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!”
Absalommi di ǁōb
1 Gao-aob Davidi ge ǁîb toroǃkhamaoga ǃnandi ǃnâ ǀgoraǂgā tsî ǂamkhoega danase ǁîdi ǂama ge mâi; ǀnîga ǀoadisigu danase tsî nauga kaidisigu danase. 2 Tsîb ge ǁîga ǃnona ǃâdi ǃnâ ge ǀgoraǂgā, ǀguisa Joab ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka, ǀguisa Joab ǃgâsab Abisaib, Serujas ôab ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka tsî ǀguisa Ittaib, Gats dib ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka. Tsîb ge gao-aoba toroǂnubis ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ge aitsama sago ǀkha nî ǃgûǂoa.”
3 Xawe gu ge aoga ge mî: “Satsa tā sige ǀkha ǃgûǂoa. Sige ga ǁhâ, xawe gu ge ǁîga sige ǀkha ǁae tide; ǃkhare ǃâb sige dib ga ǁō, xawes tsîna gu ge ǁae tide, xawe sats ge disiǀoadisigu sige digu ase ī. ǃGâi ga ǃkhais ge ǃāsa xu ǀguits ga huiba sîba gesa.”
4 Ob ge gao-aoba “Tita ge sago a ǃgâiba khami nî dī” ti ge ǃeream. Tsîb ge gao-aoba hoaraga toroǂnubis ǃnandi kaidisise tsî ǀoadisise ra ǃgûǂoa hîa ǃās di dao-ams xōǀkhā sī ge mâ. 5 Tsîb ge gao-aoba Joab tsî Abisaib tsî Ittaib tsîga ge mîmā “Tita ǃaroma go ǂkham khoeb Absalomma ǂause sîsenū re.” Toroǂnubis hoas ge mâtib gao-aoba ǃkhōdana-aoga Absalommi ǂama ra mîmā ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu.
6 Tsîs ge ǂnubisa Israeli ǃoagu nî ǃkhamse ǃgarob ai ge ǂoa tsî gu ge Efraimmi haiǀgoms ǃnâ ge ǃkhamgu. 7 Israelǁîgu ge Davidi aogu xa ge danhe tsîs ge kaise kai ǂnubisa ge ǃgamhe; ǀgamdisiǀoadisi aogu ge ǁnātsē ge ǁō. 8 Torob ge ǃaub hoab ǃnâ ge khoraǂuisen tsîn ge ǀgom haina ǁnātsē, ǃkhammi ǃnâ ge ǁōgu ǃgâ-ai ǃnāsa khoegu ǁōba ge ǃaroma.
9 ǃÂubasen tama hâseb ge Absalomma, muli-i aib ǃgapi hâ hîa Davidi khoegu ǀkha ge ǀhao. Mulib ge kai aikehais ǁnâugu ǃnaka a ǃkharu, os ge Absalommi danasa aikehais di ǃnau ǁnâugu ǃnâ ge ǁhaumâ. Mulib ge ge ǃkhoeǃkharu tsîb ge Absalomma ǁnāpa mâ gere ǀhara. 10 Ob ge ǀgui khoeba mû bib geo, Joaba sī ge mîba: “Absalomma ta ge aikehais ǃnâb mâ ra ǀharase go mû.”
11 Ob ge Joaba ǁnāsa go ǂanǂan bi khoeb ǃoa ge mî: “Mû bits go, o tare-i ǃaromats ǃkhais ai ǃgam bi tama go i? O ta ge tita disi ǀhaiǀuri maridi tsî ǀō-aisa ǃgaesenni tsîna ga mā tsi hâ.”
12 Xaweb ge ǁnā khoeba Joaba ge ǃeream: “ǀOadisi ǀhaiǀuri maride ta ga ti ǃommi ǃnâ māhe, xawes tsîna ta ga ti ǃomma gao-aob ôab ǃoagu ūkhâi tama i hâ. Sige hoage kom ge ǁnâuo, gao-aob ge sats tsî Abisaib tsî Ittaib tsîgo ‘Tita ǃaroma ǂkham khoeb Absalomma sâu re’ ti mîmāsa.” 13 ǁÎb ge ǃaruǀî ge mî: “Tsî tsūse ta ga dī hâ, xaweb ge gao-aoba ga ǂan hâ, xū-i xare-i ǁîba ǂganǃgâsaba tama xui-ao. Tsî sats ge ga hui te tama hâ.”
14 Ob ge Joaba “Sats ǀkha ta nēti mâ ǁaeǁore tide” ti mî tsî ǃnona ǁhâigôaga ū tsî ǁîga noxopab ûitsamase aikehais ǃnâ mâ ra ǀhara hîa Absalommi ǂgaob ǃnâ ge ǃkhāǂgā. 15 Tsî gu ge disi khoegu Joab ǁâtanina ra taniga Absalomma xāǂgā tsî ge ǂnauǃan.
16 Ob ge Joaba xâiǁnâsa ge xâi tsîs ge ǁîb toroǂnubisa Israelǁîga ge ǃgôaǃgonǀû. ǁNātib ge Joaba toroǂnubisa ge oaǀkhī kai. 17 Tsî gu ge Absalommi sorosa ū tsî haiǀgoms tawa, ǃgam āb ǃnâ aoǂgā tsî ǁîb ai kai ǁkhobos ǀuiga ge ǀhaoǀhaoǂnûi. Israelǁîn hoan ge omdi ân ǁga ge ǃkhoeni.
18 Absalommi ge noxopab a ûitsama hîa ǂâiǂâisensaosa gao-aogu ǃgoaǃnāb ǃnâ ge dībasen hâ i, ǁîb ǀonsa nî aiǃgû kai ǀgôabab ge ūhâ tama hâ i xui-ao. ǁNā-amagab ge ǁnā saosa ǁîb ǀons ǃoa ge ǀonǂgai tsîs ge nētsēs kōse “Absalommi ǂÂiǂâisensaos” ti ra ǀonǂgaihe.
Davidi ge Absalommi ǁōba ra ǂhôahe
19 Ob ge Sadoki ôab Ahimaasa ge mî: “A ta ǃkhoe tsî gao-aoba nē ǃgâi ǂhôa-e sī mîba, ǃKhūb go khākhoeb âba xu ǃnora kai bi ǃkhaisa.”
20 Xaweb ge Joaba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Sa tidets ge nētsē nē ǂhôa-e nî ǃgû-ūtsa. ǀKhara tsēts ge ǁnāsa a dī ǁkhā, xawe nētsēs ose, gao-aob ôab go ǁō amaga.” 21 Tsîb ge Kusǁîba ge mîmā: “ǃGû, îts gao-aoba mûts gona sī mîba.” Ob ge ǁîba Joab aiǃâ ǃhon tsî ǁnāpa xu ge ǃkhoe.
22 Ob ge Sadoki ôab Ahimaasa ǁkhāba Joab ǃoa ge mî: “Tare-i ǀgui-i ga ī xawe a ta Kusǁîba ǃkhoesao.”
Ob ge Joaba “Tare-i ǃaromats ra ǃkhoe ǂgao, ti ôa? Sats kom matare-i xare-e ǁnās ǃaroma ǃkhōǃoa tideo” ti ge ǃeream.
23 “Tare-i ǀgui-i ga ī xawe ta ge nî ǃkhoe” tib ge ǁîba ge mî.
Ob ge Joaba “O ǁnâi ǃkhoe re” ti ge ǃeream bi. Ob ge Ahimaasa Jordanǀkharib ǂgāsa-u ǃkhoe tsî Kusǁîba ge ǃkharuǀkhā.
24 ǃĀs di dao-ams ǃnâb Davida ǂnôa hîab ge ǃkhē-aoba ǂnubiǂgoab ai ǂoa tsî dao-ams ǀgapise sī ge mâ; tsî kōkhâib ge, ob ge ǀguri ǃkhoeǃgoaxa khoeba ge mû. 25 Ob ge ǃkhē-aoba gao-aob ǃoa ǂgai tsî ǁnā ǃkhaisa ge mîba bi. Ob ge gao-aoba “ǀGurib ga hâ, ob ge ǂhôa-e ūhâ” ti ge mî. Tsî ǃkhoe-aob ge ǃaruǀîǀgui ge ǃkhoeǀgū.
26 ǃKhē-aob ge noxopa ǀnî khoeb hîa ǃkhoeǃgoaxaba mû tsî ǃās di dao-ams ǃûi-aob ǃoa ǂgai tsî “Kō, noxopab ge ǀnî khoeba ǀguri ǃkhoeǃgoaxa” ti ge mî.
Ob ge gao-aoba “ǁÎb tsîn ge ǂhôa-e ra hā-ū” ti ge ǃeream.
27 ǃAruǀîb ge ǃkhē-aoba ge mî: “ǂGurob ge Sadoki ôab Ahimaasi khami ra ǃkhoe.”
Ob ge gao-aoba ge mî: “ǁNāb ge ǃgâi khoeba, ǁîb ge ǃgâi ǂhôa-e ra hā-ū.”
28 Ahimaasi ge “ǂKhîb” ti ǂgaiǂui tsî gao-aob aiǃâ ǃhūb kōse ǃgamǃgâ tsî ge mî: “Ab koahe re ǃKhūb sa Elob, ǁnā khoegu gao-aots ǃoagu go khâikhâisenga go hîkākāba.”
29 “ǂKham khoeb Absalomma ǃgâiseb hâ?” tib ge gao-aoba ge dî.
Ob ge Ahimaasa ge ǃeream: “Sa ǂamkhoeb Joab go sî te ǁaeb ai ta ge kai ǀgarusasiba go mû, xawe ta ge a ǀū tare-i go ī ǃkhaisa.”
30 Gao-aob ge “Nauǀkhāb ai sī mâ” ti a mîmā bi, ob ge sī ge mâ.
31 Tsîb ge Kusǁîba hā tsî gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Gao-aotse, ǃgâi ǂhôa-e ta ge ūba tsi hâ. ǃKhūb ge nētsē, ǁnāgu sa ǃoagu ra khâikhâisenga xu go ǃnora kai tsi.”
32 Tsî gao-aob ge “ǂKham khoeb Absalomma ǃgâiseb hâ?” ti ge dî bi.
Ob ge Kusǁîba ge ǃeream: “Gao-aots di khākhoen tsî ǁnān satsa ra mâǃoan tsîna an ǁnā ǂkham khoeb khami hābahe.”
33 Ob ge gao-aoba kaise tsūse ge tsâ tsîb ge ǃās di dao-ams ǀgapise hâ ǃnā-oms ǃoa ǂoa tsî sī ge ā. Tsîb ge ǃgûgaruse “Ti ôa Absalomtse, ti ôatse, ti ôa Absalomtse. Tita ge ǁnâi sa ǃās ǃnâ ga ǁō hâ, ti ôa Absalomtse, ti ôatse, ti ôatse” ti gere mî.
