2 USamuyeli 2
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho uDavida wabuza eNkosini esithi: Ngenyukele yini komunye wemizi yakoJuda? INkosi yasisithi kuye: Yenyuka. UDavida wasesithi: Ngiye ngaphi? Yasisithi: EHebroni.
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 Ngakho uDavida wenyukela lapho, kanye labafazi bakhe bobabili, uAhinowama umJizereyelikazi loAbigayili umkaNabali umKharmeli.
So David moved there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.
3 UDavida wasesenyusa abantu bakhe ababelaye, ngulowo lalowo labendlu yakhe; basebehlala emizini yeHebroni.
He also brought the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
4 Kwasekufika abantu bakoJuda, bamgcoba khona uDavida waba yinkosi phezu kwendlu yakoJuda. Basebemtshela uDavida besithi: Abantu beJabeshi-Gileyadi yibo abangcwaba uSawuli.
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 UDavida wasethumela izithunywa ebantwini beJabeshi-Gileyadi, wathi kibo: Kalibusiswe yiNkosi, ngoba lenze lumusa enkosini yenu, kuSawuli, lamngcwaba.
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 Khathesi-ke, iNkosi kayilenzele umusa leqiniso; mina lami ngizalenzela lokhu okuhle, ngoba lenze loludaba.
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 Khathesi-ke kaziqine izandla zenu libe ngamadodana amaqhawe; ngoba inkosi yenu uSawuli ifile; njalo lendlu yakoJuda ingigcobile mina ukuba yinkosi phezu kwabo.
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 Kodwa uAbhineri indodana kaNeri, induna yebutho uSawuli ayelalo, wathatha uIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, wamchaphisela eMahanayimi,
However, Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbosheth, son of Saul, to Mahanaim.
9 wambeka waba yinkosi phezu kweGileyadi, laphezu kwamaAshuri, laphezu kweJizereyeli, laphezu kukaEfrayimi, laphezu kukaBhenjamini, laphezu kukaIsrayeli wonke.
There he set up Ishbosheth as king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, in fact over all Israel.
10 UIshiboshethi, indodana kaSawuli, wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amane esiba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli, wabusa iminyaka emibili. Kodwa indlu yakoJuda yalandela uDavida.
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 Lenani lensuku uDavida owaba yinkosi ngazo eHebroni phezu kwendlu yakoJuda laliyiminyaka eyisikhombisa lenyanga eziyisithupha.
David ruled in Hebron as king over the people of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 UAbhineri indodana kaNeri wasephuma, lenceku zikaIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, basuka eMahanayimi baya eGibeyoni.
One day Abner and Ishbosheth's men left Mahanaim and went to the town of Gibeon.
13 UJowabi indodana kaZeruya lenceku zikaDavida basebephuma bahlangana ndawonye echibini leGibeyoni; bahlala, abanye ngapha kwechibi labanye ngale kwechibi.
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 UAbhineri wasesithi kuJowabi: Amajaha ake asukume adlale phambi kwethu. UJowabi wasesithi: Kawasukume.
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 Kwasekusukuma kwedlula ngenani abalitshumi lambili koBhenjamini lakoIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, letshumi lambili lenceku zikaDavida.
So twelve men came forward from each side—twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, and twelve for David.
16 Basebebamba ngulowo lalowo ikhanda lomunye, wagwazangenkemba yakhe ehlangothini lomunye; ngokunjalo bawa ndawonye. Ngakho leyondawo bayibiza ngokuthi yiHelekati-Hasurimi eseGibeyoni.
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 Njalo kwaba lempi enzima kakhulu ngalolosuku, loAbhineri wehlulwa lamadoda akoIsrayeli phambi kwenceku zikaDavida.
The battle that followed was hard-fought, but eventually Abner and his men were defeated by David's men.
18 Ayekhona-ke lapho amadodana amathathu kaZeruya, oJowabi, loAbishayi loAsaheli. Njalo uAsaheli wayelesiqubu ezinyaweni njengomunye wemiziki yeganga.
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 UAsaheli wasexotshana loAbhineri; njalo ekuhambeni kwakhe kaphambukelanga ngakwesokunene langakwesokhohlo ekulandeleni uAbhineri.
He chased after Abner with single-minded determination.
20 UAbhineri wasenyemukula, wathi: Nguwe uAsaheli yini? Wasesithi: Yimi.
Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it's me,” Asahel replied.
21 UAbhineri wasesithi kuye: Phambukela wena ngakwesokunene loba ngakwesokhohlo, uzibambele elinye lamajaha, uzithathele izikhali zalo. Kodwa uAsaheli kavumanga ukuphambuka ekumlandeleni.
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 UAbhineri wasebuya futhi esithi kuAsaheli: Phambuka wena ekungilandeleni; ngizakutshayelelani emhlabathini? Pho, ngingaphakamisa njani ubuso bami kuJowabi umfowenu?
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 Kodwa wala ukuphambuka; ngakho uAbhineri wamtshaya ngesidindi somkhonto kubambo lwesihlanu, umkhonto waze waphuma emuva kwakhe; wasewela phansi lapho, wafela kuleyondawo. Kwasekusithi bonke abafika endaweni lapho uAsaheli awela wafa khona, bema.
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 UJowabi laye loAbishayi baxotshana loAbhineri; ilanga laselitshona, bona befika eqaqeni lweAma, olungaphambi kweGiya endleleni yenkangala yeGibeyoni.
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 Abantwana bakoBhenjamini basebebuthana ngemva kukaAbhineri, baba lixuku linye, bema phezu koqaqa oluthile.
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 UAbhineri wasememeza kuJowabi wathi: Inkemba izakudla njalonjalo yini? Kawazi yini ukuthi kuzakuba yikubaba ekucineni? Koze kube nini ungabatsheli abantu ukuthi babuye ekulandeleni abafowabo?
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 UJowabi wasesithi: Kuphila kukaNkulunkulu, ngaphandle kokuthi ubukhulumile, isibili ngalesosikhathi kusukela ekuseni abantu ngabe benyukile, ngulowo lalowo esuka ekulandeleni umfowabo.
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not said anything, my men would have continued chasing their brothers until the morning.”
28 UJowabi wasevuthela uphondo, bonke abantu basebesima, kababe besaxotshana loIsrayeli, futhi kababe besalwa njalo.
Joab blew the horn so all the men stopped—they didn't continue chasing or fighting the Israelites.
29 UAbhineri labantu bakhe bahamba bedabula amagceke bonke lobobusuku, bachapha iJordani, badabula iBhithironi yonke, bafika eMahanayimi.
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 UJowabi wasebuya ekulandeleni uAbhineri; esebuthanisile bonke abantu, encekwini zikaDavida kwasilela abalitshumi labayisificamunwemunye, loAsaheli.
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 Kodwa izinceku zikaDavida zazitshayile koBhenjamini lemadodeni akaAbhineri; amadoda angamakhulu amathathu lamatshumi ayisithupha afa.
However, they had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Basebemthatha uAsaheli, bamngcwaba engcwabeni likayise elaliseBhethelehema. UJowabi labantu bakhe basebehamba ubusuku bonke, kwasa beseHebroni.
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.
