2 Samuel 2
1 Mmerɛ no ara mu, Dawid bisaa Awurade sɛ, “Mensane nkɔ Yuda anaa?” Awurade buaa no sɛ, “Kɔ.” Dawid bisaa no sɛ, “Kuro bɛn na menkɔ so?” Awurade buaa no sɛ, “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 ɔfiri Yesreel ne Abigail a ɔfiri 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 fiefoɔ nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkuro 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 ntuanofoɔ kɔɔ Hebron, kɔsraa Dawid ngo sii no ɔhene wɔ Yuda abusuakuo so. Na ɛberɛ 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 ɔtoo wɔn nkra sɛ, “Awurade nhyira mo sɛ moayi nokorɛ a ɛte saa adi, ama mo wura Saulo, na moasie no animuonyam 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 yie na ɔntua mo dɔ sononko yi so ka. Na me nso mɛtua mo deɛ 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 mʼasomfoɔ nokwafoɔ sɛ Yudafoɔ a wɔasra me ngo sɛ menni wɔn so ɔhene 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 nʼakodɔm 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 ɔsii Is-Boset ɔhene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifoɔ 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 Ɛberɛ a Is-Boset dii adeɛ no, na wadi mfirinhyia aduanan, na ɔdii adeɛ firi Mahanaim mfeɛ mmienu. Na Yuda abusuakuo no dii Dawid nokorɛ.
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 ɔdii Yuda so ɔhene mfirinhyia nson ne fa.
and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
12 Ɛda koro bi, Abner dii Is-Boset akodɔm anim, firi Mahanaim kɔɔ Gibeon.
[One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
13 Saa ɛberɛ korɔ no ara mu, Seruia babarima Yoab nso dii Dawid akodɔm anim, firi Hebron na wɔhyiaa Abner wɔ Gibeon ɔtadeɛ ho. Akuo mmienu no tenatenaa ase a na wɔdi nhwɛanimu.
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 susuu ho kyerɛɛ Yoab sɛ, “Ma yɛmfa yɛn akofoɔ no mu kakra, na wɔmfa wɔn nsa nni ako nyɛ oyikyerɛ.” Yoab penee so kaa sɛ, “Wɔnsɔre nko ɛ.”
Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
15 Enti, wɔyii mmarima dumienu firii ekuo biara mu sɛ wɔnni wɔn ho ako.
So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
16 Obiara sɔɔ ne tiafoɔ tirinwi mu, de nʼakofena wowɔɔ wɔn ho, maa wɔn nyinaa wuwuiɛ. Enti, wɔfrɛ atɔeɛ mu hɔ sɛ Akofena Afuo de bɛsi ɛnnɛ.
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, akodɔm mmienu no de ɔko hyehyɛɛ so, na saa da no baa awieeɛ no, na Dawid akodɔm 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 mmammarima baasa no ka Dawid akodɔm no ho saa da no. Na Asahel tu mmirika te sɛ ɔforoteɛ,
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 ɔpamoo Abner ara sɛ, ɔbɛkyere no.
Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
20 Ɛberɛ a Abner twaa nʼani hunuu sɛ ɔgu ne so no, ɔteaam sɛ, “Wo nie, Asahel!” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Aane, ɛyɛ me!”
Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
21 Na Abner ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɛnneɛ, kɔpɛ obi foforɔ, na wone no nko. Kɔ na kɔsi mmeranteɛ no baako so, na gye nʼakodeɛ 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 teaam ka kyerɛɛ Asahel sɛ, “Firi ha kɔ! Sɛ mekum 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 pea no wɔɔ ne yafunu mu, maa pea no pue firii nʼakyi. Ɔbu hwee fam hɔ wuiɛ. Na obiara a ɔduruu atɔeɛ 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 Ɛberɛ a Yoab ne Abisai tee asɛm a asi no, wɔkɔɔ sɛ wɔrekɔhwehwɛ Abner. Ɛberɛ a wɔduruu Amma bepɔ a ɛbɛn Gia a ɛwɔ ɛkwan a ɛda hɔ kɔ Gibeon ɛserɛ so no, na onwunu 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 akodɔm a wɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ bepɔ 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 teaam, ka kyerɛɛ Yoab sɛ, “Enti, ɛsɛ sɛ daa yɛfa akofena so de ka yɛn ntam asɛm anaa? Monnhunu sɛ, saa ɛkwan no de nitan bɛto yɛn ntam? Da bɛn na wobɛfrɛ wo mmarima no aka akyerɛ wɔn sɛ, wɔnnyae wɔn nuanom Israelfoɔ akyidie?”
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 kaa sɛ, “Sɛ woankasa a anka, Onyankopɔn nko ara na ɔnim deɛ 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 totorobɛnto, maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel akodɔm no so 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 nante kɔɔ Araba. Wɔtwaa Yordan bɔnhwa, toaa so kɔɔ Bitron, bɛduruu 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 akyidie, na ɔboaboaa ne mmarima ano. Asahel akyi no, wɔhunuu 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 Benyaminfoɔ 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 nantee anadwo mu no nyinaa kɔduruu Hebron adekyeeɛ.
[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.
