Joab Arranges for Absalom's Return
1 Joab knew that King David missed Absalom very much, 2 so he sent for a clever woman who lived in Tekoa. When she arrived, he said to her, “Pretend that you are in mourning; put on your mourning clothes, and don't comb your hair. Act like a woman who has been in mourning for a long time. 3 Then go to the king and say to him what I tell you to say.” Then Joab told her what to say.
4 The woman went to the king, bowed down to the ground in respect, and said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”
5 “What do you want?” he asked her.
“I am a poor widow, sir,” she answered. “My husband is dead. 6 Sir, I had two sons, and one day they got into a quarrel out in the fields, where there was no one to separate them, and one of them killed the other. 7 And now, sir, all my relatives have turned against me and are demanding that I hand my son over to them, so that they can kill him for murdering his brother. If they do this, I will be left without a son. They will destroy my last hope and leave my husband without a son to keep his name alive.”
8 “Go back home,” the king answered, “and I will take care of the matter.”
9 “Your Majesty,” she said, “whatever you do, my family and I will take the blame; you and the royal family are innocent.”
10 The king replied, “If anyone threatens you, bring him to me, and he will never bother you again.”
11 She said, “Your Majesty, please pray to the Lord your God, so that my relative who is responsible for avenging the death of my son will not commit a greater crime by killing my other son.”
“I promise by the living Lord,” David replied, “that your son will not be harmed in the least.”
12 “Please, Your Majesty, let me say just one more thing,” the woman said.
“All right,” he answered.
13 She said to him, “Why have you done such a wrong to God's people? You have not allowed your own son to return from exile, and so you have condemned yourself by what you have just said. 14 We will all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which can't be gathered again. Even God does not bring the dead back to life, but the king can at least find a way to bring a man back from exile. 15 Now, Your Majesty, the reason I have come to speak to you is that the people threatened me, and so I said to myself that I would speak to you in the hope that you would do what I ask. 16 I thought you would listen to me and save me from the one who is trying to kill my son and me and so remove us from the land God gave his people. 17 I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you!”
18 The king answered, “I'm going to ask you a question, and you must tell me the whole truth.”
“Ask me anything, Your Majesty,” she answered.
19 “Did Joab put you up to this?” he asked her.
She answered, “I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say. 20 But he did it in order to straighten out this whole matter. Your Majesty is as wise as the angel of God and knows everything that happens.”
21 Later on the king said to Joab, “I have decided to do what you want. Go and get the young man Absalom and bring him back here.”
22 Joab threw himself to the ground in front of David in respect, and said, “God bless you, Your Majesty! Now I know that you are pleased with me, because you have granted my request.” 23 Then he got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 The king, however, gave orders that Absalom should not live in the palace. “I don't want to see him,” the king said. So Absalom lived in his own house and did not appear before the king.
Absalom Is Reconciled to David
25 There was no one in Israel as famous for his good looks as Absalom; he had no defect from head to toe. 26 His hair was very thick, and he had to cut it once a year, when it grew too long and heavy. It would weigh about five pounds according to the royal standard of weights. 27 Absalom had three sons and one daughter named Tamar, a very beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king. 29 Then he sent for Joab, to ask him to go to the king for him; but Joab would not come. Again Absalom sent for him, and again Joab refused to come. 30 So Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and it has barley growing in it. Go and set fire to it.” So they went and set the field on fire.
31 Joab went to Absalom's house and demanded, “Why did your servants set fire to my field?”
32 Absalom answered, “Because you wouldn't come when I sent for you. I wanted you to go to the king and ask for me: ‘Why did I leave Geshur and come here? It would have been better for me to have stayed there.’” And Absalom went on, “I want you to arrange for me to see the king, and if I'm guilty, then let him put me to death.”
33 So Joab went to King David and told him what Absalom had said. The king sent for Absalom, who went to him and bowed down to the ground in front of him. The king welcomed him with a kiss.
Joab ge Absalommi oasa ra aiǂhomi
1 Serujas ôab, Joab ge ge hōǃâ gao-aob Davidi Absalomma ra ǁkhore ǃkhaisa. 2 Ob ge gā-ai tarasa Tekoasa xu ǂgaihā kai tsî ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “ǃOa ra khami dīsen, îs ǃoab sarana ana, î tā oli-i ǀkha soposen, î ǁō ge khoe-i ǃaroma ǀnai ǂomxa ǁaeba ǃoa hâ tara-i khami tanisen. 3 Gao-aoba ǃoa ǃgû, îs tita nî mîba si khami ǁîb ǀkha sī ǃhoa.” Tsîb ge Joaba tare-es nî mî ǃkhaisa ge mîba si.
4 Os ge Tekoaǁî tarasa gao-aob tawa sī, ǁîb aiǃâ ǃhūb kōse ǃgamǃgâ tsî “Hui te re, ǃgôahesatse” ti ge mî.
5 “Tare-es ra huihe ǂgao?” tib ge gao-aoba ǁîsa ge dî.
Os ge ge ǃeream: “Tita ge ǀkhomǀkhomsa ǃoatarata; ti aob ge ge ǁō. 6 ǀGam ǀgôakha ta ge ge ūhâ i. ǁÎkha ge ǃaub ǃnâ ge ǂkhaba tsî ǀnae-ao-i xare-i ge ǀkhai i xui-aob ge ǀguiba nauba ge ǃgam. 7 Tsî nēsin ge hoaraga ǀaokhoena khâiǀkhā te tsî ra mî: ‘ǁNā ǀgôab ǃgâsab âba go ǃgamma mā da, î da ǁîb ona ǃgâsab âb ǃaroma ǃgam. Nētin ge ǀumi-aob ona nî hîkākā.’ ǁÎn ge ǀuniga mûmainǃgâb tiba ra hîkākā ǂgao, tsîb ge ǁgûb ǀonsa aiǃgû-ū ǁkhā tide tsî ǁgûba xū-i xare-e ǃhūbaib ai ǃgauba tide.”
8 Ob ge gao-aoba ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “Sa oms ǁga oa re, tita ge nē ǁhōba nî dība si xuige.”
9 Xawes ge ǁîsa ge mî: “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, as ǀhapisa tita tsî ti îb surib di, sats tsî sa gao-aosi suriba ab ǀhapio.”
10 Ob ge gao-aoba ge ǃeream: “Khoe-i ga nēs xa ǁkhawa sas ǀkha ǃhoao, ǁî-e tita ǃoa hā-ū, o-i ge ǁkhawa ǂhani si tide.”
11 Os ge tarasa ge mî: “ǃGôahesatse, ǃKhūb sa Elob ǃoa ǀgore re, in tā ǀkhao-aona ti ôaba ǃgam.”
Ob ge gao-aob Davida ge mî: “ǃKhūb a ûitsama ǃkhais aob ge ǀgui ǀûb sa ôab dib tsîna ǃhūb ai ǁnā tide.”
12 Os ge ǁîsa “A ta noxopa ǀgui xūro-i ǀgui-e gao-aots ǃoa mî re” ti ge ǂgan.
Ob ge gao-aoba “ǃHoa re” ti ge mî.
13 ǃNubais ge ǁîsa ge mî: “Tare xū-i ǃaromats ǁnâi nēti ī tsū xū-e Elob ǁaes ǃoagu ra dī ǂgao? Nē mîdi hîats go ǃhoadi ǀkhats ge aitsama ǀhapixats a ǃkhaisa go ǁgau; sats ge sa ôab saurubēhe hâba oaǀkhī kai tama hâ. 14 Sida hoada kom nî ǁō-o tsî ǁgam-i ǃhūb ai ǁhōxūhe hâ-i tsî ǁkhawa a ǀhaoǀhaohe ǁoa-i khami nî īo. Elob ge ûiba ūbē tama hâ tsîb ge ra dī saurubēhe hâ-i ǁkhawa nî oahāsa. 15 Tita ge nē ǃkhaisa nēsi gao-aots ǀkha hā goro ǃhoa, khoen go ǃaoǃao te xui-ao; ǁnā-amaga ta ge go ǂâi gao-aots ǀkha ta hā nî ǃhoasa, ǀnîsits xū-e nē ǁhōb ai nî dī amaga. 16 ǂÂi ta ge go sats amase nî ǃgâ te tsîts ǁnān tita tsî ti ôab tsîma Elob ǁaesa xu ra hîkākā ǂgaon di ǃomǁaeba xu nî huiǂui tesa. 17 ǃAruǀî ta ge sats Elob ǀhomǃgā-i khami ī tsîts ǃgâin tsî tsūn ǁaegu a ǀgora ǁkhā xui-ao go ǂâi, sa mîmâis nî ǂkhîǂkhî tesa. Ab ǃKhūb sa Eloba hâǀkhā tsi re.”
18 Ob ge gao-aoba ge ǃeream: “Nēsi ta ga dî sio, xū-i xare-e tā tita xu gaugau.”
Os ge ǁîsa “Dî te re, ǃgôahesa gao-aotse” ti ge mî.
19 Ob ge gao-aoba “Joaba xare sî si tama?” ti ge dî.
Os ge tarasa ge ǃeream: “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, sats a ûitsama ǃkhais ao, khoe-i xare-i ge satsa a gā ǁoa. Joab, sa ǃoabas ǃnâ mâb ge go sî te. ǁÎb ge tare-e ta nî mîsa go mîba te. 20 Joab ge nēsa go dī, ǀgau-i aib nē ǃkhaisa nî ǃgâiǃgâiga. Xawets ge satsa Elob ǀhomǃgā-i khami a gā-ai tsî hoa xūna a ǂan.”
21 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge gao-aoba Joab ǁga ge mî: “Sats ra ǂgao khami ta ge nî dī. ǃGû, î ǀgôab Absalomma sī ū re.”
22 Ob ge Joaba gao-aob aiǃâ ǃhūb kōse ǃgamǃgâ tsî gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Ab ǃKhūba ǀkhae tsi re. Nēsi ta ge a ǂan tita ǀkhats a ǂkhîǂâixa ǃkhaisa, ǂgan ta go khamits go dī amaga.” 23 Tsîb ge khâi tsî Gesurs ǁga ǃgû tsî Absalomma Jerusalems tawa ge oasī-ū. 24 Xawe gao-aob ge ge mîmā: “Ab ǁîb oms ǂûs ǁga oa, îb tā tita ǃoa hā.” ǁNā-amagab ge Absalomma oms âb ǁga ge oa tsî gao-aob tawa sī tama ge i.
Absalommi ge Davidi ǀkha ra ǂkhîbagu
25 Israeli hoab ǃnâb ge Absalommi khami îxa khoeba ge ǀkhai i. ǁÎb ge danasa xu ǂais kōse ū-i xare-e ge ūhâ tama hâ i. 26 Mâ kurib hoab ǀunis aib ge danaǀûn âba gere ǂkhom, kaisen gere ǃgom xui-ao. Tsî gao-aosi ǀnō-ūdas ain gere ǀnōhe on ge ǀgam kiloxramkha xa ǃnāsase ge ǃgom i. 27 Absalommi ge ǃnona ǀgôagu tsî ǀgui ǀgôas tsîna ge ūhâ i. ǀGôas ge Tamar ti ge ǀon hâ i tsîs ge kaise îxa tarekhoe ge i.
28 Absalommi ge ǀgam kurikha Jerusalems ǃnâ, gao-aoba mû tamase ge hâ. 29 ǁNā-amagab ge Absalomma Joaba ge ǂgai kai, îb ǁîba gao-aoba ǃoa sî, xaweb ge hā ǂgao tama ge i. Ob ge ǀgamǁî ǃnāsab ge sî, xaweb ge Joaba hā ǂgao tama io, 30 Absalomma ǃgāgu âb ǃoa ge mî: “Kō, Joab di ǃhanaǃhūb ge tib xōǀkhā ǁgoe tsî ǃhorob ge ǁîb ai hâ. ǃGû, î go ǁîba sī ǂhubi.” O gu ge ǁîga ǃhanaba sī ge ǂhubi.
31 Ob ge Joaba ǃhaese Absalommi oms tawa sī tsî ǁîba ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaroma gu sa ǃgāga ti ǃhanaba ra ǂhubi?”
32 Ob ge ge ǃeream: “Kō, tita ge go haisiba tsi ‘Nēpa hā, î ta gao-aob ǃoa sî tsi, tare xū-i ǃaroma ta ge Gesursa xu a hā ǃkhaisats nî dîse.’ ǃGâiba te ga hâ ǃkhais ge noxopa ta ga ǁnāpa hâ hâsa. A ta gao-aob tawa sī tsî ǀhapixa ta nîs kao, ab ǁnâi ǃgam te.”
33 Joab ge nēsa gao-aoba sī a mîba, ob ge gao-aoba Absalomma ge ǂgai kai tsîb ge gao-aob tawa ge hā. ǁÎb ge gao-aob aiǃâ ǃhūb kōse ge ǃgamǃgâ tsîb ge gao-aoba ge ǁoatawede bi.
