< 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.”
After this David asked Yahweh and said, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh replied to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which city 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 with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail from Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
3 ne ne mmarima ne wɔn fifo nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkurow so.
David brought the men who were with him, who each brought his family, to the cities of Hebron, where they began to live.
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 men from Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead have buried Saul.”
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.
So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “You are blessed by Yahweh, since you have showed this loyalty to your master Saul and have buried 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 may Yahweh show you covenantal loyalty and faithfulness. I also will show you this goodness because you have done this thing.
7 Afei a Saulo awu yi, mepɛ sɛ mobɛyɛ mʼasomfo nokwafo sɛ Yudafo a wɔasra me ngo sɛ minni wɔn so hene no.”
Now then, let your hands be strong; be courageous for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
8 Na Ner babarima Abner a na ɔyɛ Saulo safohene wɔ nʼakofo so ne Saulo babarima Is-Boset kɔɔ Mahanaim.
But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim.
9 Ɛhɔ na osii Is-Boset hene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifo asase ne Israel nyinaa so.
He made Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all 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 son of Saul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11 Dawid yɛɛ Hebron ne kuropɔn. Na odii Yuda so hene mfirihyia ason ne fa.
The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Da koro bi, Abner dii Is-Boset asraafo anim, fi Mahanaim kɔɔ Gibeon.
Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
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 son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. There they sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other 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 the young men arise and compete before us.” Then Joab said, “Let them arise.”
15 Enti woyii mmarima dumien fii kuw biara mu sɛ wonni wɔn ho ako.
Then the young men got up and gathered together, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve from servants of David.
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 man seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into the side of his opponent, and they fell down together. Therefore that place was called “Helkath Hazzurim,” or “Field of Swords,” which is in Gibeon.
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.
The battle was very severe that day and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
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,
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was swift in his feet like a wild gazelle.
19 na ɔpam Abner ara sɛ ɔbɛkyere no.
Asahel closely pursued Abner and followed him without turning away in any direction.
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?” He answered, “It is I.”
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 said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn aside.
22 Bio, Abner teɛɛ mu ka kyerɛɛ Asahel se, “Fi ha kɔ! Sɛ mikum wo a, merentumi nhwɛ wo nuabarima Yoab anim.”
So Abner said again to Asahel, “Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I hold up my face to Joab, your brother?”
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 turn aside, and so Abner stabbed him in the body with the blunt end of his spear, so that the spear came out the other side. Asahel fell down and died there. So it came about that anyone who arrived at the place where Asahel fell down and died, he stopped and stood still.
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 pursued Abner. When the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is near Giah by the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 Abner asraafo a wofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ bepɔw no so yɛɛ krado maa ɔko.
The men of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and stood on the top of the 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 to Joab and said, “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know it will be bitter in the end? How long will it be before you tell your men to stop pursuing their brothers?”
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 God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have pursued their brothers until the morning!”
28 Enti Yoab hyɛn ne torobɛnto, maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel asraafo no taa.
So Joab blew the trumpet, and all his men stopped and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.
29 Anadwo mu no nyinaa, Abner ne ne mmarima nantew kɔɔ Araba. Wotwaa Yordan bon, toaa so kɔɔ Bitron, beduu Mahanaim.
Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all the next morning, and then reached Mahanaim.
30 Na Yoab gyaee Abner akyidi, na ɔboaboaa ne mmarima ano. Asahel akyi no, wohuu sɛ Dawid mmarima no mu dunkron ayera.
Joab returned from pursuing Abner. He assembled all his men, from whom were missing Asahel and nineteen of David's soldiers.
31 Nanso na Dawid mmarima no akunkum Benyaminfo no mu nnipa ahansia ne aduosia a na wɔka Abner ho no.
But the men of David had killed 360 men of Benjamin with Abner.
32 Wɔfaa Asahel siee no wɔ nʼagya ɔboda mu wɔ Betlehem. Na Yoab ne ne mmarima nantew anadwo mu no nyinaa koduu Hebron adekyee.
Then they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men traveled all night, and the day dawned on them at Hebron.

< 2 Samuel 2 >