The Latin Vulgate VUL
Good News Translation GNT
1 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
1
After this, David asked the Lord, "Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the Lord answered. "Which one?" David asked. "Hebron," the Lord said.
2 ascendit ergo David et duae uxores eius Ahinoem Iezrahelites et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli
2
So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel.
3 sed et viros qui erant cum eo duxit David singulos cum domo sua et manserunt in oppidis Hebron
3
He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns around Hebron.
4 veneruntque viri Iuda et unxerunt ibi David ut regnaret super domum Iuda et nuntiatum est David quod viri Iabesgalaad sepelissent Saul
4
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah. When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,
5 misit ergo David nuntios ad viros Iabesgalaad dixitque ad eos benedicti vos Domino qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul et sepelistis eum
5
he sent some men there with the message: "May the Lord bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him.
6 et nunc retribuet quidem vobis Dominus misericordiam et veritatem sed et ego reddam gratiam eo quod feceritis verbum istud
6
And now may the Lord be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done.
7 confortentur manus vestrae et estote filii fortitudinis licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul tamen me unxit domus Iuda regem sibi
7
Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king."
8 Abner autem filius Ner princeps exercitus Saul tulit Hisboseth filium Saul et circumduxit eum per Castra
8
The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim.
9 regemque constituit super Galaad et super Gesuri et super Iezrahel et super Ephraim et super Beniamin et super Israhel universum
9
There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel.
10 quadraginta annorum erat Hisboseth filius Saul cum regnare coepisset super Israhel et duobus annis regnavit sola autem domus Iuda sequebatur David
10
He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David,
11 et fuit numerus dierum quos commoratus est David imperans in Hebron super domum Iuda septem annorum et sex mensuum
11
and he ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.
12 egressusque Abner filius Ner et pueri Hisboseth filii Saul de Castris in Gabaon
12
Abner and the officials of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the city of Gibeon.
13 porro Ioab filius Sarviae et pueri David egressi sunt et occurrerunt eis iuxta piscinam Gabaon et cum in unum convenissent e regione sederunt hii ex una parte piscinae et illi ex altera
13
Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side.
14 dixitque Abner ad Ioab surgant pueri et ludant coram nobis et respondit Ioab surgant
14
Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men from each side fight an armed contest." "All right," Joab answered.
15 surrexerunt ergo et transierunt numero duodecim de Beniamin ex parte Hisboseth filii Saul et duodecim de pueris David
15
So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men.
16 adprehensoque unusquisque capite conparis sui defixit gladium in latus contrarii et ceciderunt simul vocatumque est nomen loci illius ager Robustorum in Gabaon
16
Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all twenty-four of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called "Field of Swords."
17 et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa fugatusque est Abner et viri Israhel a pueris David
17
Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men.
18 erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviae Ioab et Abisai et Asahel porro Asahel cursor velocissimus fuit quasi unus ex capreis quae morantur in silvis
18
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer,
19 persequebatur autem Asahel Abner et non declinavit ad dexteram sive ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner
19
started chasing Abner, running straight for him.
20 respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum et ait tune es Asahel qui respondit ego sum
20
Abner looked back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes," he answered.
21 dixitque ei Abner vade ad dextram sive ad sinistram et adprehende unum de adulescentibus et tolle tibi spolia eius noluit autem Asahel omittere quin urgueret eum
21
"Stop chasing me!" Abner said. "Run after one of the soldiers and take what he has." But Asahel kept on chasing him.
22 rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asahel recede noli me sequi ne conpellar confodere te in terra et levare non potero faciem meam ad Ioab fratrem tuum
22
Once more Abner said to him, "Stop chasing me! Why force me to kill you? How could I face your brother Joab?"
23 qui audire contempsit et noluit declinare percussit ergo eum Abner aversa hasta in inguine et transfodit et mortuus est in eodem loco omnesque qui transiebant per locum in quo ceciderat Asahel et mortuus erat subsistebant
23
But Asahel would not quit; so Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, struck him through the stomach so that the spear came out at his back. Asahel dropped to the ground dead, and everyone who came to the place where he was lying stopped and stood there.
24 persequentibus autem Ioab et Abisai fugientem Abner sol occubuit et venerunt usque ad collem Aquaeductus qui est ex adverso vallis et itineris deserti in Gabaon
24
But Joab and Abishai started out after Abner, and at sunset they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 congregatique sunt filii Beniamin ad Abner et conglobati in unum cuneum steterunt in summitate tumuli unius
25
The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner again and took their stand on the top of a hill.
26 et exclamavit Abner ad Ioab et ait num usque ad internicionem tuus mucro desaeviet an ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos
26
Abner called out to Joab, "Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?"
27 et ait Ioab vivit Dominus si locutus fuisses mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum
27
"I swear by the living God," Joab answered, "that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning."
28 insonuit ergo Ioab bucina et stetit omnis exercitus nec persecuti sunt ultra Israhel neque iniere certamen
28
Then Joab blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to stop pursuing the Israelites; and so the fighting stopped.
29 Abner autem et viri eius abierunt per campestria tota nocte illa et transierunt Iordanem et lustrata omni Bethoron venerunt ad Castra
29
Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley all that night; they crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all the next morning, they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30 porro Ioab reversus omisso Abner congregavit omnem populum et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri excepto Asahele
30
When Joab gave up the chase, he gathered all his men and found that nineteen of them were missing, in addition to Asahel.
31 servi autem David percusserunt de Beniamin et de viris qui erant cum Abner trecentos sexaginta qui et mortui sunt
31
David's men had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.
32 tuleruntque Asahel et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethleem et ambulaverunt tota nocte Ioab et viri qui erant cum eo et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron
32
Joab and his men took Asahel's body and buried it in the family tomb at Bethlehem. Then they marched all night and at dawn arrived back at Hebron.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.