David Is Made King of Judah
1 After this, David asked the Lord, “Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord answered.
“Which one?” David asked.
“Hebron,” the Lord said. 2 So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel. 3 He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns around Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah.
When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent some men there with the message: “May the Lord bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him. 6 And now may the Lord be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done. 7 Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king.”
Ishbosheth Is Made King of Israel
8 The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim. 9 There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel. 10 He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years.
But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David, 11 and he ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.
War between Israel and Judah
12 Abner and the officials of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the city of Gibeon. 13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let's have some of the young men from each side fight an armed contest.”
“All right,” Joab answered.
15 So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men. 16 Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all twenty-four of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called “Field of Swords.”
17 Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer, 19 started chasing Abner, running straight for him. 20 Abner looked back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“Yes,” he answered.
21 “Stop chasing me!” Abner said. “Run after one of the soldiers and take what he has.” But Asahel kept on chasing him. 22 Once more Abner said to him, “Stop chasing me! Why force me to kill you? How could I face your brother Joab?” 23 But Asahel would not quit; so Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, struck him through the stomach so that the spear came out at his back. Asahel dropped to the ground dead, and everyone who came to the place where he was lying stopped and stood there.
24 But Joab and Abishai started out after Abner, and at sunset they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner again and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Abner called out to Joab, “Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?”
27 “I swear by the living God,” Joab answered, “that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning.” 28 Then Joab blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to stop pursuing the Israelites; and so the fighting stopped.
29 Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley all that night; they crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all the next morning, they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 When Joab gave up the chase, he gathered all his men and found that nineteen of them were missing, in addition to Asahel. 31 David's men had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 Joab and his men took Asahel's body and buried it in the family tomb at Bethlehem. Then they marched all night and at dawn arrived back at Hebron.
Dafite unobigwa mambo we Juda
1 Shule kwa ikoku Dafite wakabhuzwa Yahwe eti, “Apa ndiyende ku mmwe we mizi mikulu ye Juda kene?” Yahwe bakan'dabila beti, “Yenda.” Dafite kabhuzwa eti, “Ndiyende kuna upi nzi?” Yahwe bakabe beti, “Ku Heburoni.” 2 Ndizo Dafite katathilako, kayenda ne bakadzi babe babili, Ahinoami we N'jezerele na Abigaile tjilikadzi ya Nabali we N'karimeli. 3 Dafite wakazha ne balume baakabe anabo, mmwe ne mmwe ne nsha uwe, ngono bakagala mu mizi ye Heburoni. 4 Ndizo balume be Juda bakazha, ngono bakazhodza Dafite kube mambo we ludzi gwa Juda.
Bakati bebudza Dafite beti, “Balume be Jabeshi Giliyadi ndibo bakabiganya Saulo.” 5 Dafite katuma batumwa ku balume be Jabeshi Giliyadi, kuti babadwe bati, “Yahwe ngaba mukombolele ngobe makalakidza buthu igogu muna Saulo tetshi wenyu nge kumbiganya! 6 Ngono ngwenu Yahwe ngababe ne lubu kumuli ne malebeswa, ngono namibo ndowomuthamila bubuya ngobe mathama kuthu ikoku. 7 Ngono ngwenu simani mube ne tjilopa, ngobe Saulo tetshi wenyu wafa, ngono nsha wa Juda wandizhodza kube mambo wabo.”
Ishibosheti wabigwa mambo we Iziraela
8 Koga Abineri nkololo wa Neri nlauli we babhayani ba Saulo wakatola Ishibhosheti nkololo wa Saulo, kanzhisa ku Mahanayimi. 9 Kambiga mambo we Giliyadi ne Baashuri ne Jezirele ne Ifureimi ne Bhenjamini newe Iziraela yose. 10 Ishibhosheti, nkololo wa Saulo, wakabe ana makole ali makumi manna (40) ha etangisa kubusa Iziraela, ngono wakabusa makole mabili. Koga be ludzi gwa Juda guka tobela Dafite. 11 Tjibaka tjakatogwa ndi Dafite ali mambo mu Heburoni ebusa ludzi gwa Juda makole ali kutendeka ana mimwedzi ili mitathatu.
Ngwa ye Iziraela ne Juda
12 Abineri nkololo wa Neri ne balanda ba Ishibhosheti nkololo wa Saulo, bakabhuda mu Mahanayimi beyenda ku Gibiyoni. 13 Joabu nkololo wa Zeruya ne balanda ba Dafite, bakabhuda bakanobashangamidza ku dziba la Gibiyoni. Goko limwe lakagala ku ndzibo mmwe we dziba, limwe likagala ku ndzibo mmwe we dziba. 14 Abineri kati kuna Joabu, “Bazhuzha ngabamilike bagwisane mbeli kwedu.”
Joabu kabe eti, “Kwakalulwama, ngabamilike.”
15 Ndizo bakamilika bakapinda bebagwa, bali gumi lina babili (12) ba Bhenjamini kuna Ishibhosheti nkololo wa Saulo, ne balanda ba Dafite bali gumi lina babili (12). 16 Mmwe ne mmwe wakabe ezhwabula wakalingisana naye nge mavudzi ebe embhaya nge thumo mu mbadu, ndizo bakawila pasi bakafa bose. Pathu ipapo mu Gibiyoni pakabe kodang'wa Helikatihazurimu. 17 Mu zhuba ilelo kwakabe ngwa inotjisa kwazo, Abineri ne Baiziraela bakakundiwa nge balanda ba Dafite. 18 Bakololo ba Zeruya nge butatu bakabe bali ipapo, ili Joabu na Abishayi na Asahele. Asahele wakabe elabuka se phala, 19 katatana na Abineri akansendama Abineri kusina kwaangadzetelako. 20 Abineri katjebuka shule, kandwa kati, “Apa ndiwe Asahele kene?”
Kadabila kati, “Ee, ndimi.”
21 Abineri kandwa kati, “Tendebukila ku luji kene ku lumeshwe, utatane ne mmwe we babhayani untolele tjaanowobe anatjo.” Koga Asahele kabe asingashake misa kutatana naye. 22 Abineri kazwibgwilulula kakale kati, “Shanduka udwe shule kwangu, ini ushakakuti ndikubulaye? Ndowo lingana ne nkulu uwo Joabu tjini kene?” 23 Koga kalamba shanduka, ndizo Abineri kambhaya ne bhato le thumo lile mu ntumbu, thumo libe linothuka ku shule, ebe ewa efila ipapo. Koga bose bakati beswika pakabe Asahele afilapo, bakama koga kukasibe ne unozunguzika.
24 Koga Joabu na Abishayi bakatatana na Abineri, kukati zhuba lingina bakaswika pa duthu la Amma lakalingisana ne Giya pa zila inoyenda ku tjilambanyika tje Gibiyoni. 25 Bathu be Bhenjamini bakazwibumba shule kwa Abineri, bakabe tjithu tjing'ompela, bakama zubuyanana pezhugwi kwe duthu. 26 Ndizo Abineri kakambidza Joabu kati, “Apa thumo lowolilila tjose kene? Apa autoziba kuti ku bupelo kowogwadza kene? Kowodza kukabe lini usathu ukamisa bathu babo kutatana ne hama dzabo kene?”
27 Joabu kadabila kati, “Ndotuna nge Ndzimu unotjila, ha wabe usalebeleka bathu bangu babe bowotatana namwi kuswikila mangwanana.” 28 Ndizo Joabu kalidza lunyanga ngono babhayani bose bakama pabakabe balipo, bakasitjatatamile Baiziraela kene kuli kugwa nabo.
29 Abineri ne bathu babe bakalalila beyenda busiku gose bakapalama nkuku we Jorodani, bakanotjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani, bakayenda kakale mangwanana wose bakanoswika ku Mahanayimi.
30 Joabu kashanduka mukutatana na Abineri, kakubunganya bathu bose, ngono kawana balanda ba Dafite bali gumi lina zhanalume (19) basipo, kuzhe kwa Asahele. 31 Koga balanda ba Dafite bakabe babulaya balume be ludzi gwa Bhenjamini bali mazana matatu ana makumi ali kutathatu (360) bakabe bana Abineri. 32 Joabu ne bathu babe bakatola itumbu tja Asahele bakambiganya kwakabe kwabiganyiwa tate babe mu Bhetelehema. Ndizo bakalala beyenda busiku gose, kukati kuyedza bakabe beswika ku Heburoni.