< 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.”
After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.”
2 Ale David kplɔ srɔ̃awo, Ahinoam tso Yezreel kple Abigail, Nabal ƒe ahosi tso Karmel,
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 eƒe amewo kple wo srɔ̃wo kple wo viwo katã eye woyi Hebron.
David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.
4 Yuda ƒe kplɔlawo va ɖo David fiae ɖe Yuda ƒe dukɔ ƒoƒuwo nu. Esi David se be Yabes Gileadtɔwo ɖi Saul la,
The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who 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.
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
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 Yahweh show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.
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.”
Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
8 Ke Abner, Saul ƒe aʋafia do ŋgɔ yi Mahanaim be yeatsɔ Saul ƒe viŋutsu Is Boset aɖo fiae,
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9 be wòaɖu fia ɖe Gilead, Asuri, Yezreel, Efraim, Benyamin kple Israel ƒe akpa bubuawo keŋ dzi.
He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Exɔ ƒe blaene hafi woɖoe fiae eye wòɖu Israel dzi ƒe eve. Ke Yuda ƒe viwo nɔ David yome
Ishbosheth, 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.
11 eye wòɖu fia le Hebron ɖe Yuda dzi ƒe adre kple afã.
The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Gbe ɖeka la, Aʋafia Abner kplɔ Is Boset ƒe aʋawɔlawo tso Mahanaim yi Gibeon,
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to 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 the son of Zeruiah and David’s servants 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.
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, “Please let the young men arise and compete before us!” Joab said, “Let them arise!”
15 Ale aʋakɔ eveawo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe tia ɖekakpui wuieve na Benyamin kple Saul vi Is Boset eye wuieve bubu na David.
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
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.”
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 in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
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 was very severe that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before David’s servants.
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 as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
19 eye eya ɖeka kplɔ Abner ɖo. Medze ɖe ɖusi alo mia me le Abner yome o.
Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
20 Esi Abner nye kɔ kpɔ megbe eye wòkpɔ Asahel wògbɔna la, ebiae be, “Wòe nye ema, Asahel?” Asahel ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, nyee!”
Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.”
21 Abner gblɔ nɛ be, “Ti ame bubu yome!” Ke Asahel gbe eye wòyi eyometiti dzi.
Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away from following 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 said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?”
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.
However, he refused to turn away. 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. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
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 pursued Abner. 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.
25 Abner ƒe aʋawɔlawo tso Benyamin ƒe to la me ƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe to la tame.
The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on the top of a 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?”
Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following 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.”
Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”
28 Tete Yoab ku kpẽ eye eƒe amewo dzudzɔ Israel ƒe aʋakɔ la yometiti.
So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.
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.
Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to 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.
Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men of David’s and Asahel were missing.
31 Ke Abner ƒe ame alafa etɔ̃ blaade, ame siwo tso Benyamin ƒe to la me la ku.
But David’s servants had struck Benjamin Abner’s men so that three hundred sixty men died.
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 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.

< Samuel 2 2 >