< 2 Samuel 2 >

1 After this, David enquired 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.”
Igitur post haec consuluit David Dominum, dicens: Num ascendam in unam de civitatibus Iuda? Et ait Dominus ad eum: Ascende. Dixitque David: Quo ascendam? Et respondit ei: In Hebron.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
Ascendit ergo David, et duae uxores eius, Achinoam Iezraelites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli:
3 David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.
sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua: et manserunt in oppidis Hebron.
4 The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”
Veneruntque viri Iuda, et unxerunt ibi David, ut regnaret super domum Iuda. Et nunciatum est David, quod viri Iabes Galaad sepelissent Saul.
5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by the LORD, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
Misit ergo David nuncios ad viros Iabes Galaad, dixitque ad eos: Benedicti vos a Domino, qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul, et sepelistis eum.
6 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.
Et nunc retribuet vobis quidem Dominus misericordiam et veritatem: sed et ego reddam gratiam, eo quod fecistis verbum istud.
7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
Confortentur manus vestrae, et estote filii fortitudinis: licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul, tamen me unxit domus Iuda in regem sibi.
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
Abner autem filius Ner princeps exercitus Saul tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra,
9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Iezrael, et super Ephraim, et super Beniamin, et super Israel universum.
10 Ishbosheth, 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.
Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare coepisset super Israel, et duobus annis regnavit: sola autem domus Iuda sequebatur David.
11 The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
Et fuit numerus dierum, quos commoratus est David, imperans in Hebron super domum Iuda, septem annorum, et sex mensium.
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul de castris in Gabaon.
13 Joab the son of Zeruiah and David’s servants 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.
Porro Ioab filius Sarviae, et pueri David egressi sunt, et occurrerunt eis iuxta piscinam Gabaon. Et cum in unum convenissent, e regione sederunt: hi in una parte piscinae, et illi ex altera.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Please let the young men arise and compete before us!” Joab said, “Let them arise!”
Dixitque Abner ad Ioab: Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Ioab: Surgant.
15 Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Beniamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David.
16 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 in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul: vocatumque est nomen loci illius: Ager robustorum, in Gabaon.
17 The battle was very severe that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before David’s servants.
Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa: fugatusque est Abner, et viri Israel a pueris David.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviae, Ioab, et Abisai, et Asael: porro Asael cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis, quae morantur in silvis.
19 Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
Persequebatur autem Asael Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.”
Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait: Tune es Asael? Qui respondit: Ego sum.
21 Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armour.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him.
Dixitque ei Abner: Vade ad dexteram, sive ad sinistram, et apprehende unum de adolescentibus, et tolle tibi spolia eius. Noluit autem Asael omittere quin urgeret eum.
22 Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?”
Rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asael: recede, et noli me sequi, ne compellar confodere te in terram, et levare non potero faciem meam ad Ioab fratrem tuum.
23 However, he refused to turn away. 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. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
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 Asael, et mortuus erat, subsistebant.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. 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.
Persequentibus autem Ioab, et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit: et venerunt usque ad Collem aquae ductus, qui est ex adverso vallis et itineris deserti in Gabaon.
25 The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.
Congregatique sunt filii Beniamin ad Abner: et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?”
Et exclamavit Abner ad Ioab, et ait: Num usque ad internecionem tuus mucro desaeviet? an ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio? usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos?
27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”
et ait Ioab: Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses, mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum.
28 So Joab blew the shofar; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.
Insonuit ergo Ioab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Israel, neque iniere certamen.
29 Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
Abner autem et viri eius abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa: et transierunt Iordanem, et lustrata omni Beth horon, venerunt ad castra.
30 Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men of David’s and Asahel were missing.
Porro Ioab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum: et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asaele.
31 But David’s servants had struck Benjamin Abner’s men so that three hundred and sixty men died.
Servi autem David percusserunt de Beniamin, et de viris, qui erant cum Abner trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt.
32 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.
Tuleruntque Asael, et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethlehem: et ambulaverunt tota nocte Ioab et viri qui erant cum eo, et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron.

< 2 Samuel 2 >