¹It happened after this, that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.”

¹大衛受膏作猶大王這事以後，大衛求問耶和華說：“我可以上猶大的一座城去嗎？”耶和華回答：“你上去吧。”大衛又問：“我應該上到哪裡去呢？”他回答：“上希伯崙去！”

²So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

²於是大衛帶著他的兩個妻子，一個是耶斯列人亞希暖，一個是作過迦密人拿八妻子的亞比該，上到那裡去了。

³David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.

³大衛也把與他在一起的人，和他們各人的家眷都帶上去。他們就在希伯崙的城鎮裡住下來。

⁴The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”

⁴於是猶大人來到希伯崙，在那裡膏立了大衛作王，統治猶大家。有人報告大衛說：“埋葬掃羅的是基列．雅比人。”

⁵David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.

⁵大衛就差派使者到基列．雅比人那裡去，對他們說：“願耶和華賜福給你們，因為你們厚待了你們的主掃羅，把他埋葬了。

⁶Now may Yahweh show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.

⁶你們既作了這事，現在就願耶和華以慈愛和誠實待你們，我也要善待你們。

⁷Now 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.”

⁷現在你們要堅強，要作勇敢的人，因為你們的主掃羅已經死了；猶大家已經膏立了我作他們的王了。”

⁸Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

⁸伊施波設作以色列王當時，掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥已經領著掃羅的兒子伊施波設，把他帶過河到瑪哈念去，

⁹and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

⁹並且立了他作王，統治基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫和以色列眾人。

¹⁰Ishbosheth, 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.

¹⁰掃羅的兒子伊施波設作以色列王的時候，已經四十歲；他作王共兩年。猶大家卻追隨大衛。

¹¹The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹¹大衛在希伯崙作王統治猶大家的時候共有七年零六個月。

¹²Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

¹²以色列家與猶大家之戰爭尼珥的兒子押尼珥帶著掃羅的兒子伊施波設的僕從，離開瑪哈念，到基遍去。

¹³Joab 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.

¹³洗魯雅的兒子約押和大衛的臣僕也出來，在基遍的水池旁邊與他們會面。大家都坐下，一隊在水池這邊，一隊在水池那邊。

¹⁴Abner said to Joab, “Please let the young men arise and play before us!” Joab said, “Let them arise!”

¹⁴押尼珥對約押說：“讓年輕人起來，在我們面前比比武。”約押說：“好！叫他們起來。”

¹⁵Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

¹⁵他們就起來，按著人數走過去：屬便雅憫，就是屬掃羅的兒子伊施波設的，有十二人；屬大衛臣僕的也有十二人。

¹⁶They 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 Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

¹⁶他們各人都緊緊抓住對手的頭，用刀刺進對手的肋旁，於是他們全都倒斃。所以在基遍那地方就叫作希利甲．哈素林。

¹⁷The battle was very severe that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁷那天的戰事非常激烈，結果押尼珥和以色列人敗在大衛的臣僕面前。

¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.

¹⁸洗魯雅的三個兒子約押、亞比篩和亞撒黑都在那裡。亞撒黑的腿輕快如野地的羚羊一般。

¹⁹Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he didn’t turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

¹⁹亞撒黑追趕押尼珥，緊緊地跟著他，不偏左，也不偏右。

²⁰Then Abner looked behind him, and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is I.”

²⁰押尼珥往後瞧著，說：“你是亞撒黑嗎？”他回答：“我正是。”

²¹Abner 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 turn aside from following him.

²¹押尼珥對他說：“你或轉左或轉右，抓住一個年輕人，奪去他的武器吧！”可是亞撒黑不願意離開不追趕他。

²²Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?”

²²押尼珥再一次對亞撒黑說：“你離開，別追趕我！我為甚麼要把你砍倒在地上呢？以後怎麼還有臉見你的哥哥約押呢？”

²³However he refused to turn aside. 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. It happened, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

²³亞撒黑不肯離開，所以押尼珥就用槍的尾端刺入了他的肚子，槍從他的背後穿出。亞撒黑仆倒在那裡，當場死了。所有來到亞撒黑倒斃的地方的人，都站住不動。

²⁴But 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.

²⁴約押和亞比篩卻繼續追趕押尼珥。日落的時候，他們來到亞瑪山，就在通往基遍曠野的路旁，基亞的對面。

²⁵The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.

²⁵便雅憫人集結在押尼珥後面，站在一座山頭上，列成一個隊伍。

²⁶Then 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 shall it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?”

²⁶押尼珥對約押喊叫，說：“刀劍要不停地殺人嗎？你不知道結局是痛苦的嗎？你要等到甚麼時候才吩咐人民轉去，不追趕自己的兄弟呢？”

²⁷Joab said, “As God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim.” lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”

²⁷約押說：“我指著永活的　神起誓，如果你們沒有說過比武的話，大家必在早晨的時候離去，不再追趕自己的兄弟。”

²⁸So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

²⁸於是約押吹響號角，眾人就站住，不再追趕以色列人，也不再打仗了。

²⁹Abner 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.

²⁹押尼珥和屬他的人，整夜走過亞拉巴，渡過約旦河，又走過畢倫，才回到瑪哈念。

³⁰Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.

³⁰約押追趕押尼珥回來，集合所有人的時候，發現在大衛的臣僕中，除了亞撒黑以外，還少了十九個人。

³¹But the servants of David had struck of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred sixty men died.

³¹但大衛的臣僕擊殺便雅憫人和跟隨押尼珥的人，共有三百六十人死了。

³²They 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.

³²他們把亞撒黑抬回去，埋葬在伯利恆他父親的墳墓裡。約押和屬他的人走了一整夜，天亮的時候才回到希伯崙。