2 USamuyeli 10
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni yafa, uHanuni indodana yayo wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sayo.
Some time later, the king of the Ammon people-group died, and his son Hanun became their king.
2 UDavida wasesithi: Ngizamenzela umusa uHanuni indodana kaNahashi njengoba uyise wangenzela umusa. UDavida wasethuma ngesandla senceku zakhe ukuyamduduza ngoyise. Zafika-ke izinceku zikaDavida elizweni labantwana bakoAmoni.
David thought, “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that David was sorry that Hanun’s father [had died]. When those messengers arrived in the land where the Ammon people-group lived,
3 Iziphathamandla zabantwana bakoAmoni zasezisithi kuHanuni inkosi yazo: Kambe uDavida uyamhlonipha uyihlo emehlweni akho ngoba ethume abaduduzi kuwe? UDavida kazithumanga yini inceku zakhe kuwe ukuze ziphenye umuzi, ziwuhlole, ziwuchithe?
the leaders of the Ammon people-group said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is to honor your father that King David has sent these men to say that he is sorry that your father died [RHQ]? [We think that] he has sent them here to look around the city to determine how his [army] can conquer us!”
4 UHanuni wasebamba izinceku zikaDavida, wagela ingxenye yendevu zazo, waquma izembatho zazo phakathi kuze kube sezibunu zazo, waziyekela zahamba.
Hanun [believed what they said; so he commanded some soldiers to] seize David’s officials and [insult them by] shaving off one side of each man’s beard, and [by] cutting off the lower part of their robes, [with the result that their buttocks could be seen], and then they sent them away.
5 Sebembikele uDavida wathumela ukuzihlangabeza ngoba amadoda ayelenhloni kakhulu; inkosi yasisithi: Hlalani eJeriko zize zihlume indevu zenu, beselibuya.
The men were very humiliated/ashamed, [so they did not want to return home]. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent someone to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”
6 Lapho abantwana bakoAmoni sebebonile ukuthi baba levumba kuDavida, abantwana bakoAmoni bathumela baqhatsha kumaSiriya eBeti-Rehobi lakumaSiriya eZoba, amadoda ahamba ngenyawo azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili, lenkosini yeMahaka, amadoda ayinkulungwane, lebantwini beTobi, amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili.
Then [the leaders of] the Ammon people-group realized that they had greatly insulted [IDM] David [IDM]. So they sent some men to hire/pay some soldiers [from other nearby areas to help defend them]. They hired 20,000 soldiers from [the] Beth-Rehob and Zobah [regions northeast of Israel], and 12,000 soldiers from [the] Tob [region], and 1,000 soldiers from [the army of] the king of Maacah [region].
7 Kwathi uDavida esekuzwile wathuma uJowabi lebutho lonke lamaqhawe.
When David heard about that, he sent Joab with all of the army [that Joab commanded], to fight against them.
8 Abantwana bakoAmoni basebephuma bahlela impi emnyango wesango; lamaSiriya eZoba leRehobi, labantu beTobi leMahaka babebodwa egangeni.
The soldiers of the Ammon people-group marched out and (stood in their positions/arranged themselves for battle) at the entrance [to their capital city, Rabbah]. The other soldiers from Syria and Tob and Maacah stood by themselves (in their positions/arranged themselves for battle) in the nearby fields.
9 Lapho uJowabi ebona ukuthi impi ikhangele kuye ngaphambili langemuva, wakhetha kubo bonke abakhethiweyo koIsrayeli, wabahlela ukuthi bamelane lamaSiriya.
Joab saw that there were groups of enemy soldiers in front of his troops and behind his troops. So he chose some of the best Israeli soldiers, and put them in positions to fight against the soldiers of Syria.
10 Abaseleyo babantu wasebanikela esandleni sikaAbishayi umfowabo, owabahlela ukuthi bamelane labantwana bakoAmoni.
He appointed his [older] brother Abishai to be the commander of all the other soldiers, and he told them to (stand in their positions/arrange themselves) in front of [the army of] the Ammon people-group.
11 Wasesithi: Uba amaSiriya elamandla kakhulu kulami, khona uzakuba lusizo kimi; kodwa uba abantwana bakoAmoni belamandla kakhulu kulawe, khona ngizakuza ukukusiza.
Then Joab said, “If the soldiers from Syria are too strong for us to defeat them, your men must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people-group are too strong for you to defeat, we will come and help your men.
12 Qina, asiziqinise ngenxa yabantu bakithi, langenxa yemizi kaNkulunkulu wethu; iNkosi kayenze okuhle emehlweni ayo.
We must be strong, and fight hard [IDM] to [defend] our people and the cities [(that belong to/where we worship)] our God. I will pray/request that Yahweh do what he considers to be good.”
13 UJowabi wasesondela, labantu ababelaye, empini lamaSiriya; asebaleka phambi kwakhe.
So Joab and his army [advanced to] attack the army of Syria, and the soldiers from Syria ran away from them.
14 Lapho abantwana bakoAmoni bebona ukuthi amaSiriya ayabaleka, labo babaleka phambi kukaAbishayi, bangena emzini. UJowabi wasebuyela esuka ebantwaneni bakoAmoni, weza 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’s [army] stopped fighting against [the army of] the Ammon people-group, and Joab [and his army] returned to Jerusalem.
15 AmaSiriya esebonile ukuthi atshayiwe phambi kukaIsrayeli, abuthana ndawonye.
After [the leaders of] the army of Syria saw that the Israeli army had defeated them, they gathered all their troops together.
16 UHadadezeri wasethumela, wakhupha amaSiriya ayengaphetsheya komfula, afika eHelamu, loShobaki induna yebutho likaHadadezeri phambi kwawo.
[Their king, ] Hadadezer, summoned the soldiers of Syria who lived on the east side of the [Euphrates] River. They gathered at Helam [city]. Their commander was Shobach.
17 Lapho kubikelwa uDavida, wabuthanisa uIsrayeli wonke, wachapha iJordani, wafika eHelamu. AmaSiriya asezihlelela ukumelana loDavida, alwa laye.
When David heard about that, he gathered all the Israeli soldiers, and they crossed the Jordan [River] and marched to Helam. There, the army of Syria (took their positions/arranged themselves for battle), and the battle started.
18 AmaSiriya asebaleka phambi kukaIsrayeli; uDavida wasetshaya kumaSiriya izinqola ezingamakhulu ayisikhombisa, labagadi bamabhiza abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amane, watshaya uShobaki induna yebutho, owafela lapho.
But the soldiers of Syria ran away from the Israeli soldiers. David [and his army] killed 700 of their chariot-drivers and 40,000 other soldiers. They also wounded Shobach, their commander, and he died there.
19 Lapho wonke amakhosi, izinceku zikaHadadezeri, ebona ukuthi atshaywa phambi kukaIsrayeli, enza ukuthula loIsrayeli, abakhonza. Ngakho amaSiriya esaba ukusiza abantwana bakoAmoni futhi.
When all the kings who had been ruled by Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israeli [army], they made peace with the Israelis and agreed to accept David as their king. So [the army of] Syria was afraid to help [the army of] the Ammon people-group any more.
