Ii Samuelis 2
1 Igitur post hæc consuluit David Dominum, dicens: Num ascendam in unam de civitatibus Iuda? Et ait Dominus ad eum: Ascende. Dixitque David: Quo ascendam? Et respondit ei: In 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 Ascendit ergo David, et duæ uxores eius, Achinoam Iezraelites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli:
So David moved there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.
3 sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua: et manserunt in oppidis Hebron.
He also brought the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
4 Veneruntque viri Iuda, et unxerunt ibi David, ut regnaret super domum Iuda. Et nunciatum est David, quod viri Iabes Galaad sepelissent Saul.
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 Misit ergo David nuncios ad viros Iabes Galaad, dixitque ad eos: Benedicti vos Domino, qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul, et sepelistis eum.
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 Et nunc retribuet vobis quidem Dominus misericordiam et veritatem: sed et ego reddam gratiam, eo quod fecistis verbum istud.
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 Confortentur manus vestræ, et estote filii fortitudinis: licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul, tamen me unxit domus Iuda in regem sibi.
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 Abner autem filius Ner princeps exercitus Saul tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra,
However, Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbosheth, son of Saul, to Mahanaim.
9 regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Iezrael, et super Ephraim, et super Beniamin, et super Israel universum.
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare cœpisset super Israel, et duobus annis regnavit: sola autem domus Iuda sequebatur David.
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 Et fuit numerus dierum, quos commoratus est David, imperans in Hebron super domum Iuda, septem annorum, et sex mensium.
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul de castris in Gabaon.
One day Abner and Ishbosheth's men left Mahanaim and went to the town of Gibeon.
13 Porro Ioab filius Sarviæ, et pueri David egressi sunt, et occurrerunt eis iuxta piscinam Gabaon. Et cum in unum convenissent, e regione sederunt: hi ex una parte piscinæ, et illi ex altera.
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 Dixitque Abner ad Ioab: Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Ioab: Surgant.
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 Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Beniamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David.
So twelve men came forward from each side—twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, and twelve for David.
16 Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul: vocatumque est nomen loci illius: Ager robustorum, in Gabaon.
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 Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa: fugatusque est Abner, et viri Israel a pueris David.
The battle that followed was hard-fought, but eventually Abner and his men were defeated by David's men.
18 Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviæ, Ioab, et Abisai, et Asael: porro Asael cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis, quæ morantur in silvis.
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 Persequebatur autem Asael Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner.
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait: Tu ne es Asael? Qui respondit: Ego sum.
Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it's me,” Asahel replied.
21 Dixitque ei Abner: Vade ad dexteram, sive ad sinistram, et apprehende unum de adolescentibus, et tolle tibi spolia eius. Noluit autem Asael omittere quin urgeret eum.
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 Rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asael: recede, noli me sequi, ne compellar confodere te in terram, et levare non potero faciem meam ad Ioab fratrem tuum.
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 Qui audire contempsit, et noluit declinare: percussit ergo eum Abner aversa hasta in inguine, et transfodit, et mortuus est in eodem loco: omnesque qui transibant per locum illum, in quo ceciderat Asael, et mortuus erat, subsistebant.
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 Persequentibus autem Ioab, et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit: et venerunt usque ad Collem aquæductus, qui est ex adverso vallis itineris deserti in Gabaon.
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 Congregatique sunt filii Beniamin ad Abner: et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius.
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 Et exclamavit Abner ad Ioab, et ait: Num usque ad internecionem tuus mucro desæviet? An ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio? Usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos?
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 Et ait Ioab: Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses mane, recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum.
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not said anything, my men would have continued chasing their brothers until the morning.”
28 Insonuit ergo Ioab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Israel, neque iniere certamen.
Joab blew the horn so all the men stopped—they didn't continue chasing or fighting the Israelites.
29 Abner autem et viri eius abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa: et transierunt Iordanem, et lustrata omni Beth horon, venerunt ad castra.
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 Porro Ioab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum: et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asaele.
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 Servi autem David percusserunt de Beniamin, et de viris, qui erant cum Abner trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt.
However, they had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Tuleruntque Asael, et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethlehem: et ambulaverunt tota nocte Ioab et viri qui erant cum eo, et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron.
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.
