2 Samuel 2
1 Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go back to [live in] one of the towns in Judah?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, go up there.” Then David asked, “To which town should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.”
Igitur post hæc consuluit David Dominum, dicens: Num ascendam in unam de civitatibus Juda? Et ait Dominus ad eum: Ascende. Dixitque David: Quo ascendam? Et respondit ei: In Hebron.
2 So David went up there, taking his two wives, Ahinoam who was from Jezreel [city], and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [city].
Ascendit ergo David, et duæ uxores ejus, Achinoam Jezraëlites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli:
3 He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in villages near Hebron.
sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua: et manserunt in oppidis Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and [one of] them poured olive oil on David’s head [to show they were appointing him to be] [MTY] the king of the tribe [MTY] of Judah. When David found out that the people of Jabesh [town] in [the] Gilead [region] had buried Saul’s body,
Veneruntque viri Juda, et unxerunt ibi David ut regnaret super domum Juda. Et nuntiatum est David quod viri Jabes Galaad sepelissent Saul.
5 he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them this: “I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless you for having shown, by burying the body of Saul your king, that you were loyal to him.
Misit ergo David nuntios ad viros Jabes Galaad, dixitque ad eos: Benedicti vos Domino, qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul, et sepelistis eum.
6 Now I also desire/hope that Yahweh will faithfully love you and be loyal to you. And I will do good things for you because of what you have done [for Saul].
Et nunc retribuet vobis quidem Dominus misericordiam et veritatem: sed et ego reddam gratiam, eo quod fecistis verbum istud.
7 Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king.”
Confortentur manus vestræ, et estote filii fortitudinis: licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul, tamen me unxit domus Juda in regem sibi.
8 [While this was happening], Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and went across [the Jordan River] to Mahanaim [town].
Abner autem filius Ner, princeps exercitus Saul, tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra,
9 There Abner proclaimed that Ishbosheth was now the king of [the] Gilead [region] and of the tribe of Asher and the region of Jezreel and the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. That meant that he was the king of all of the people of Israel.
regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Jezraël, et super Ephraim, et super Benjamin, et super Israël universum.
10 Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he started to rule over the people of Israel. He ruled them for two years. But the tribe of Judah (was loyal to David/wanted David to be their king),
Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare cœpisset super Israël, et duobus annis regnavit: sola autem domus Juda sequebatur David.
11 and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
Et fuit numerus dierum quos commoratus est David imperans in Hebron super domum Juda, septem annorum et sex mensium.
12 [One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul, de castris in Gabaon.
13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David’s officials [went from Hebron to Gibeon, and] met at the pool there. They all sat down, the one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
Porro Joab filius Sarviæ, et pueri David, egressi sunt, et occurrerunt eis juxta piscinam Gabaon. Et cum in unum convenissent, e regione sederunt: hi ex una parte piscinæ, et illi ex altera.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
Dixitque Abner ad Joab: Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Joab: Surgant.
15 So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Benjamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David.
16 Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man’s side. The result was that all 24 of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called ‘Field of Swords’.
Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul: vocatumque est nomen loci illius: Ager robustorum, in Gabaon.
17 Then [the others started to fight]. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa: fugatusque est Abner et viri Israël a pueris David.
18 Zeruiah’s three sons were there [on that day]: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast; he could run as fast as a wild gazelle/antelope.
Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviæ, Joab, et Abisai, et Asaël: porro Asaël cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis quæ morantur in silvis.
19 Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
Persequebatur autem Asaël Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner.
20 Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait: Tune es Asaël? Qui respondit: Ego sum.
21 Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
Dixitque ei Abner: Vade ad dexteram, sive ad sinistram, et apprehende unum de adolescentibus, et tolle tibi spolia ejus. Noluit autem Asaël omittere quin urgeret eum.
22 So Abner yelled at him again, “Stop (chasing after/pursuing) me! (Why should I kill you?/It would not be good for me to kill you!) [RHQ] If I did that, (how could I (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab?/it would be very difficult for me to (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab.) [RHQ]”
Rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asaël: Recede, noli me sequi, ne compellar confodere te in terram, et levare non potero faciem meam ad Joab fratrem tuum.
23 But Asahel refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner [suddenly turned and] thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear [went though Asahel’s body and] came out at his back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, [stunned].
Qui audire contempsit, et noluit declinare: percussit ergo eum Abner aversa hasta in inguine, et transfodit, et mortuus est in eodem loco: omnesque qui transibant per locum illum, in quo ceciderat Asaël et mortuus erat, subsistebant.
24 But Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. At sunset they came to Ammah Hill, which is east of Giah, along the road to the desert near Gibeon.
Persequentibus autem Joab et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit: et venerunt usque ad collem aquæductus, qui est ex adverso vallis itineris deserti in Gabaon.
25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a hill.
Congregatique sunt filii Benjamin ad Abner: et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius.
26 Then Abner called out to Joab, saying “Are we going to continue to fight forever [RHQ]? Do you not realize that [if we continue fighting], the result will be very bad [RHQ]? We are all descendants of Jacob. [So we should stop fighting each other] (How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?/Tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us.)” [RHQ]
Et exclamavit Abner ad Joab, et ait: Num usque ad internecionem tuus mucro desæviet? an ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio? usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos?
27 Joab replied, “Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!”
Et ait Joab: Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses, mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum.
28 So Joab blew a trumpet [to signal that they should stop fighting]. So all his men did that. They did not pursue the soldiers of Israel any more, and they stopped fighting.
Insonuit ergo Joab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Israël, neque iniere certamen.
29 That night Abner and his soldiers went through the Jordan [River] Valley. They crossed the Jordan [River] and marched all the next morning, and they finally arrived at Mahanaim.
Abner autem et viri ejus abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa: et transierunt Jordanem, et lustrata omni Beth-horon, venerunt ad castra.
30 Joab [and his soldiers] stopped pursuing Abner. And when he gathered all his soldiers together, he found out that in addition to Asahel, only 19 of them had been killed in the battle.
Porro Joab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum: et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asaële.
31 But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
Servi autem David percusserunt de Benjamin, et de viris qui erant cum Abner, trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt.
32 [Some of Joab’s soldiers] took Asahel’s body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived [back home] at Hebron.
Tuleruntque Asaël, et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethlehem: et ambulaverunt tota nocte Joab et viri qui erant cum eo, et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron.
