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.
David Becomes King of Judah
1 Later, David asked the Lord, “Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?”
The Lord answered, “Yes.”
David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“Go to Hebron,” the Lord replied.
2 David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel. 3 David also told his men and their families to come and live in the villages near Hebron.
4 The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, “The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul.”
5 David sent messengers to tell them:
The Lord bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, 6 and I pray that the Lord will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. 7 Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.
Ishbosheth Becomes King of Israel
8 Abner the son of Ner had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan River to Mahanaim 9 and made him king of Israel, including the areas of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. 10 Ishbosheth was 40 years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, 11 and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.
The War between David and Ishbosheth
12 One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon. Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. 14 Abner yelled to Joab, “Let's get some of our best soldiers to stand up and fight each other!”
Joab agreed, 15 and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. 16 They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called “Field of Daggers.” 17 Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.
18 Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, 19 and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left.
20 When Abner turned and saw him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel answered, “Yes it is.”
21 Abner said, “There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself.”
But Asahel refused to stop.
22 Abner said, “If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again.”
23 But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. 24 But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. 25 Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”
27 Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” 28 Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. At once, the fighting stopped.
29 Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. 31 But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.