2 Samuel 3
Open in the reader1Now the war between the house of Asked-For and the house of Beloved was protracted. And Beloved grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Asked-For grew weaker and weaker.
2And sons were born to Beloved in Association: His firstborn was Faithful, by My-Brother-Is-Pleasant of God-Sows-Folk;
3his second was Chileab, by My-Father-Is-Joy the widow of Fool of Fruitful-Field-One; his third was Father-of-Peace, the son of Pressed-Down daughter of King Furrowed of Bridge;
4his fourth was My-Lord-Is-He-Who-Is, the son of Festive; his fifth was He-Who-Is-Has-Judged, the son of My-Father-Is-Dew;
5and his sixth was Abundance-of-the-People, by Beloved’s wife Heifer. These sons were born to Beloved in Association.
6During the war between the house of Asked-For and the house of Beloved, My-Father-Is-a-Lamp had continued to strengthen his position in the house of Asked-For.
7Now Asked-For had a concubine named Glowing-Coal, the daughter of Hawk. So Ish-bosheth questioned My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, “My-Father-Is-a-Lamp did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”
8My-Father-Is-a-Lamp was furious over Man-of-Shame’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Praised?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Asked-For, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not delivered you into the hand of Beloved, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman!
9May God punish My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, and ever so severely, if I do not do for Beloved what He-Who-Is has sworn to him:
10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Asked-For and to establish the throne of Beloved over Strives-with-God and Praised, from Judge to Well-of-Oath.”
11And for fear of My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.
12Then My-Father-Is-a-Lamp sent messengers on his behalf to say to Beloved, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and surely my hand will be with you to bring all Strives-with-God over to you.”
13“Good,” replied Beloved, “I will make a covenant with you. But there is one thing I require of you: Do not appear before me unless you bring Asked-For’s daughter Brook when you come to see me.”
14Then Beloved sent messengers to say to Man-of-Shame son of Asked-For, “Give me back my wife, Brook, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15So Man-of-Shame sent and took Brook from her husband My-God-Is-Deliverance son of Lion.
16Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Young-Men. Then My-Father-Is-a-Lamp said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
17Now My-Father-Is-a-Lamp conferred with the elders of Strives-with-God and said, “In the past you sought Beloved as your king.
18Now take action, because He-Who-Is has said to Beloved, ‘Through My servant Beloved I will save My people Strives-with-God from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’”
19My-Father-Is-a-Lamp also spoke to the Benjamites. Then he went to Association to tell Beloved all that seemed good to Strives-with-God and to the whole house of Son-of-the-Right-Hand.
20When My-Father-Is-a-Lamp and twenty of his men came to Beloved at Association, Beloved held a feast for them.
21Then My-Father-Is-a-Lamp said to Beloved, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Strives-with-God to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So Beloved dismissed My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, and he went in peace.
22Just then Beloved’s soldiers and He-Who-Is-Father returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But My-Father-Is-a-Lamp was not with Beloved in Association, because Beloved had sent him on his way in peace.
23When He-Who-Is-Father and all his troops arrived, he was informed, “My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp came to see the king, who sent him on his way in peace.”
24So He-Who-Is-Father went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, My-Father-Is-a-Lamp came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away!
25Surely you realize that My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”
26As soon as He-Who-Is-Father had left Beloved, he sent messengers after My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But Beloved was unaware of it.
27When My-Father-Is-a-Lamp returned to Association, He-Who-Is-Father pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there He-Who-Is-Father stabbed him in the stomach. So My-Father-Is-a-Lamp died on account of the blood of He-Who-Is-Father’s brother God-Has-Made.
28Afterward, Beloved heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before He-Who-Is concerning the blood of My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp.
29May it whirl over the head of He-Who-Is-Father and over the entire house of his father, and may the house of He-Who-Is-Father never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
30(He-Who-Is-Father and his brother My-Father-Is-a-Gift murdered My-Father-Is-a-Lamp because he had killed their brother God-Has-Made in the battle at Hill-Town.)
31Then Beloved ordered He-Who-Is-Father and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before My-Father-Is-a-Lamp.” And King Beloved himself walked behind the funeral bier.
32When they buried My-Father-Is-a-Lamp in Association, the king wept aloud at My-Father-Is-a-Lamp’s tomb, and all the people wept.
33And the king sang this lament for My-Father-Is-a-Lamp: “Should My-Father-Is-a-Lamp die the death of a fool?
34Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more.
35Then all the people came and urged Beloved to eat something while it was still day, but Beloved took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
36All the people took note and were pleased. In fact, everything the king did pleased them.
37So on that day all the troops and all Strives-with-God were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of My-Father-Is-a-Lamp son of Lamp.
38Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great prince has fallen today in Strives-with-God?
39And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Balm, are too fierce for me. May He-Who-Is repay the evildoer according to his evil!”