< 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.”
He hnukah khaw David loh BOEIPA te a dawt tih, “Judah khopuei pakhat la ka cet aya?” a ti nah. Te vaengah anih te BOEIPA loh, “Cet saw,” a ti nah. Te dongah David loh, “Melam ka caeh eh?,” a ti nah. Te vaengah, “Hebron la,” a ti nah.
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].
Te dongah David te a yuu rhoi, Jezreel nu Ahinoam, Karmel Nabal yurho Abigal neh a caeh puei.
3 He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in villages near Hebron.
Amah taengkah a hlang rhoek khaw David loh a cako neh rhip a caeh puei tih Hebron khopuei rhoek ah kho a sak uh.
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,
Te vaengah Judah hlang rhoek te ha pawk uh tih David te Judah imkhui kah manghai la pahoi a koelh uh. Te phoeiah Jabesh Gilead hlang rhoek loh Saul a up uh te thui ham David taengla puen uh.
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.
Jabesh hlang rhoek taengla David loh puencawn a hlah tih,” Sitlohnah he na boei rhoek taeng neh Saul taengah khaw na saii uh tih anih na up uh dongah BOEIPA rhang neh na yoethen uh.
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].
BOEIPA loh nangmih ham sitlohnah neh uepomnah han saii saeh. Hekah hno na saii uh dogah kai long khaw nangmih taengah hnothen he ka saii van bitni.
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.”
Te dongah na kut te thahuel lamtah hlang tatthai la om laeh. Na boei Saul te duek cakhaw Judah imkhui ah manghai la kai khaw ng'koelh ta,” a ti nah.
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].
Tedae Saul taengkah caempuei mangpa Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishbosheth a loh tih Mahanaim a paan puei.
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.
Anih te Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin neh Israel boeih soah a manghai sak.
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),
Saul capa Ishbosheth te kum sawmli a lo ca vaengah Israel te a manghai thil tih kum nit manghai. Tedae Judah imkhui tah David hnukah bang uh.
11 and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
A khohnin he a tarhing la om. Manghai David he Hebron kah Judah imkhui ah kum rhih neh hla rhuk om.
12 [One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
Ner capa Abner loh Saul capa Ishbosheth kah sal rhoek te Mahanaim lamloh Gibeon la a khuen.
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.
Zeruiah capa Joab neh David kah sal rhoek khaw hlah uh tih amih neh Gibeon tuibuem ah tun hum uh. Te vaengah pakhat rhoek te tuibuem khat ben ah, khat ben rhoek khaw tuibuem khat ben ah ngol uh.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
Abner loh Joab taengah, “Camoe rhoek he thoo uh saeh lamtah mamih mikhmuh ah nae uh saeh,” a ti nah hatah, Joab loh, “Thoo uh mai saeh,” a ti nah.
15 So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
Te dongah Benjamin ham neh Saul capa Ishbosheth ham te hlang hlai nit, David sal lamkah hlai nit a tarhing la thoo uh tih cet uh.
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’.
Te vaengah pakhat loh a hui lu te a kop, a hui long khaw a cunghang te a vae ah a kaelh van dongah darhek cungku uh. Te dongah tekah a hmuen Gibeon ah aka om te Helkathhazzurim la a khue.
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.
Tekah khohnin ah caemtloek khaw kalthalh la muep om coeng tih Abner neh Israel hlang rhoek tah David sal rhoek kah mikhmuh ah yawk.
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.
Te vaengah Zeruiah ca rhoek Joab, Abishai neh Asahel pathum om uh tih Asahel tah kohong kirhang bangla a kap yanghoep.
19 Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
Asahel loh Abner hnuk te a hloem tih Abner hnuk lamkah banvoei, bantang la caeh ham khaw phael tlaih pawh.
20 Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
Abner te a hnuk la mael tih, “Asahel te nang a,” a ti nah hatah, “Kai ni ue,” a ti nah.
21 Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
Te dongah anih te Abner loh, “Nang te banvoei la bantang la mael lamtah camoe rhoek khuikah pakhat te namah ham tu laeh. A pumoep te khaw namah ham lo,” a ti nah. Tedae anih hnuk lamkah a nong ham tah Asahel loh huem pawh.
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]”
Abner loh koep a rhaep tih Asahel te, “Nang te kai hnuk lamloh nong, balae tih nang te lai la kan ngawn eh? Na manuca Joab taengah ka mik metlam ka dai eh?,” a ti nah.
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].
Tedae nong ham te a aal coeng dongah anih te Abner loh a hnuk longah caai neh a bung ah a thun. Te vaengah caai a nam la pawlh tih pahoi a cungku dongah amah ah duek. Te dongah Asahel cungku tih a duek nah hmuen la aka pawk boeih tah sut pai uh.
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.
Tedae Abner hnuk aka hloem Joab neh Abishai tah khomik a tlak daengah Gibeon khosoek longpuei, Giyak imdan kah Ammah som la pawk rhoi.
25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a hill.
Abner hnukkah Benjamin koca rhoek khaw coi uh thae tih rhoi at la om uh. Te phoeiah amih te som lu pakhat soah pai uh.
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]
Te vaengah Joab te Abner loh a khue tih, “Cunghang te a yoeyah la ca ne, hmailong ah hnorhih la a om ham te na ming moenih a? A manuca rhoek hnuk lamkah balkhong ham te pilnam taengah me hil nim na thui pawt ve,” a ti nah.
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!”
Te dongah Joab loh, “Pathen kah hingnah vanbangla, mincang duela na thui ngawn pawt koinih, pilnam loh a manuca hnuk te khik a phatawt ni,” a ti nah.
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.
Joab loh tuki a ueng vaengah pilnam loh boeih pai uh. Te daengah Israel hnuk te hloem voel pawt tih, vathoh ham khaw khoep voel pawh.
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 neh a hlang rhoek tah khoyin khing Arabah longah khong uh. Jordan a poeng uh phoeiah, Bithron pum te a lan uh tih Mahanaim la pawk uh.
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.
Joab loh Abner hnuk te a mael tak tih pilnam pum te a coi. Te vaengah David kah hlang sal hlai ko neh Asahel te hma.
31 But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
Tedae David kah sal rhoek loh Benjamin neh Abner kah hlang rhoek te a ngawn uh tih hlang ya thum sawmrhuk duek.
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.
Asahel te a khuen uh tih Bethlehem kah a napa phuel ah a up uh. Joab neh a hlang rhoek khaw khoyin puet cet uh tih Hebron ah khothai uh.

< 2 Samuel 2 >