And after these things David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? And the Lord said to him: Go up. And David said: Whither shall I go up? And he answered him: Into 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.

After this David asked counsel from the Lord, whether he should remove into one of the cities of Juda. When the Lord bade him remove, he asked, Into which of them? And the answer came, To Hebron.

So David went up, and his two wives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel:

Ascendit ergo David, et duæ uxores ejus, Achinoam Jezraëlites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli:

So thither David took his two wives, Achinoam from Jezrahel and Abigail that had been wife to Nabal at Carmel;

And the men also that were with him, David brought up every man with his household: and they abode in the towns of Hebron.

sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua: et manserunt in oppidis Hebron.

thither, too, went the men who followed him, each with his own household, settling in the townships that belonged to Hebron.

And the men of Juda came, and anointed David there, to be king over the house of Juda. And it was told David, that the men of Jabes Galaad had buried Saul.

Veneruntque viri Juda, et unxerunt ibi David ut regnaret super domum Juda. Et nuntiatum est David quod viri Jabes Galaad sepelissent Saul.

There the men of Juda came to him, and anointed him king over the line of Juda. And when David heard how the men of Jabes-Galaad had given Saul burial,

David therefore sent messengers to the men of Jabes Galaad, and said to them: Blessed be you to the Lord, who have shewn this mercy to your master Saul, and have buried 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.

he sent messengers to say, The Lord’s blessing on you, for the faithfulness you have shewn to Saul, your master, in thus burying him;

And now the Lord surely will render you mercy and truth, and I also will requite you for this good turn, 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.

may the Lord make return to you for your loyalty and kindliness! I too will prove myself grateful for it.

Let your hands be strengthened, and be ye men of valour: for although your master Saul be dead, yet the house of Juda hath anointed 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.

Strong be those arms of yours, keep your courage high; now that you no longer have Saul to rule over you, the tribe of Juda has anointed me to be its king.

But Abner the son of Ner, general of Saul’s army, took Isboseth the son of Saul, and led him about through the camp,

Abner autem filius Ner, princeps exercitus Saul, tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra,

But meanwhile Abner the son of Ner, who was in command of the army, brought Isboseth forward, Saul’s remaining son, and gave him a royal progress through the camp;

And made him king over Galaad, and over Gessuri, and over Jezrahel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Jezraël, et super Ephraim, et super Benjamin, et super Israël universum.

setting him up as king of Galaad and Gessuri and Jezrahel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all the rest of Israel.

Isboseth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years; and only the house of Juda followed David.

Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare cœpisset super Israël, et duobus annis regnavit: sola autem domus Juda sequebatur David.

Isboseth, heir to king Saul, was forty years old when his reign over Israel began, and it lasted two years; David had no following except the tribe of Juda,

And the number of the days that David abode, reigning in Hebron over the house of Juda, was seven years and six months.

Et fuit numerus dierum quos commoratus est David imperans in Hebron super domum Juda, septem annorum et sex mensium.

and as king of Juda, for seven and a half years, he reigned at Hebron.

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Isboseth the son of Saul, went out from the camp to Gabaon.

Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul, de castris in Gabaon.

And now they offered battle from their camp at Gabaon, Abner son of Ner and the men that recognized Isboseth as heir to king Saul;

And Joab the son of Sarvia, and the servants of David went out, and met them by the pool of Gabaon. And when they were come together, they sat down over against one another: the one on the one side of the pool, and the other 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.

and by the pool at Gabaon the army of David went out to meet them, under Joab son of Sarvia. So they met, and confronted one another on opposite sides of the pool.

And Abner said to Joab: Let the young men rise, and play before us. And Joab answered: Let them rise.

Dixitque Abner ad Joab: Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Joab: Surgant.

Thereupon Abner proposed to Joab that champions should come forward and make trial of arms, and to this Joab agreed.

Then there arose and went over twelve in number of Benjamin, of the part of Isboseth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Benjamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David.

Come forward they did, twelve men that acknowledged Isboseth as the heir of Saul, and twelve followers of David, and met one another.

And every one catching his fellow by the head, thrust his sword into the side of his adversary, and they fell down together: and the name of the place was called: The field of the valiant, in Gabaon.

Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul: vocatumque est nomen loci illius: Ager robustorum, in Gabaon.

Each caught his man by the head and thrust his sword deep, and together they fell slain; there in the field by Gabaon which has taken its name from them, the Field of the Champions.

And there was a very fierce battle that day: and Abner was put to flight, with the men of Israel, by the servants of David.

Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa: fugatusque est Abner et viri Israël a pueris David.

It was a fierce battle that raged that day, and David’s men routed Abner and the Israelites.

And there were the three sons of Sarvia there, Joab, and Abisai, and Asael: now Asael was a most swift runner, like one of the roes that abide in the woods.

Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarviæ, Joab, et Abisai, et Asaël: porro Asaël cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis quæ morantur in silvis.

Two sons of Sarvia besides Joab were fighting, Abisai and Asael; Asael, swift of foot as any wild roe.

And Asael pursued after Abner, and turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

Persequebatur autem Asaël Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner.

And this Asael gave chase to Abner, following him still without swerving to right or left;

And Abner looked behind him, and said: Art thou Asael? And he answered: I am.

Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait: Tune es Asaël? Qui respondit: Ego sum.

till at last Abner looked behind him, and asked if he were Asael. When he learned that it was so,

And Abner said to him: Go to the right hand or to the left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take thee his spoils. But Asael would not leave off following him close.

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.

he warned him, Why then, turn aside this way or that, overtake one of my men, and from him secure thy spoils. But still Asael would not give up the pursuit,

And again Abner said to Asael: Go off, and do not follow me, lest I be obliged to stab thee to the ground, and I shall not be able to hold up my face to Joab thy brother.

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.

and again Abner warned him, Turn back, and follow me no more; must I strike thee down, and never again look thy brother Joab in the face?

But he refused to hearken to him, and would not turn aside: wherefore Abner struck him with his spear with a back stroke in the groin, and thrust him through, and he died upon the spot: and all that came to the place where Asael 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 Asaël et mortuus erat, subsistebant.

At last, finding that he would not listen to him and never turned aside, Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, smote him through the groin. There and then he fell dead; and none that came up behind him ventured beyond the place where Asael died.

Now while Joab and Abisai pursued after Abner, the sun went down: and they came as far as the hill of the aqueduct, that lieth over against the valley by the way of the wilderness in Gabaon.

Persequentibus autem Joab et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit: et venerunt usque ad collem aquæductus, qui est ex adverso vallis itineris deserti in Gabaon.

But meanwhile Joab and Abisai were in pursuit of Abner. When the sun set, they had reached the Hill of the Aqueduct, that lies on the side of the ravine opposite the desert road to Gabaon.

And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together to Abner: and being joined in one body, they stood on the top of a hill.

Congregatique sunt filii Benjamin ad Abner: et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius.

All the men of Benjamin had rallied to Abner, and there they stood gathered in one mass, with one hill-top to defend.

And Abner cried out to Joab, and said: Shall thy sword rage unto utter destruction? knowest thou not that it is dangerous to drive people to despair? how long dost thou defer to bid the people cease from pursuing after their brethren?

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?

And now Abner cried out to Joab, Is there no glutting that sword of thine? Hast thou never heard that desperate men are dangerous? Call off thy men, before it is too late, from the pursuit of their own brethren.

And Joab said: As the Lord liveth, if thou hadst spoke sooner, even in the morning the people should have retired from pursuing after their brethren.

Et ait Joab: Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses, mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum.

As the Lord is a living God, Joab answered, hadst thou only spoken, my men would have let their brethren alone while it was still morning.

Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and all the army stood still, and did not pursue after Israel any farther, nor fight any more.

Insonuit ergo Joab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Israël, neque iniere certamen.

With that, he sounded his trumpet, and all his army halted; there was no more pursuit of Israel, no more fighting.

And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plains: and they passed the Jordan, and having gone through all Beth-horon, came to the camp.

Abner autem et viri ejus abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa: et transierunt Jordanem, et lustrata omni Beth-horon, venerunt ad castra.

All that night Abner and his men marched over the plain, crossed the Jordan, and made their way along Beth-horon to their camp.

And Joab returning, after he had left Abner, assembled all the people: and there were wanting of David’s servants nineteen men, beside Asael.

Porro Joab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum: et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asaële.

When Joab returned after abandoning the pursuit, he called the roll and found only nineteen of David’s men missing, besides Asael;

But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin, and of the men that were with Abner, three hundred and sixty, who all died.

Servi autem David percusserunt de Benjamin, et de viris qui erant cum Abner, trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt.

whereas the toll they had taken of Benjamin and the rest of Abner’s forces was three hundred and sixty dead.

And they took Asael, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father in Bethlehem, and Joab, and the men that were with him, marched all the night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.

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.

Asael they bore off, and gave him burial in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem; then they too, Joab and his army, marched all through the night, and reached Hebron as dawn was breaking.