¹ 此後，大衛問耶和華說：我上猶大的一個城去可以麼？耶和華說：可以。大衛說：我上哪一個城去呢？耶和華說：上希伯崙去。

² 於是大衛和他的兩個妻─一個是耶斯列人亞希暖，一個是作過迦密人拿八妻的亞比該─都上那裡去了。

³ 大衛也將跟隨他的人和他們各人的眷屬一同帶上去，住在希伯崙的城邑中。

⁴ 猶大人來到希伯崙，在那裡膏大衛作猶大家的王。有人告訴大衛說：葬埋掃羅的是基列雅比人。

⁵ 大衛就差人去見基列雅比人，對他們說：你們厚待你們的主─掃羅，將他葬埋。願耶和華賜福與你們！

⁶ 你們既行了這事，願耶和華以慈愛誠實待你們，我也要為此厚待你們。

⁷ 現在你們的主─掃羅死了，猶大家已經膏我作他們的王，所以你們要剛強奮勇。

⁸ 掃羅的元帥尼珥的兒子押尼珥，曾將掃羅的兒子伊施波設帶過河，到瑪哈念，

⁹ 立他作王，治理基列、亞書利、耶斯列、以法蓮、便雅憫，和以色列眾人。

¹⁰ 掃羅的兒子伊施波設登基的時候年四十歲，作以色列王二年；惟獨猶大家歸從大衛。

¹¹ 大衛在希伯崙作猶大家的王，共七年零六個月。

¹² 尼珥的兒子押尼珥和掃羅的兒子伊施波設的僕人從瑪哈念出來，往基遍去。

¹³ 洗魯雅的兒子約押和大衛的僕人也出來，在基遍池旁與他們相遇；一班坐在池這邊，一班坐在池那邊。

¹⁴ 押尼珥對約押說：讓少年人起來，在我們面前戲耍罷！約押說：可以。

¹⁵ 就按著定數起來：屬掃羅兒子伊施波設的便雅憫人過去十二名，大衛的僕人也過去十二名，

¹⁶ 彼此揪頭，用刀刺肋，一同仆倒。所以，那地叫作希利甲哈素林，就在基遍。

¹⁷ 那日的戰事凶猛，押尼珥和以色列人敗在大衛的僕人面前。

¹⁸ 在那裡有洗魯雅的三個兒子：約押、亞比篩、亞撒黑。亞撒黑腳快如野鹿一般；

¹⁹ 亞撒黑追趕押尼珥，直追趕他不偏左右。

²⁰ 押尼珥回頭說：你是亞撒黑麼？回答說：是。

²¹ 押尼珥對他說：你或轉向左轉向右，拿住一個少年人，剝去他的戰衣。亞撒黑卻不肯轉開不追趕他。

²² 押尼珥又對亞撒黑說：你轉開不追趕我罷！我何必殺你呢？若殺你，有甚麼臉見你哥哥約押呢？

²³ 亞撒黑仍不肯轉開。故此，押尼珥就用槍鐏刺入他的肚腹，甚至槍從背後透出，亞撒黑就在那裡仆倒而死。眾人趕到亞撒黑仆倒而死的地方，就都站住。

²⁴ 約押和亞比篩追趕押尼珥，日落的時候，到了通基遍曠野的路旁，基亞對面的亞瑪山。

²⁵ 便雅憫人聚集，跟隨押尼珥站在一個山頂上。

²⁶ 押尼珥呼叫約押說：刀劍豈可永遠殺人麼？你豈不知終久必有苦楚麼？你要等何時才叫百姓回去、不追趕弟兄呢？

²⁷ 約押說：我指著永生的神起誓：你若不說戲耍的那句話，今日早晨百姓就回去，不追趕弟兄了。

²⁸ 於是約押吹角，眾民就站住，不再追趕以色列人，也不再打仗了。

²⁹ 押尼珥和跟隨他的人整夜經過亞拉巴，過約但河，走過畢倫，到了瑪哈念。

³⁰ 約押追趕押尼珥回來，聚集眾民，見大衛的僕人中缺少了十九個人和亞撒黑。

³¹ 但大衛的僕人殺了便雅憫人和跟隨押尼珥的人，共三百六十名。

³² 眾人將亞撒黑送到伯利恆，葬在他父親的墳墓裡。約押和跟隨他的人走了一夜，天亮的時候到了希伯崙。

¹ Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

² Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

³ May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

⁴ and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

⁵ Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

⁶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,"

⁷ and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

⁸ Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father.

⁹ Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

¹⁰ Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

¹¹ He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

¹² He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

¹³ Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed.

¹⁴ Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

¹⁵ Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

¹⁶ Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it."

¹⁷ He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

¹⁸ Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

²⁰ Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,

²¹ so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

²² then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."