Absalom Is Defeated and Killed
1 King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them. 2 Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, “I will go with you myself.”
3 “You mustn't go with us,” they answered. “It won't make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run, or even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help.”
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king answered. Then he stood by the side of the gate as his men marched out in units of a thousand and of a hundred. 5 He gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.” And all the troops heard David give this command to his officers.
6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day. 8 The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.
9 Suddenly Absalom met some of David's men. Absalom was riding a mule, and as it went under a large oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the branches. The mule ran on and Absalom was left hanging in midair. 10 One of David's men saw him and reported to Joab, “Sir, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 Joab answered, “If you saw him, why didn't you kill him on the spot? I myself would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man answered, “Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't lift a finger against the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.’ 13 But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it—he hears about everything—and you would not have defended me.”
14 “I'm not going to waste any more time with you,” Joab said. He took three spears and plunged them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, hanging in the oak tree. 15 Then ten of Joab's soldiers closed in on Absalom and finished killing him.
16 Joab had the trumpet blown to stop the fighting, and his troops came back from pursuing the Israelites. 17 They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.
18 During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.
David Is Told of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemies.”
20 “No,” Joab said, “today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead.” 21 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The slave bowed and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz insisted, “I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also.”
“Why do you want to do it, my son?” Joab asked. “You will get no reward for it.”
23 “Whatever happens,” Ahimaaz said again, “I want to go.”
“Then go,” Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave.
24 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called down and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The runner kept coming closer.
26 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running!”
The king answered, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27 The lookout said, “I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz.”
“He's a good man,” the king said, “and he is bringing good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, “Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was.”
30 “Stand over there,” the king told him; and he went over and stood there.
31 Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, “I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!”
32 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
The slave answered, “I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you.”
33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!”
Absalom ma haverwa na ṱu
1 David wa woronganisa ovarwe wovita, mba ri puna ye, na ziki ovahongore vovarumendu eyovi novesere. 2 Neye wa kumukisa ovimbumba vyovita vitatu: Tjimwe kehi youhongore wa Joab, notjikwao kehi youhongore wa Abisai, omuzandu waina Seruja, omuangu wa Joab, notjitjatatu kehi youhongore wa Itai, Omugat. Nombara ya tja nai kovarwe wovita: “Ami wina me kumuka puna eṋe.”
3 Novo va zira nai ku yo: “Ove ko nokusokukumuka puna eṱe! Eṱe tji twa kahaverwa poo nangarire orumbembera rwetu tji rwa kaṱa kape na umwe wawo ngu ma ningi ko na tja na eṱe. Nungwari onḓengu yoye i ṱeki pomayovi omurongo wetu. Atja rira kokuwa kove okukara motjihuro nokutuhindira ombatero.”
4 Ombara arire tji ya ziri nai ku wo: “Me tjiti otja konḓero yeṋu.” Tjazumba ombara otji ya kakurama posi yomuvero wotjihuro, otjimbumba atjihe ngunda ama tji womboroka otja komasere na komayovi wawo. 5 Nombara ya rakiza nai ku Abisai na Joab na Itai: “Amu tjiti otjipo komuzandu Absalom mena randje!” Notjimbumba atjihe tjovita tja zuva imbi ombara mbi ya rakiza kovahongore avehe.
6 Otjimbumba tjovita tjombara tja hinga ovita kuna Ovaisrael, natji ve rwisire mehwa ra Efraim. 7 Otjimbumba tjOvaisrael tja haverwa i ovarumendu va David; notjirwa tja ri otjizeu; nu pa ṱa ovarumendu omayovi omirongo vivari meyuva ndo. 8 Notjirwa tja tandavara morukondwa rwehi ndo, novandu mba ṱira mehwa va ri ovengi pu imba mba ṱa movita.
9 Kamanga Absalom wa hakaena novarumendu va David, ngunda a kavire kokasinokambe ke. Nokasinokambe tji kahita kehi yotutavi twomumbonde omunene omupote, ozondjise ze arire tji ze ripata motutavi twomumbonde. Komuhingo mbwi Absalom otja rekareka komuti, okasinokambe ke ngunda aka tupuka. 10 Omurumendu umwe wa David we mu muna, na kahepura ku Joab a tja: “Muhona, ami mba munu Absalom ama rekareka komumbonde.”
11 Joab arire tja ziri nai komurumendu ngwa eta ombuze ndji: “Nu tji we mu munu, okutjavi tji u he mu zeperere mbo? Andakuzu mbe ku pe ovimariva ovisilveri omurongo, nekwamo.”
12 Nungwari omurumendu ngwi wa zira nai ku Joab: “Nandi we ndji pe ovimariva ovisilveri eyovi rimwe, himee twa eke randje komuzandu wombara. Eṱe twa zuva nomatwi wetu oveni, ombara tji ya raa kove na ku Abisai na ku Itai ai tja: ‘Amu tjiti otjipo komuzandu Absalom mena randje.’ 13 Andakuzu mba kara nokuhinonḓuviro ne mu zepa, ombara itjai zuva otjiṋa hi. Oyo i zuva otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe! Nove kotjo ndji yama.”
14 Joab arire tja tja: “Ami hi nokunyonena oruveze rwandje pove.” Tjazumba otja toora omanga yetatu ne keyetwera momutima wa Absalom, ngunda e nomuinyo nu ama rekareka komumbonde. 15 Novandu omurongo mbaa ve tjindi ovirwise vya Joab va ryama popezu nave zepa Absalom.
16 Nu Joab wa tonisa ohiva okuyandisa otjirwa. Novarwe ve wovita va kotoka nave isa okutezera Ovaisrael. 17 Nowo va turura orurova rwa Absalom nave ru yumbu motjitoto otjikoto mehwa, nave rongere ko ondundu onene yomawe. NOvaisrael va tupuka, auhe koyawo.
18 Absalom ngunda e nomuinyo, we rizikira omuini ewe rotjizemburukiro nda ri mOtjana tjOmbara, ame ripura nai: “Ami hi nomuzandu ngu ma yenene okuṱakamisa ena randje kutja ri zemburukwe.” Neye otja rukira ewe ndi rotjizemburukiro kena re, nu nga ndinondi oro ri isanewa kutja Ewe rOtjizemburukiro tja Absalom.
David ma serekarererwa onḓiro ya Absalom
19 Ahimaas, omuzandu wa Sadok, wa tja nai ku Joab: “Ndji esa mbi tupuke kombara nombuze ombwa ndji yokutja Muhona we mu yama komunavita na ye.”
20 Joab arire tje mu ziri a tja: “Ayee, indee, ove ndino ko nakutwara ombuze ngamwa ombwa. Nungwari eyuva rarwe mo yenene okutjita nao, nu kandino, orondu omuzandu wombara wa koka.” 21 Tjazumba Joab otja tja nai komukarere we Omuetiopi: “Twende, kaserekarerere ombara ihi tji wa munu.” NOmuetiopi we ripeta ku Joab na tupuka.
22 Nungwari Ahimaas, omuzandu wa Sadok, wa tja nai rukwao ku Joab: “Hi na ko na tja na ihi tji matji tjitwa; ndji esa mbi tupuke kombunda yOmuetiopi.”
Joab we mu pura a tja: “Okutjavi tji mo vanga okutjita nao, muatje wandje? Komoo munu mo ondjambi.”
23 Ahimaas wa tja nai: “Ngape tjitwe tji matji tjitwa, ami me tupuka tjimanga.”
Joab otja tja nai ku ye: “Nu tupuka!” Ahimaas otja twara ondjira, ndji tuurunga orutjandja rwa Jordan, na kapita ingwi Omuetiopi.
24 David wa haamene motjitara komivero vyotjihuro tjopokati, owomoukoto nowopendje. Nomutjevere wa karonda kombanda yorumbo na kakurama komututu wokombanda yomuvero. Eye wa yevayeva na munu omurumendu ngu ma utuka erike. 25 Nomutjevere arire tja tjivisa ihi kombara ama ravaere. Nombara arire tji ya tja: “Tje ri erike, ma yeta ombuze ombwa.” Nu omutupuke ngwi wa yenda ama ryama popezu.
26 Nomutjevere wa muna omurumendu outjavari ngu ma utuka erike, notja ravaera komuṱakamise womuvero ama tja: “Tara, maku utuka warwe erike rukwao.”
Nombara ya zira ai tja: “Ingwi wina ma eta ombuze ombwa.”
27 Nomutjevere arire tja tja: “Omurumendu ngwi omutenga ma tupuka otja Ahimaas, omuzandu wa Sadok.”
Ombara arire tji ya tja: “Eye omurumendu omusemba, nu ma eta ombuze ombwa.”
28 Ahimaas wa ravaera na tja nai kombara: “Ohange!” Neye wa wa onḓurumika komurungu wombara na tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi woye, nga tangwe! Eye we ku pe outoṋi kombanda yovarumendu, mba sekamena omuhona wandje ombara.”
29 Ombara arire tji ya pura nai: “Omurumendu omutanda, ingwi Absalom, u ri nawa?”
Ahimaas wa zira a tja: “Mba muna ezunganeno enene, omukarere wombara Joab tja hinda omukarere woye, nungwari hi nokutjiwa kutja pa tjitwa tjike.”
30 Nombara ya tja nai: “Humburuka, u kakurame mbena!” Neye wa humburuka, na kakurama mbo.
31 Tjazumba Omuetiopi otje ya na tja nai kombara: “Muhona wandje ombara, ami mbe ku etere ombuze ombwa! Ndino Muhona we ku pe outoṋi kombanda yaavehe mbe ku sekamena!”
32 Nombara ya pura kOmuetiopi ai tja: “Omuzandu omutanda, ingwi Absalom, u ri nawa?”
NOmuetiopi wa zira nai: “Muhona, ami me zeri kutja ihi tji tja tjitwa ku ye, tji tjitwe kovanavita na ove avehe, na ku imba avehe mbe ku sekamena.”
33 Ombara ya ṱoruhoze tjinene. Noyo ya karonda ketuwo rokombanda yomuvero worumbo nai riri. Nu ngunda amai ryanga metuwo, tjandje mai uru amai tja: “Muatje wandje Absalom! Muatje wandje, muatje wandje Absalom! Andakuzu owami ngu mba koka moruveze rwoye! Arikana Absalom, muatje wandje, muatje wandje!”
