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 enquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” The LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “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 with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 ne ne mmarima ne wɔn fiefoɔ nyinaa tu kɔɔ Yuda, na wɔkɔtenaa Hebron ne ne nkuro so.
David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of 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,
The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who 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.
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by the LORD, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to 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 the LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, 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 therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have 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.
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9 Ɛhɔ na ɔsii Is-Boset ɔhene wɔ Gilead, Yesreel, Efraim, Benyamin, Asurifoɔ asase ne Israel nyinaa so.
He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over 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, Saul’s son, 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 the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the 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 the son of Zeruiah and David’s servants went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
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, “Please let the young men arise and compete before us!” Joab said, “Let them arise!”
15 Enti, wɔyii mmarima dumienu firii ekuo biara mu sɛ wɔnni wɔn ho ako.
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
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.
They each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
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 was beaten, and the men of Israel, before David’s servants.
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, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
19 na ɔpamoo Abner ara sɛ, ɔbɛkyere no.
Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
20 Ɛberɛ a Abner twaa nʼani hunuu sɛ ɔgu ne so no, ɔteaam sɛ, “Wo nie, Asahel!” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Aane, ɛyɛ me!”
Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.”
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 away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armour.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him.
22 Bio, Abner teaam ka kyerɛɛ Asahel sɛ, “Firi ha kɔ! Sɛ mekum wo a, merentumi nhwɛ wo nuabarima Yoab anim.”
Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?”
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.
However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died 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. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of 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 children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on 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 to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following 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 said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”
28 Enti, Yoab hyɛn ne totorobɛnto, maa ne mmarima no gyaee Israel akodɔm no so taa.
So Joab blew the shofar; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.
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 went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to 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 following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men of David’s and Asahel were missing.
31 Nanso, na Dawid mmarima no akunkum Benyaminfoɔ no mu nnipa ahansia ne aduosia a na wɔka Abner ho no.
But David’s servants had struck Benjamin Abner’s men so that three hundred and sixty men died.
32 Wɔfaa Asahel siee no wɔ nʼagya ɔboda mu wɔ Betlehem. Na Yoab ne ne mmarima nantee anadwo mu no nyinaa kɔduruu Hebron adekyeeɛ.
They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.
