vi, hã kplɔ David ƒe aʋakɔ be woado go wo. Wodo go le Gibeon ta la to eye wonɔ ta la ƒe akpa eveawo dzi, dze ŋgɔ wo nɔewo.
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 gblɔ na Yoab be, “Mina míaƒe ɖekakpuiawo nawɔ fefe kple woƒe yiwo míakpɔ!” Yoab lɔ̃ hegblɔ bena, “Enyo, na ne woawɔe.”
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 Ale aʋakɔ eveawo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe tia ɖekakpui wuieve na Benyamin kple Saul vi Is Boset eye wuieve bubu na David.
So twelve men came forward from each side—twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, and twelve for David.
16 Ame sia ame lé nɔvia ƒe ɖa eye wòtɔ yi axadame na nɔvia. Ale wo katã ku. Woyɔa teƒe ma le Gibeon va se ɖe egbe be “Yi ƒe gbedzi.”
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 Aʋakɔ eveawo de asi aʋawɔwɔ me azɔ eye hafi zã nado la, Yoab kple David ƒe amewo ɖu Abner kple eƒe amewo tso Israel dzi.
The battle that followed was hard-fought, but eventually Abner and his men were defeated by David's men.
18 Yoab nɔviŋutsuwo, Abisai kple Asahel hã nɔ aʋawɔlawo dome. Asahel ƒua du abe zi ene
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 eye eya ɖeka kplɔ Abner ɖo. Medze ɖe ɖusi alo mia me le Abner yome o.
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 Esi Abner nye kɔ kpɔ megbe eye wòkpɔ Asahel wògbɔna la, ebiae be, “Wòe nye ema, Asahel?” Asahel ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, nyee!”
Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it's me,” Asahel replied.
21 Abner gblɔ nɛ be, “Ti ame bubu yome!” Ke Asahel gbe eye wòyi eyometiti dzi.
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 gado ɣli gblɔ nɛ be, “Dzo le afi sia. Ne mewu wò la, nyemate ŋu anɔ te ɖe nɔviwò Yoab nu o.”
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 Ke egbe, megbugbɔ o. Ale Abner ƒo akplɔ ɖe dɔ me nɛ eye akplɔ la ŋɔe do ɖe eƒe dzime. Edze anyi, heku eye ame sia ame si va ɖo afi si wòmlɔ la tɔna ɖe afi ma.
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 Azɔ la, Yoab kple Abisai ti Abner yome. Ɣe la nɔ to ɖom esi wova ɖo Ama togbɛ la gbɔ le Gia lɔƒo le mɔ si yi Gibeon gbegbe la dzi.
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 ƒe aʋawɔlawo tso Benyamin ƒe to la me ƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe to la tame.
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 Abner do ɣli gblɔ na Yoab be, “Ɖe míatsɔ míaƒe yiwo anɔ mía nɔewo wuwu dzi ɖaa? Ɣe ka ɣie nàna wò amewo nagbugbɔ le wo nɔviwo yome?”
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 Yoab ɖo eŋu be, “Metsɔ Mawu ka atam be, ne menye ɖe nèƒo nu o gɔ̃ hã la, anye ne mí katã míatrɔ adzo, ayi aƒe me etsɔ ŋdi.”
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not said anything, my men would have continued chasing their brothers until the morning.”
28 Tete Yoab ku kpẽ eye eƒe amewo dzudzɔ Israel ƒe aʋakɔ la yometiti.
Joab blew the horn so all the men stopped—they didn't continue chasing or fighting the Israelites.
29 Gbe ma gbe fiẽ la, Abner kple eƒe amewo gbugbɔ to Araba. Woyi Yɔdan ƒe balime, tso tɔsisi la eye wozɔ mɔ le zã va se ɖe ŋufɔke ŋdi hafi woɖo Mahanaim.
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 Yoab trɔ le Abner yome eye ekple eƒe amewo hã trɔ yi aƒe. Esi wòxlẽ eƒe amewo kpɔ la, ede dzesii be ame wuiasiekɛ koe tsi aʋa hekpe ɖe Asahel ŋu.
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 Ke Abner ƒe ame alafa etɔ̃ blaade, ame siwo tso Benyamin ƒe to la me la ku.
However, they had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Yoab kple eƒe amewo kɔ Asahel ƒe kukua yi Betlehem eye woɖii ɖe fofoa xa. Le esia megbe la, wozɔ mɔ to zã blibo la me eye woɖo Hebron le ŋdi.
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.
