David Gets Ready for Battle
1 David divided his soldiers into groups of 100 and groups of 1,000. Then he chose officers to be in command of each group. 2 He sent out one third of his army under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, and the rest under the command of Ittai from Gath. He told the soldiers, “I'm going into battle with you.”
3 But the soldiers said, “No, don't go into battle with us! It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away, or even if they kill half of us. But you are worth 10,000 of us. It would be better for you to stay in town and send help if we need it.”
4-6 David said, “All right, if you think I should.”
Then in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said, “Joab! Abishai! Ittai! For my sake, be sure that Absalom comes back unharmed.”
David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past in groups of 100 and in groups of 1,000.
Joab Kills Absalom
The war with Israel took place in Ephraim Forest. 7-8 Battles were being fought all over the forest, and David's soldiers were winning. Twenty thousand soldiers were killed that day, and more of them died from the dangers of the forest than from the fighting itself.
9 Absalom was riding his mule under a huge tree when his head caught in the branches. The mule ran off and left Absalom hanging in midair. Some of David's soldiers happened by, 10 and one of them went and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in a tree!”
11 Joab said, “You saw Absalom? Why didn't you kill him? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a special belt.”
12 The man answered, “Even if you paid me 1,000 pieces of silver here and now, I still wouldn't touch the king's son. We all heard King David tell you and Abishai and Ittai not to harm Absalom. 13 He always finds out what's going on. I would have been risking my life to kill Absalom, because you would have let me take the blame.”
14 Joab said, “I'm not going to waste any more time on you!”
Absalom was still alive, so Joab took three spears and stuck them through Absalom's chest. 15 Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off. 16 Then Joab blew a trumpet to signal his troops to stop chasing Israel's soldiers. 17 They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and put a big pile of rocks over it.
Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes.
18 When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King's Valley. He explained, “I don't have any sons to keep my name alive.” He called it Absalom's Monument, and that is the name it still has today.
Ahimaaz Wants To Tell David
19 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Joab, let me run and tell King David that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.”
20 Joab answered, “You're not the one to tell the king that his son is dead. You can take him a message some other time, but not today.”
21 Someone from Ethiopia was standing there, and Joab told him, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The man knelt down in front of Joab, then got up and started running.
22 Ahimaaz spoke to Joab again, “No matter what happens, I still want to go. And besides, the Ethiopian has already left.”
Joab said, “Why should you go? You won't get a reward for the news you have!”
23 “I'll run no matter what!” Ahimaaz insisted.
“All right then, run!” Joab said.
Ahimaaz took the road through the Jordan Valley and outran the Ethiopian.
24 Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates in the city wall. One of his soldiers was watching from the roof of the gate-tower. He saw a man running toward the town 25 and shouted down to tell David.
David answered, “If he's alone, he must have some news.”
The runner was getting closer, 26 when the soldier saw someone else running. He shouted down to the gate, “Look! There's another runner!”
David said, “He must have some news too.”
27 The soldier on the roof shouted, “The first one runs just like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”
This time David said, “He's a good man. He must have some good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called out, “We won! We won!” Then he bowed low to David and said, “Your Majesty, praise the Lord your God! He has given you victory over your enemies.”
29 “Is my son Absalom all right?” David asked.
Ahimaaz said, “When Joab sent your personal servant and me, I saw a noisy crowd. But I don't know what it was all about.”
30 David told him, “Stand over there and wait.”
Ahimaaz went over and stood there. 31 The Ethiopian came and said, “Your Majesty, today I have good news! The Lord has rescued you from all your enemies!”
32 “Is my son Absalom all right?” David asked.
The Ethiopian replied, “I wish that all Your Majesty's enemies and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him!”
David Cries for Absalom
33 David started trembling. Then he went up to the room above the city gate to cry. As he went, he kept saying, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I could have died instead of you! Absalom, my son, my son!”
Absalom ta sindwa e ta dhipagwa
1 Omukwaniilwa David okwa gongele aantu ye ayehe e te ya topola momatanga geyuvi nogethele e te ga pe aawiliki. 2 Nena okwe ya tumu moongundu ndatu. Joab okwa li omuwiliki gwongundu yimwe, omumwayina Abisai ogwongundu onkwawo naIttai gwokuGat gwongundu ontintatu. Omukwaniilwa nokwa ti kaantu ye: “Otandi yi nane ngame mwene.”
3 Aantu oya yamukula ya ti: “Ku na kuya natse. Itashi ti unene sha komutondi, ngele yamwe yomutse taa fadhuka po, nenge ngaa nokuli etata lyetu tali dhipagwa po; ihe ngoye ou na ondilo u thike paantu omayuvi omulongo gomutse. Otashi opala, nge to kala mpoka moshilando e to tu tumine ekwatho.”
4 Omukwaniilwa okwa yamukula a ti: “Ote ningi shoka tamu tala shu uka.” Nena okwa thikama pooha dhosheelo, aalumentu ye sho taa katuka momatanga geyuvi nogethele. 5 Okwa lombwele Joab, Abisai naIttai a ti: “Inamu ehameka omugundjuka Absalom molwandje.” Omatanga agehe oga li gu uvite ko sho David ta lombwele omalenga ge.
6 Aakwiita yaDavid oya yi e taa kondjitha Aaisraeli mokuti kwaEfraim. 7 Aaisraeli oya sindika kaakwiita yaDavid. Olugodhi olwa li olululululu; aalumentu omayuvi omilongo mbali ya dhipagwa esiku ndyoka. 8 Olugodhi lwa taandele noshikandjo ashihe, aantu oyendji noya sile mokuti ye vule mboka ya sile molugodhi.
9 Ohaluka Absalom a tsakaneke yamwe yomaantu yaDavid. Absalom okwa li a londa kemulutiya, nolyo sho lye ende meni lyomuti omunene gwomwandi, okwa patekene pokati kiitayi. Emulutiya lya fadhuka po, naAbsalom okwa kala e endjelela. 10 Gumwe gwomaantu yaDavid okwe mu mono e te shi tseyithile Joab ta ti: “Tatekulu, onda mono Absalom e endjelela momwandi!”
11 Joab okwa yamukula a ti: “Ngele owe mu mona, omolwashike inoo mu dhipagela mo? Ando ngame mwene otii ku pe iimaliwa yiisiliveli omulongo nekwamo.”
12 Ihe omulumentu okwa yamukula a ti. “Nando nee u pe ndje iimaliwa yiisiliveli eyuvi, ite yelutha omunwe, ndi kondjithe omuna gwokombanda. Tse otu uvu shoka omukwaniilwa te mu kumagidha ne naAbisai naIttai, sho a ti: ‘Omugundjuka Absalom inamu mu ehameka omolwandje.’ 13 Ihe ngele ine vulika komukwaniilwa e tandi dhipaga Absalom, omukwaniilwa one shi uvu, ndishi ihu uvilwa nangoye ito ka popila ndje.”
14 Joab okwa ti: “Itandi mana po ethimbo nangoye.” Okwa kutha omagonga gatatu e te ga tsu montulo yaAbsalom, manga e na omwenyo e endjelela momwandi. 15 Nena aakwiita yaJoab omulongo oya hedha ko noya sigula Absalom.
16 Joab okwa hikitha ohiya, olugodhi lu zimbuke, nomatanga ge oga galuka kokutidha Aaisraeli. 17 Oya kutha ko omudhimba gwaAbsalom e taye gu umbile moshilambo oshile mokuti e taa siikile ko nondumba onene yomamanya. Aaisraeli ayehe oya fadhuka po, shaa ngoka kaandjawo.
18 Absalom sho a li e na omwenyo, okwi idhikithile ondhimbuluthomanya ye mwene mEsilu lyaakwaniilwa, oshoka ka li e na omwanamati a kaleke po edhina lye li na omwenyo. Okwe yi ilukile ye mwene, nosigo onena oya tseyika “Ondhimbulutho yaAbsalom.”
David ta hokololelwa eso lyaAbsalom
19 Nena Ahimaaz yaSadok okwa ti kuJoab: “Pitika, ndi ye komukwaniilwa nda tya onkundana ombwanawa tayi hokolola Omuwa e mu hupitha kaatondi ye.”
20 Joab okwa ti: “Aawe, nena ito fala oonkundana oombwanawa. Esiku lyanofu oto ke shi ninga, ihe hanena, oshoka omuna gwokombanda okwa si.” 21 Nena okwa ti komupika gwe Omukusha: “Inda, u ka lombwele omukwaniilwa shoka wa mono.” Omupika okwi inyongamene pevi e ta yi ta matuka.
22 Ahimaaz okwa tsitsimike a ti: “Hi na ko naashoka tashi ningwa. Pitika ndje, ndi fale wo onkundana.”
Joab okwe mu pula a ti: “Mentu gwandje, omolwashike ano wa hala oku shi ninga? Ito ka mona ondjambi yasha.”
23 Ahimaaz okwa ti ishewe: “Onda hala okuya.”
Nena Joab okwa ti: “Inda.” Osho ngaaka Ahimaaz a matuka nondjila yesilu lyaJordan, nokwa pitilile nziya omupika.
24 David okwa li a kuutumba pomapitilo pokati komiyelo adhihe mbali dhoshilando. Omupekapeki okwa ka londa kombanda yekuma e ta thikama kontala yekuma lyopomiyelo. Okwa ligamene ko e ta mono omuntu ti imatukile oye awike. 25 Okwi igidha ta lombwele omukwaniilwa. Omukwaniilwa okwa ti: “Ngele oye awike, ote eta onkundana ombwanawa.” Omumatuki okwa hedha popepi, te ya, te ya.
26 Nena omupekapeki okwa mono omumatuki omukwawo e li awike, nokwi igidha komukeeleli gwomweelo ta ti: “Tala! Otaku zi ishewe omuntu ta matuka.”
Omukwaniilwa okwa yamukula a ti: “Nguka wo ote eta onkundana ombwanawa.”
27 Omupekapeki okwa ti: “Ote vulu okumona kutya omumatuki gwokomeho oku na iimatuka ya fa yaAhimaaz.”
Omukwaniilwa okwa ti: “Ote eta onkundana ombwanawa, oshoka oye omulumentu omwaanawa.”
28 Ahimaaz okwi igidha ekundo komukwaniilwa, okwi ihata pevi komeho gomukwaniilwa e ta ti: “Hambelela Omuwa Kalunga koye, ngoka e ku pe esindano lyokusinda aantu mboka ye ku tukulile oshipotha, ye ku kondjithe, Nkeyama!”
29 Omukwaniilwa okwa pula a ti: “Omugundjuka Absalom oku li tuu nawa?”
Ahimaaz okwa yamukula a ti: “Tatekulu, elenga lyoye Joab sho lya tumu ndje, onda mono epiyagano enene, ihe ite vulu okutya, olyashike.”
30 Omukwaniilwa okwa ti: “Thikama ano mpee,” nokwa yi e ta thikama poluha.
31 Nena omupika okwa thiki e ta ti komukwaniilwa: “Onde eta onkundana ombwanawa, Nkeyama. Nena Omuwa okwe ku pe esindano lyokusinda ayehe mboka ye ku tukulile oshipotha!”
32 Omukwaniilwa okwa pula a ti: “Omugundjuka Absalom oku li nawa?”
Omupika okwa yamukula a ti: “Onda hala shoka she mu ningilwa, otashi ningilwa aatondi yoye ayehe, tatekulu, notashi ningilwa ayehe mboka taye ku tukulile oshipotha.”
33 Omukwaniilwa nokwa kwatwa koluhodhi olunene. Okwa londo a yi mondunda kombanda yosheelo e ta lili. Manga te ende, okwa lili ta ti: “Mentu gwandje! Omumwandje Absalom! Absalom, mentu gwandje! Ando nda sile peha lyoye, mentu gwandje! Absalom omumwandje!”
