2 Samuel 2
Open in the reader1Some time later, Beloved inquired of He-Who-Is, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Praised?” “Go up,” He-Who-Is answered. Then Beloved asked, “Where should I go?” “To Association,” replied He-Who-Is.
2So Beloved went there with his two wives, My-Brother-Is-Pleasant of God-Sows-Folk and My-Father-Is-Joy the widow of Fool of Fruitful-Field-One.
3Beloved also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Association.
4Then the men of Praised came to Association, and there they anointed Beloved king over the house of Praised. And they told Beloved, “It was the men of Dry-Place-gilead who buried Asked-For.”
5So Beloved sent messengers to the men of Dry-Place-gilead to tell them, “He-Who-Is bless you, because you showed this kindness to Asked-For your lord when you buried him.
6Now may He-Who-Is show you loving devotion and faithfulness, and I will also show you the same favor because you have done this.
7Now then, be strong and courageous, for though Asked-For your lord is dead, the house of Praised has anointed me as their king.”
8Meanwhile, My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp, the commander of Asked-For’s army, took Asked-For’s son Man-of-Shame, moved him to Two-Camps,
9and made him king over Heap-of-Witness, Happy, God-Sows, Double-Fruit, and Son-of-the-Right-Hand—over all Strives-with-God.
10Asked-For’s son Man-of-Shame was forty years old when he began to reign over Strives-with-God, and he reigned for two years. The house of Praised, however, followed Beloved.
11And the length of time that Beloved was king in Association over the house of Praised was seven years and six months.
12One day My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp and the servants of Man-of-Shame son of Asked-For marched out from Two-Camps to Hill-Town.
13So He-Who-Is-Father son of Balm and the servants of Beloved marched out and met them by the pool of Hill-Town. And the two groups took up positions on opposite sides of the pool.
14Then My-Father-Is-a-Lamp said to He-Who-Is-Father, “Let us have the young men get up and compete before us.” “Let them get up,” He-Who-Is-Father replied.
15So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Son-of-the-Right-Hand and Man-of-Shame son of Asked-For, and twelve for Beloved.
16Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell together. So this place, which is in Hill-Town, is called Field-of-Sword-Edges.
17The battle that day was intense, and My-Father-Is-a-Lamp and the men of Strives-with-God were defeated by the servants of Beloved.
18The three sons of Balm were there: He-Who-Is-Father, My-Father-Is-a-Gift, and God-Has-Made. Now God-Has-Made was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
19and he chased My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
20And My-Father-Is-a-Lamp glanced back and said, “Is that you, God-Has-Made?” “It is,” God-Has-Made replied.
21So My-Father-Is-a-Lamp told him, “Turn to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself.” But God-Has-Made would not stop chasing him.
22Once again, My-Father-Is-a-Lamp warned God-Has-Made, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother He-Who-Is-Father?”
23But God-Has-Made refused to turn away. So My-Father-Is-a-Lamp thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where God-Has-Made had fallen and died.
24But He-Who-Is-Father and My-Father-Is-a-Gift pursued My-Father-Is-a-Lamp. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Cubit-Hill opposite Gushing-Spring on the way to the wilderness of Hill-Town.
25The Benjamites rallied to My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill.
26Then My-Father-Is-a-Lamp called out to He-Who-Is-Father: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
27“As surely as God lives,” He-Who-Is-Father replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.”
28So He-Who-Is-Father blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Strives-with-God or continued to fight.
29And all that night My-Father-Is-a-Lamp and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Descender, marched all morning, and arrived at Two-Camps.
30When He-Who-Is-Father returned from pursuing My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, he gathered all the troops. In addition to God-Has-Made, nineteen of Beloved’s servants were missing,
31but they had struck down 360 Son-of-the-Right-Hand who were with My-Father-Is-a-Lamp.
32And they took God-Has-Made and buried him in his father’s tomb in House-of-Bread. Then He-Who-Is-Father and his men marched all night and reached Association at daybreak.