Ii Samuelis 2
1 igitur post haec 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 duae uxores eius Ahinoem Iezrahelites 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 nuntiatum est David quod viri Iabesgalaad 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 nuntios ad viros Iabesgalaad 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 quidem vobis Dominus misericordiam et veritatem sed et ego reddam gratiam eo quod feceritis 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 vestrae et estote filii fortitudinis licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul tamen me unxit domus Iuda 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 Hisboseth 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 Gesuri et super Iezrahel et super Ephraim et super Beniamin et super Israhel universum
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 quadraginta annorum erat Hisboseth filius Saul cum regnare coepisset super Israhel 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 mensuum
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 egressusque Abner filius Ner et pueri Hisboseth 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 Sarviae et pueri David egressi sunt et occurrerunt eis iuxta piscinam Gabaon et cum in unum convenissent e regione sederunt hii ex una parte piscinae 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 Hisboseth 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 adprehensoque unusquisque capite conparis 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 Israhel 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 Sarviae Ioab et Abisai et Asahel porro Asahel cursor velocissimus fuit quasi unus ex capreis quae 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 Asahel Abner et non declinavit ad dexteram sive ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum et ait tune es Asahel 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 dextram sive ad sinistram et adprehende unum de adulescentibus et tolle tibi spolia eius noluit autem Asahel omittere quin urgueret 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 Asahel recede noli me sequi ne conpellar confodere te in terra 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 transiebant per locum in quo ceciderat Asahel 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 Aquaeductus qui est ex adverso vallis et 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 internicionem tuus mucro desaeviet 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 bucina et stetit omnis exercitus nec persecuti sunt ultra Israhel 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 Bethoron 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 Asahele
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 Asahel et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethleem 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.
