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.
Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go back to [live in] one of the towns in Judah?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, go up there.” Then David asked, “To which town should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.”
2 Ngakho uDavida wenyukela lapho, kanye labafazi bakhe bobabili, uAhinowama umJizereyelikazi loAbigayili umkaNabali umKharmeli.
So David went up there, taking his two wives, Ahinoam who was from Jezreel [city], and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [city].
3 UDavida wasesenyusa abantu bakhe ababelaye, ngulowo lalowo labendlu yakhe; basebehlala emizini yeHebroni.
He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in 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 [one of] them poured olive oil on David’s head [to show they were appointing him to be] [MTY] the king of the tribe [MTY] of Judah. When David found out that the people of Jabesh [town] in [the] Gilead [region] had buried Saul’s body,
5 UDavida wasethumela izithunywa ebantwini beJabeshi-Gileyadi, wathi kibo: Kalibusiswe yiNkosi, ngoba lenze lumusa enkosini yenu, kuSawuli, lamngcwaba.
he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them this: “I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless you for having shown, by burying the body of Saul your king, that you were loyal to him.
6 Khathesi-ke, iNkosi kayilenzele umusa leqiniso; mina lami ngizalenzela lokhu okuhle, ngoba lenze loludaba.
Now I also desire/hope that Yahweh will faithfully love you and be loyal to you. And I will do good things for you because of what you have done [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.
Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king.”
8 Kodwa uAbhineri indodana kaNeri, induna yebutho uSawuli ayelalo, wathatha uIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, wamchaphisela eMahanayimi,
[While this was happening], Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and went across [the Jordan River] to Mahanaim [town].
9 wambeka waba yinkosi phezu kweGileyadi, laphezu kwamaAshuri, laphezu kweJizereyeli, laphezu kukaEfrayimi, laphezu kukaBhenjamini, laphezu kukaIsrayeli wonke.
There Abner proclaimed that Ishbosheth was now the king of [the] Gilead [region] and of the tribe of Asher and the region of Jezreel and the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. That meant that he was the king of all of the people of Israel.
10 UIshiboshethi, indodana kaSawuli, wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amane esiba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli, wabusa iminyaka emibili. Kodwa indlu yakoJuda yalandela uDavida.
Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he started to rule over the people of Israel. He ruled them for two years. But the tribe of Judah (was loyal to David/wanted David to be their king),
11 Lenani lensuku uDavida owaba yinkosi ngazo eHebroni phezu kwendlu yakoJuda laliyiminyaka eyisikhombisa lenyanga eziyisithupha.
and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
12 UAbhineri indodana kaNeri wasephuma, lenceku zikaIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, basuka eMahanayimi baya eGibeyoni.
[One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
13 UJowabi indodana kaZeruya lenceku zikaDavida basebephuma bahlangana ndawonye echibini leGibeyoni; bahlala, abanye ngapha kwechibi labanye ngale kwechibi.
Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David’s officials [went from Hebron to Gibeon, and] met at the pool there. They all sat down, the one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
14 UAbhineri wasesithi kuJowabi: Amajaha ake asukume adlale phambi kwethu. UJowabi wasesithi: Kawasukume.
Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
15 Kwasekusukuma kwedlula ngenani abalitshumi lambili koBhenjamini lakoIshiboshethi indodana kaSawuli, letshumi lambili lenceku zikaDavida.
So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
16 Basebebamba ngulowo lalowo ikhanda lomunye, wagwazangenkemba yakhe ehlangothini lomunye; ngokunjalo bawa ndawonye. Ngakho leyondawo bayibiza ngokuthi yiHelekati-Hasurimi eseGibeyoni.
Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man’s side. The result was that all 24 of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called ‘Field of Swords’.
17 Njalo kwaba lempi enzima kakhulu ngalolosuku, loAbhineri wehlulwa lamadoda akoIsrayeli phambi kwenceku zikaDavida.
Then [the others started to fight]. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
18 Ayekhona-ke lapho amadodana amathathu kaZeruya, oJowabi, loAbishayi loAsaheli. Njalo uAsaheli wayelesiqubu ezinyaweni njengomunye wemiziki yeganga.
Zeruiah’s three sons were there [on that day]: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast; he could run as fast as a wild gazelle/antelope.
19 UAsaheli wasexotshana loAbhineri; njalo ekuhambeni kwakhe kaphambukelanga ngakwesokunene langakwesokhohlo ekulandeleni uAbhineri.
Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
20 UAbhineri wasenyemukula, wathi: Nguwe uAsaheli yini? Wasesithi: Yimi.
Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
21 UAbhineri wasesithi kuye: Phambukela wena ngakwesokunene loba ngakwesokhohlo, uzibambele elinye lamajaha, uzithathele izikhali zalo. Kodwa uAsaheli kavumanga ukuphambuka ekumlandeleni.
Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
22 UAbhineri wasebuya futhi esithi kuAsaheli: Phambuka wena ekungilandeleni; ngizakutshayelelani emhlabathini? Pho, ngingaphakamisa njani ubuso bami kuJowabi umfowenu?
So Abner yelled at him again, “Stop (chasing after/pursuing) me! (Why should I kill you?/It would not be good for me to kill you!) [RHQ] If I did that, (how could I (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab?/it would be very difficult for me to (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab.) [RHQ]”
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 refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner [suddenly turned and] thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear [went though Asahel’s body and] came out at his back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, [stunned].
24 UJowabi laye loAbishayi baxotshana loAbhineri; ilanga laselitshona, bona befika eqaqeni lweAma, olungaphambi kweGiya endleleni yenkangala yeGibeyoni.
But Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. At sunset they came to Ammah Hill, which is east of Giah, along the road to the desert near Gibeon.
25 Abantwana bakoBhenjamini basebebuthana ngemva kukaAbhineri, baba lixuku linye, bema phezu koqaqa oluthile.
The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a 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?
Then Abner called out to Joab, saying “Are we going to continue to fight forever [RHQ]? Do you not realize that [if we continue fighting], the result will be very bad [RHQ]? We are all descendants of Jacob. [So we should stop fighting each other] (How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?/Tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us.)” [RHQ]
27 UJowabi wasesithi: Kuphila kukaNkulunkulu, ngaphandle kokuthi ubukhulumile, isibili ngalesosikhathi kusukela ekuseni abantu ngabe benyukile, ngulowo lalowo esuka ekulandeleni umfowabo.
Joab replied, “Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!”
28 UJowabi wasevuthela uphondo, bonke abantu basebesima, kababe besaxotshana loIsrayeli, futhi kababe besalwa njalo.
So Joab blew a trumpet [to signal that they should stop fighting]. So all his men did that. They did not pursue the soldiers of Israel any more, and they stopped fighting.
29 UAbhineri labantu bakhe bahamba bedabula amagceke bonke lobobusuku, bachapha iJordani, badabula iBhithironi yonke, bafika eMahanayimi.
That night Abner and his soldiers went through the Jordan [River] Valley. They crossed the Jordan [River] and marched all the next morning, and they finally arrived at Mahanaim.
30 UJowabi wasebuya ekulandeleni uAbhineri; esebuthanisile bonke abantu, encekwini zikaDavida kwasilela abalitshumi labayisificamunwemunye, loAsaheli.
Joab [and his soldiers] stopped pursuing Abner. And when he gathered all his soldiers together, he found out that in addition to Asahel, only 19 of them had been killed in the battle.
31 Kodwa izinceku zikaDavida zazitshayile koBhenjamini lemadodeni akaAbhineri; amadoda angamakhulu amathathu lamatshumi ayisithupha afa.
But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Basebemthatha uAsaheli, bamngcwaba engcwabeni likayise elaliseBhethelehema. UJowabi labantu bakhe basebehamba ubusuku bonke, kwasa beseHebroni.
[Some of Joab’s soldiers] took Asahel’s body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived [back home] at Hebron.
