< 1 Imilando 19 >
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho uNahashi inkosi yamaAmoni wafa, indodana yakhe yasisiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people-group, died. Then his son Hanun became their king.
2 UDavida wasesithi: Ngizamenzela umusa uHanuni indodana kaNahashi, ngoba uyise wangenzela umusa. UDavida wasethuma izithunywa ukuyamduduza ngoyise. Izinceku zikaDavida zasezifika elizweni labantwana bakoAmoni kuHanuni ukumduduza.
[When] David [heard about that, he] thought [to himself], “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that he was sorry to hear that Hanun’s father [had died]. But when David’s officials came to Hanun in the land where the Ammon people-group lived,
3 Kodwa iziphathamandla zabantwana bakoAmoni zathi kuHanuni: Kambe uDavida uyamhlonipha uyihlo emehlweni akho, ngoba ethume abaduduzi kuwe? Izinceku zakhe kazizanga kuwe yini ukuphenya lokuchitha lokuhlola ilizwe?
the leaders of the Ammon people-group said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is really to honor your father that King David is sending these men to say that he is sorry that your father died? [We think that] his men have come to (look around/spy) our city in order to determine how his [army] can conquer us.”
4 Ngakho uHanuni wathatha izinceku zikaDavida wazigela waquma izembatho zazo kungxenye kuze kube sezibunu zazo, waziyekela zahamba.
Hanun [believed what they said, so he commanded some soldiers to] seize the officials whom David had sent, and shave off their beards, and [insult them by] cutting off the lower part of their robes, and then send them away. [So his soldiers did that].
5 Basebehamba bamtshela uDavida ngalawomadoda; wasethuma ukuwahlangabeza, ngoba amadoda ayelenhloni kakhulu; inkosi yasisithi: Hlalani eJeriko zize zihlume izindevu zenu, beselibuya.
The officials were greatly humiliated/ashamed. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent some messengers to them to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”
6 Abantwana bakoAmoni sebebonile ukuthi sebelevumba kuDavida, uHanuni labantwana bakoAmoni bathumela amathalenta esiliva ayinkulungwane ukuziqhatshela izinqola labagadi bamabhiza eMesopotamiya leSiriya-Mahaka leZoba.
Then the [leaders of the] Ammon people-group realized that they had greatly insulted [IDM] David. So Hanun and some of his officials sent about (37,000 pounds/34,000 kg.) of silver to hire chariots and chariot-drivers from [the] Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah and Zobah [regions of Syria northeast of Israel].
7 Basebeziqhatshela inqola ezizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu lambili lenkosi yeMahaka labantu bayo; basebesiza bamisa inkamba phambi kweMedeba; abantwana bakoAmoni basebebuthana bevela emizini yabo, beza empini.
They hired 32,000 chariots and chariot-drivers, as well as the king of [the] Maacah [region] and his army. They came and set up their tents near Medeba [town in Moab region]. The soldiers from the Ammon people-group also marched out and (stood in their positions/arranged themselves for battle) [at the entrance to their capital city, Rabbah].
8 UDavida esezwile wathuma uJowabi lebutho lonke lamaqhawe.
When David heard about that, he sent Joab and all his army.
9 Abantwana bakoAmoni basebephuma bahlela impi esangweni lomuzi, lamakhosi ayezile ayewodwa egangeni.
The soldiers of the Ammon people-group came out of their city and lined up for battle at the entrance to [their capital city, Rabbah]. Meanwhile, the other kings who had come [with their armies] stood in their positions in the open fields.
10 UJowabi esebonile ukuthi impondo zebutho zimelene laye ngaphambili langemuva, wakhetha kuwo wonke umkhethwa koIsrayeli, wabahlela ukumelana lamaSiriya.
Joab saw that there were groups of enemy soldiers in front of his troops and behind his troops. So he selected some of the best Israeli troops and put them in positions to fight against the soldiers of Syria.
11 Labaseleyo babantu wabanikela esandleni sikaAbishayi umfowabo; basebezihlela ukumelana labantwana bakoAmoni.
He appointed his [older] brother Abishai to be the commander of his other soldiers and he told them to (stand in their positions/arrange themselves) in front of [the army of] the Ammon people-group.
12 Wasesithi: Uba amaSiriya engikhulela, uzakuba lusizo lwami; kodwa uba abantwana bakoAmoni bekukhulela, ngizakusiza.
Joab said to them, “If the soldiers from Syria are too strong for us to defeat them, then your soldiers must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people-group are too strong for you to defeat them, then my soldiers will come and help your men.
13 Bana lesibindi, siziqinise ngenxa yabantu bakithi langenxa yemizi kaNkulunkulu wethu; leNkosi kayenze okuhle emehlweni ayo.
We must be strong/courageous, and fight hard to [defend] our people and our cities (that belong to/where we worship) our God. I will pray that Yahweh will do what he considers to be good.”
14 UJowabi labantu ababelaye basebesondela phambi kwamaSiriya ukuya empini; asebaleka phambi kwakhe.
So Joab and his troops [advanced to] fight the army of Syria, and the soldiers from Syria ran away from them.
15 Abantwana bakoAmoni sebebona ukuthi amaSiriya ayabaleka, babaleka labo phambi kukaAbishayi umfowabo, bangena emzini. UJowabi wasengena eJerusalema.
And when the soldiers of the Ammon people-group saw that the soldiers from Syria were running away, they also started to run away from Abishai and his army, and they retreated back inside the city. So Joab [and his army] returned to Jerusalem.
16 AmaSiriya esebonile ukuthi atshayiwe phambi kukaIsrayeli athuma izithunywa akhupha amaSiriya ayengaphetsheya komfula. LoShofaki induna yebutho likaHadadezeri wayephambi kwawo.
After [the leaders of the army of] Syria realized that they had been defeated by [the army of] Israel, they sent messengers to [another part of Syria on] the east side of the [Euphrates] river, and brought troops from there [to the battle area], with Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.
17 Esetsheliwe uDavida, wabuthanisa uIsrayeli wonke, wachapha iJordani, wafika kibo, wahlela ibutho limelene lawo. UDavida esehlele impi ukumelana lamaSiriya, alwa laye.
When David heard about that, he gathered all the Israeli soldiers, and they crossed the Jordan [River]. They advanced and took their battle positions to attack the army of Syria.
18 Kodwa amaSiriya abaleka phambi kukaIsrayeli; uDavida wasebulala kumaSiriya abezinqola abazinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, lamadoda ahamba ngenyawo azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amane, wabulala loShofaki induna yebutho.
But the army of Syria ran away from the soldiers of Israel. However, David’s soldiers killed 7,000 of their chariot-drivers and 40,000 other soldiers. They also killed Shophach, their army commander.
19 Izinceku zikaHadadezeri sezibonile ukuthi zitshayiwe phambi kukaIsrayeli, zenza ukuthula loDavida, zamsebenzela. Ngakho amaSiriya kawafunanga ukusiza abantwana bakoAmoni futhi.
When the kings who had been ruled by Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israeli army, they made peace with David, and agreed to allow him to rule them. So the rulers of Syria did not want to help the rulers of the Ammon people-group any more.