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Ac ar ôl hyn yr ymofynnodd Dafydd â’r Arglwydd, gan ddywedyd, A af fi i fyny i’r un o ddinasoedd Jwda? A’r Arglwydd a ddywedodd wrtho ef, Dos i fyny. A dywedodd Dafydd, I ba le yr af i fyny? Dywedodd yntau, I Hebron. A Dafydd a aeth i fyny yno, a’i ddwy wraig hefyd, Ahinoam y Jesreeles, ac Abigail gwraig Nabal y Carmeliad. A Dafydd a ddug i fyny ei wŷr y rhai oedd gydag ef, pob un â’i deulu: a hwy a arosasant yn ninasoedd Hebron. A gwŷr Jwda a ddaethant, ac a eneiniasant Dafydd yno yn frenin ar dŷ Jwda. A mynegasant i Dafydd, gan ddywedyd, mai gwŷr Jabes Gilead a gladdasent Saul.

A Dafydd a anfonodd genhadau at wŷr Jabes Gilead, ac a ddywedodd wrthynt, Bendigedig ydych chwi gan yr Arglwydd, y rhai a wnaethoch y drugaredd hon â’ch arglwydd Saul, ac a’i claddasoch ef. Ac yn awr yr Arglwydd a wnelo â chwi drugaredd a gwirionedd: minnau hefyd a dalaf i chwi am y daioni hwn, oblegid i chwi wneuthur y peth hyn. Yn awr gan hynny ymnerthed eich dwylo, a byddwch feibion grymus: canys marw a fu eich arglwydd Saul, a thŷ Jwda a’m heneiniasant innau yn frenin arnynt.

Ond Abner mab Ner, tywysog y filwriaeth oedd gan Saul, a gymerth Isboseth mab Saul, ac a’i dug ef drosodd i Mahanaim; Ac efe a’i gosododd ef yn frenin ar Gilead, ac ar yr Assuriaid, ac ar Jesreel, ac ar Effraim, ac ar Benjamin, ac ar holl Israel. 10 Mab deugeinmlwydd oedd Isboseth mab Saul, pan ddechreuodd deyrnasu ar Israel; a dwy flynedd y teyrnasodd efe. Tŷ Jwda yn unig oedd gyda Dafydd. 11 A rhifedi y dyddiau y bu Dafydd yn frenin yn Hebron ar dŷ Jwda, oedd saith mlynedd a chwe mis.

12 Ac Abner mab Ner, a gweision Isboseth mab Saul, a aethant allan o Mahanain i Gibeon. 13 Joab hefyd mab Serfia, a gweision Dafydd, a aethant allan, ac a gyfarfuant ynghyd wrth lyn Gibeon: a hwy a eisteddasant wrth y llyn, rhai o’r naill du, a’r lleill wrth y llyn o’r tu arall. 14 Ac Abner a ddywedodd wrth Joab, Cyfoded yn awr y llanciau, a chwaraeant ger ein bronnau ni. A dywedodd Joab, Cyfodant. 15 Yna y cyfodasant, ac yr aethant drosodd dan rif, deuddeg o Benjamin, sef oddi wrth Isboseth mab Saul, a deuddeg o weision Dafydd. 16 A phob un a ymaflodd ym mhen ei gilydd, ac a yrrodd ei gleddyf yn ystlys ei gyfaill; felly y cydsyrthiasant hwy. Am hynny y galwyd y lle hwnnw Helcath Hassurim, yn Gibeon. 17 A bu ryfel caled iawn y dwthwn hwnnw; a thrawyd Abner, a gwŷr Israel, o flaen gweision Dafydd.

18 A thri mab Serfia oedd yno, Joab, ac Abisai, ac Asahel: ac Asahel oedd mor fuan ar ei draed ag un o’r iyrchod sydd yn y maes. 19 Ac Asahel a ddilynodd ar ôl Abner; ac wrth fyned ni throdd ar y tu deau nac ar y tu aswy, oddi ar ôl Abner. 20 Yna Abner a edrychodd o’i ôl, ac a ddywedodd, Ai tydi yw Asahel? A dywedodd yntau, Ie, myfi. 21 A dywedodd Abner wrtho ef, Tro ar dy law ddeau, neu ar dy law aswy, a dal i ti un o’r llanciau, a chymer i ti ei arfau ef. Ond ni fynnai Asahel droi oddi ar ei ôl ef. 22 Ac Abner a ddywedodd eilwaith wrth Asahel, Cilia oddi ar fy ôl i: paham y trawaf di i lawr? canys pa fodd y codwn fy ngolwg ar Joab dy frawd di wedi hynny? 23 Ond efe a wrthododd ymado. Am hynny Abner a’i trawodd ef â bôn y waywffon dan y bumed ais, a’r waywffon a aeth allan o’r tu cefn iddo; ac efe a syrthiodd yno, ac a fu farw yn ei le: a phawb a’r oedd yn dyfod i’r lle y syrthiasai Asahel ynddo, ac y buasai farw, a safasant. 24 Joab hefyd ac Abisai a erlidiasant ar ôl Abner: pan fachludodd yr haul, yna y daethant hyd fryn Amma, yr hwn sydd gyferbyn â Gia, tuag anialwch Gibeon.

25 A meibion Benjamin a ymgasglasant ar ôl Abner, ac a aethant yn un fintai, ac a safasant ar ben bryn. 26 Yna Abner a alwodd ar Joab, ac a ddywedodd, Ai byth y difa y cleddyf? oni wyddost ti y bydd chwerwder yn y diwedd? hyd ba bryd gan hynny y byddi heb ddywedyd wrth y bobl am ddychwelyd oddi ar ôl eu brodyr? 27 A dywedodd Joab, Fel mai byw Duw, oni buasai yr hyn a ddywedaist, diau yna y bore yr aethai y bobl i fyny, bob un oddi ar ôl ei frawd. 28 Felly Joab a utganodd mewn utgorn; a’r holl bobl a safasant, ac nid erlidiasant mwyach ar ôl Israel, ac ni chwanegasant ymladd mwyach. 29 Ac Abner a’i wŷr a aethant trwy’r gwastadedd ar hyd y nos honno, ac a aethant dros yr Iorddonen, ac a aethant trwy holl Bithron, a daethant i Mahanaim. 30 A Joab a ddychwelodd oddi ar ôl Abner: ac wedi iddo gasglu’r holl bobl ynghyd, yr oedd yn eisiau o weision Dafydd bedwar gŵr ar bymtheg, ac Asahel. 31 A gweision Dafydd a drawsent o Benjamin, ac o wŷr Abner, dri chant a thrigain gŵr, fel y buant feirw.

32 A hwy a gymerasant Asahel, ac a’i claddasant ef ym meddrod ei dad, yr hwn oedd ym Methlehem. A Joab a’i wŷr a gerddasant ar hyd y nos, ac yn Hebron y goleuodd arnynt.

David Anointed King Over Judah

In the course of time, David inquired(A) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,”(B) the Lord answered.

So David went up there with his two wives,(C) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,(D) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him,(E) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron(F) and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron,(G) and there they anointed(H) David king over the tribe of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead(I) who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless(J) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness,(K) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong(L) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul(M)

Meanwhile, Abner(N) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth(O) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.(P) He made him king over Gilead,(Q) Ashuri(R) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.(S)

10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.(T)

12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.(U) 13 Joab(V) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger(W) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.[a]

17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated(X) by David’s men.(Y)

18 The three sons of Zeruiah(Z) were there: Joab,(AA) Abishai(AB) and Asahel.(AC) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.(AD) 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”(AE)

23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach,(AF) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.(AG)

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour(AH) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

28 So Joab(AI) blew the trumpet,(AJ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah.(AK) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours[b] and came to Mahanaim.(AL)

30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb(AM) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 2:16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.
  2. 2 Samuel 2:29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.