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.”
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 ɔfiri Yesreel ne Abigail a ɔfiri 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 fiefoɔ nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkuro 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 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 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 ɔtoo wɔn nkra sɛ, “Awurade nhyira mo sɛ moayi nokorɛ a ɛte saa adi, ama mo wura Saulo, na moasie no animuonyam 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 yie na ɔntua mo dɔ sononko yi so ka. Na me nso mɛtua mo deɛ 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 mʼasomfoɔ nokwafoɔ sɛ Yudafoɔ a wɔasra me ngo sɛ menni wɔn so ɔhene 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 nʼakodɔm 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 ɔsii Is-Boset ɔhene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifoɔ asase ne Israel nyinaa so.
He made Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all 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 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 ɔdii Yuda so ɔhene mfirinhyia nson ne fa.
The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Ɛda koro bi, Abner dii Is-Boset akodɔm anim, firi Mahanaim kɔɔ Gibeon.
Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
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 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 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 the young men arise and compete before us.” Then Joab said, “Let them arise.”
15 Enti, wɔyii mmarima dumienu firii ekuo biara mu sɛ wɔnni 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 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 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, akodɔm mmienu no de ɔko hyehyɛɛ so, na saa da no baa awieeɛ no, na Dawid akodɔm 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 mmammarima baasa no ka Dawid akodɔm no ho saa da no. Na Asahel tu mmirika te sɛ ɔforoteɛ,
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was swift in his feet like a wild gazelle.
19 na ɔpamoo Abner ara sɛ, ɔbɛkyere no.
Asahel closely pursued Abner and followed him without turning away in any direction.
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?” He answered, “It is I.”
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 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 teaam ka kyerɛɛ Asahel sɛ, “Firi ha kɔ! Sɛ mekum 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 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 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 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 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 akodɔm a wɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ bepɔ 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 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 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 kaa sɛ, “Sɛ woankasa a anka, Onyankopɔn nko ara na ɔnim deɛ 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 totorobɛnto, maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel akodɔm no so 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 nante kɔɔ Araba. Wɔtwaa Yordan bɔnhwa, toaa so kɔɔ Bitron, bɛduruu 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 akyidie, na ɔboaboaa ne mmarima ano. Asahel akyi no, wɔhunuu 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 Benyaminfoɔ 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 nantee anadwo mu no nyinaa kɔduruu Hebron adekyeeɛ.
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.
