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1 此後,大衛問耶和華說:「我上猶大的一個城去可以嗎?」耶和華說:「可以。」大衛說:「我上哪一個城去呢?」耶和華說:「上希伯崙去。」
It happened after this, that David inquired 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 於是大衛和他的兩個妻-一個是耶斯列人亞希暖,一個是作過迦密人拿八妻的亞比該-都上那裏去了。
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,
3 大衛也將跟隨他的人和他們各人的眷屬一同帶上去,住在希伯崙的城邑中。
and the men who were with him, everyone with his household. And they lived in Hebron.
4 猶大人來到希伯崙,在那裏膏大衛作猶大家的王。 有人告訴大衛說:「葬埋掃羅的是基列‧雅比人。」
The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, saying, "It was the people of Jabesh Gilead who buried Saul."
5 大衛就差人去見基列‧雅比人,對他們說:「你們厚待你們的主-掃羅,將他葬埋。願耶和華賜福與你們!
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "Blessed are you by the LORD, because you have shown this kindness to your lord, Saul, and have buried him.
6 你們既行了這事,願耶和華以慈愛誠實待你們,我也要為此厚待你們。
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 現在你們的主-掃羅死了,猶大家已經膏我作他們的王,所以你們要剛強奮勇。」
Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
8 掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥,曾將掃羅的兒子伊施波設帶過河,到瑪哈念,
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
9 立他作王,治理基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫,和以色列眾人。
and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Geshurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 掃羅的兒子伊施波設登基的時候年四十歲,作以色列王二年;惟獨猶大家歸從大衛。
Ishbaal, 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 大衛在希伯崙作猶大家的王,共七年零六個月。
The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 尼珥的兒子押尼珥和掃羅的兒子伊施波設的僕人從瑪哈念出來,往基遍去。
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 洗魯雅的兒子約押和大衛的僕人也出來,在基遍池旁與他們相遇;一班坐在池這邊,一班坐在池那邊。
Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, 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 押尼珥對約押說:「讓少年人起來,在我們面前戲耍吧!」約押說:「可以。」
Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." Joab said, "Let them arise."
15 就按着定數起來:屬掃羅兒子伊施波設的便雅憫人過去十二名,大衛的僕人也過去十二名,
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve of the sons of Benjamin of Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 彼此揪頭,用刀刺肋,一同仆倒。所以,那地叫做希利甲‧哈素林,就在基遍。
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 was called Field of Blades, which is in Gibeon.
17 那日的戰事凶猛,押尼珥和以色列人敗在大衛的僕人面前。
The battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
18 在那裏有洗魯雅的三個兒子:約押、亞比篩、亞撒黑。亞撒黑腳快如野鹿一般;
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as quick on his feet as a wild gazelle.
19 亞撒黑追趕押尼珥,直追趕他不偏左右。
Asahel pursued after Abner, and as he went he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 押尼珥回頭說:「你是亞撒黑嗎?」回答說:「是。」
Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I."
21 押尼珥對他說:「你或轉向左轉向右,拿住一個少年人,剝去他的戰衣。」亞撒黑卻不肯轉開不追趕他。
Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not stop from pursuing him.
22 押尼珥又對亞撒黑說:「你轉開不追趕我吧!我何必殺你呢?若殺你,有甚麼臉見你哥哥約押呢?」
Abner said again to Asahel, "Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?"
23 亞撒黑仍不肯轉開。故此,押尼珥就用槍鐏刺入他的肚腹,甚至槍從背後透出,亞撒黑就在那裏仆倒而死。眾人趕到亞撒黑仆倒而死的地方,就都站住。
But he refused to stop. 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. And it came about that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stopped there.
24 約押和亞比篩追趕押尼珥,日落的時候,到了通基遍曠野的路旁,基亞對面的亞瑪山。
But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and 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 便雅憫人聚集,跟隨押尼珥站在一個山頂上。
The sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and formed a single group, and stood on the top of a hill.
26 押尼珥呼叫約押說:「刀劍豈可永遠殺人嗎?你豈不知終久必有苦楚嗎?你要等何時才叫百姓回去、不追趕弟兄呢?」
Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to stop pursuing their brothers?"
27 約押說:「我指着永生的上帝起誓:你若不說戲耍的那句話,今日早晨百姓就回去,不追趕弟兄了。」
Joab said, "As the LORD lives, if you had not spoken, surely the people would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning."
28 於是約押吹角,眾民就站住,不再追趕以色列人,也不再打仗了。
So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stopped, and no longer chased after Israel, and they no longer fought.
29 押尼珥和跟隨他的人整夜經過亞拉巴,過約旦河,走過畢倫,到了瑪哈念。
Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and marched the whole morning, and came to Mahanaim.
30 約押追趕押尼珥回來,聚集眾民,見大衛的僕人中缺少了十九個人和亞撒黑。
Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
31 但大衛的僕人殺了便雅憫人和跟隨押尼珥的人,共三百六十名。
But the servants of David had struck of the people of Benjamin, from the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men who died.
32 眾人將亞撒黑送到伯利恆,葬在他父親的墳墓裏。約押和跟隨他的人走了一夜,天亮的時候到了希伯崙。
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.

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