2 Samuel 2
1 Mmere no ara mu, Dawid bisaa Awurade se, “Mensan nkɔ Yuda ana?” Awurade buaa no se, “Kɔ.” Dawid bisaa no se, “Kurow bɛn na menkɔ so?” Awurade buaa no se, “Hebron.”
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 Na Dawid yerenom ne Ahinoam a ofi Yesreel ne Abigail a ofi Karmel a na ɔyɛ Nabal yere no. Enti Dawid ne ne yerenom,
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 ne ne mmarima ne wɔn fifo nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkurow so.
He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in villages near Hebron.
4 Afei, Yuda ntuanofo kɔɔ Hebron, kɔsraa Dawid ngo sii no hene wɔ Yuda abusuakuw so. Na bere a Dawid tee sɛ Yabes Gilead mmarima asie Saulo no,
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 ɔsomaa abɔfo kosee wɔn se, “Awurade nhyira mo sɛ moayi nokware a ɛte saa adi, ama mo wura Saulo, na moasie no anuonyam so.
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 Na afei, Awurade ne mo nni no yiye na ontua mo dɔ sononko yi so ka. Na me nso metua mo nea a moayɛ yi so ka.
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 Afei a Saulo awu yi, mepɛ sɛ mobɛyɛ mʼasomfo nokwafo sɛ Yudafo a wɔasra me ngo sɛ minni wɔn so hene no.”
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 Na Ner babarima Abner a na ɔyɛ Saulo safohene wɔ nʼakofo so ne Saulo babarima Is-Boset kɔɔ Mahanaim.
[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 Ɛhɔ na osii Is-Boset hene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifo asase ne Israel nyinaa so.
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 Bere a Is-Boset dii ade no, na wadi mfirihyia aduanan, na odii ade fi Mahanaim mfe abien. Na Yuda abusuakuw no dii Dawid nokware.
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 Dawid yɛɛ Hebron ne kuropɔn. Na odii Yuda so hene mfirihyia ason ne fa.
and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
12 Da koro bi, Abner dii Is-Boset asraafo anim, fi Mahanaim kɔɔ Gibeon.
[One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
13 Saa bere koro no ara mu, Seruia babarima Yoab nso dii Dawid asraafo anim, fi Hebron na wohyiaa Abner wɔ Gibeon ɔtare ho. Akuw abien no tenatenaa ase a na wodi nhwɛanim.
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 Afei, Abner susuw ho kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Ma yɛmfa yɛn akofo no mu kakra, na wɔmfa wɔn nsa nni ako.” Yoab penee so kae se, “Wɔnsɔre nko ɛ.”
Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
15 Enti woyii mmarima dumien fii kuw biara mu sɛ wonni wɔn ho ako.
So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
16 Obiara soo ne tamfo tinwi mu, de nʼafoa wowɔɔ wɔn ho wɔn ho, maa wɔn nyinaa wuwui. Enti wɔfrɛ atɔe mu hɔ se Afoa Afuw de besi nnɛ.
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 Afei, nsraadɔm abien no de ɔko hyehyɛɛ so, na saa da no baa awiei no, na Dawid nsraadɔm no adi Abner ne Israel so nkonim.
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 Na Yoab, Abisai ne Asahel a wɔyɛ Seruia mmabarima baasa no ka Dawid asraafo no ho saa da no. Na Asahel tu mmirika te sɛ ɔforote,
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 na ɔpam Abner ara sɛ ɔbɛkyere no.
Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
20 Bere a Abner twaa nʼani huu sɛ odi nʼakyi no, ɔteɛɛ mu se, “Wo ni, Asahel!” Obuae se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me!”
Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
21 Na Abner ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ɛno de, kɔhwehwɛ obi foforo, na wone no nko. Kɔ na kotintim mmerante no baako, na gye nʼakode a ɛwɔ ne ho nyinaa.” Nanso Asahel, kɔɔ so taa no.
Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
22 Bio, Abner teɛɛ mu ka kyerɛɛ Asahel se, “Fi ha kɔ! Sɛ mikum wo a, merentumi nhwɛ wo nuabarima Yoab anim.”
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 Nanso Asahel antie ara, enti Abner de ne peaw no wɔɔ ne yafunu mu, maa peaw no pue fii nʼakyi. Obu hwee fam wuu wɔ hɔ. Na obiara a oduu atɔe mu hɔ no gyinaa dinn hwɛɛ Asahel sɛ ɔda hɔ.
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 Bere a Yoab ne Abisai tee asɛm a asi no, wɔkɔɔ sɛ wɔrekɔhwehwɛ Abner. Bere a woduu Amma bepɔw a ɛbɛn Gia a ɛwɔ ɔkwan a ɛda hɔ kɔ Gibeon sare so no, na onwini adwo.
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 Abner asraafo a wofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ bepɔw no so yɛɛ krado maa ɔko.
The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a hill.
26 Ɛhɔ na Abner teɛɛ mu, ka kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Enti, ɛsɛ sɛ daa yɛfa afoa so de ka yɛn ntam asɛm ana? Munnhu sɛ, saa ɔkwan no de nitan bɛto yɛn ntam ana? Da bɛn na wobɛfrɛ wo mmarima no aka akyerɛ wɔn se, wonnyae wɔn nuanom Israelfo akyidi?”
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 Na Yoab kae se, “Sɛ woankasa a anka, Onyankopɔn nko ara na onim nea ɛbɛba; anka yɛbɛtaa wo anadwo mu no nyinaa.”
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 Enti Yoab hyɛn ne torobɛnto, maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel asraafo no taa.
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 Anadwo mu no nyinaa, Abner ne ne mmarima nantew kɔɔ Araba. Wotwaa Yordan bon, toaa so kɔɔ Bitron, beduu Mahanaim.
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 Na Yoab gyaee Abner akyidi, na ɔboaboaa ne mmarima ano. Asahel akyi no, wohuu sɛ Dawid mmarima no mu dunkron ayera.
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 Nanso na Dawid mmarima no akunkum Benyaminfo no mu nnipa ahansia ne aduosia a na wɔka Abner ho no.
But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 Wɔfaa Asahel siee no wɔ nʼagya ɔboda mu wɔ Betlehem. Na Yoab ne ne mmarima nantew anadwo mu no nyinaa koduu Hebron adekyee.
[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.
