Husai ma pukisa Absalom
1 Ahitofel wa tja nai ku Absalom: “Ndji esa mbi toore ovarumendu 12,000, nu mbi tezere David mouṱuku mbunombwi. 2 Ami me mu rwisa ngunda a urwa na ngundipara, nu me mu urumisa; ovarumendu mba avehe mbe ri puna ye mave taura, nami me zepa ombara aiyerike. 3 Ami me kotora otjiwaṋa atjihe kove tjimuna omukazendu ngu ma yaruka komurumendu we. Ove movanga okuzepa omurumendu ngwi umwe uriri, nungwari otjiwaṋa atjihe movanga okutjiyama.” 4 Omambo nga ya tjata ku Absalom na kovanane avehe vOvaisrael.
5 Nungwari Absalom wa tja nai: “Isana Omuarki Husai wina, tu zuve kutja ma tja vi.” 6 Nu Husai tje ya, Absalom arire tja tja ku ye: “Ondunge ya Ahitofel ndje tu pe, oyo ndji; ngatu kongorere yo? Nu tje he ri nao, tu raera kutja ngatu tjite vi.”
7 Husai arire tja ziri ku Absalom a tja: “Otjikando hi ondunge ya Ahitofel ndje ku pe, kambwa. 8 Ove mo tjiwa nawa kutja iho David novarwe ve wovita owo ozombangaṋe, nokutja owo ovindandi tjimuna ongwe onḓenḓu ndja vakerwa ounatje wayo. 9 Tara, eye ngahino wa ṱara morupoko poo poṋa parwe; nu ndoovazu momautiro wotjirwa ovarumendu voye tjiva va ṱu, auhe ngwa zuu ihi ma hungire kutja ovandu mbe ri komukuma wa Absalom va haverwa. 10 Tjandje nangarire omundu ombanḓe tjinene povakwao, ngu nomutima wongeyama, ma mumapara; orondu Israel atjihe matji tjiwa kutja iho ombangaṋe, nokutja u novarumendu ovarwe ozombanḓe 11 Ondunge yandje oyo ndji: Woronganisira Ovaisrael avehe pove, okuza kOdan nga kOberseba ve takavare otja eheke komukuro wokuvare, nove omuini u ve hongorere movita. 12 Tji twa vaza David poṋa ngamwa apehe pe ri, matu wire kombanda ye otja omueme tji u wira kombanda yehi, nu katu nokumuhupisa, nangarire ovarumendu mbe ri puna ye. 13 Neye tja yaruka motjihuro ngamwa atjihe, Ovaisrael avehe otji mave eta ozongoze ozonḓeu ku tjo, neṱe matu tji raurire motjana nga tji pe hi nakusewa ewe nangarire rimwe.”
14 Absalom nOvaisrael avehe va tja nai: “Ondunge yOmuarki Husai ombwa pu indji ya Ahitofel!” Nungwari Muhona ongwa tjita kutja ondunge ya Ahitofel i imbirahiwe, tjinga a vanga okueta otjiwonga kombanda ya Absalom.
David ma tjivisiwa na taura
15 Okuzambo Husai wa tjivisa nai kovapristeri ooSadok na Abiatar: “Ahitofel wa popa Absalom novanane vOvaisrael kutja ve tjite nai, nungwari ami mbe ve pa ondunge yarwe. 16 Nambano hakahaneye okutjivisa omambo nga ku David: ‘Ouṱuku mbwi o kara pomakondero woruronḓu mokuti onguza, nungwari kakonde onḓonḓu Jordan tjimanga kutja ombara novandu vayo avehe ave ha yandekwa.’”
17 Jonatan, omuzandu wa Abiatar, na Ahimaas, omuzandu wa Sadok, ave undjire poruharwi Rogel, orondu va tjita kutja ave ha munika tji mave hiti motjihuro. Nomukarere omukazendu aa i ngo aruhe okukeveraera mbya tjitwa, nowo otjaave karaera ombuze ndji kombara David. 18 Nungwari omuzandu worive we ve muna, na karaera Absalom. Nu aveyevari otji va hakahana nave i kondjuwo yomurumendu worive mObahurim ngwa ri nombu monganda ye, nowo omu va kapunda. 19 Nomukazendu womurumendu ngo wa toora otjikutjire ne tji yara potjinyo tjombu; neye wa tirira ko ovirya kutja ape ha ningi omundu ngu ma tjiza. 20 Novarumendu va Absalom tji ve ya komukazendu mondjuwo, va pura ave tja: “OoAhimaas na Jonatan ve ri pi?”
Nomukazendu we ve zira a tja: “Va kondo oruronḓu.”
Novakarere va Absalom ve ve paha nave he ve munu, notji va yaruka kOjerusalem. 21 Novakarere va Absalom tji va za nokuyaruka, Ahimaas na Jonatan arire tji va piti mombu nave kaserekarera avihe mbi kombara David ave tja ku ye: “Womborokeye nu kakondeye onḓonḓu Jordan tjimanga, orondu Ahitofel wa tungire eṋe ondunge yorive.” 22 David novandu ve otji va uta okukakonda onḓonḓu Jordan. Nu tji pa tji avehe tjandje va kondo komukuma mbwina, nu kape na umwe ngwa sewa kombunda.
23 Ahitofel tja munu kutja ondunge ye kai ungurisirwe, otja kutira okasino ke na yaruka kotjirongo tje. Nu tja za nokuṱuna oviṋa vye avihe mondjuwo, arire tje rireke; neye wa pakwa meyendo ra ihe.
24 David tja kavaza kotjirongo Mahanaim, Absalom tjandje wa kakonda onḓonḓu Jordan puna Ovaisrael avehe. 25 Absalom wa yandjere ouhongore wotjimbumba tjovita ku Amasa, moruveze rwa Joab. Amasa wa ri omuzandu wa Jeter, Omuismael. Ina wa ri Abigail, omusuko wa Nahas, oomuangu nerumbi na Seruja; Seruja onguri ina ya Joab. 26 Absalom nOvaisrael avehe va tona ozondanda mehi ra Gilead.
27 Nu David tje ya kotjirongo tja Mahanaim, arire tja tjakanenwa i Sobi, omuzandu wa Nahas, ngwa zire kOraba, otjihuro tjOvaamoni, na Makir, omuzandu wa Amiel, ngwa zire kotjihuro Lo-Dabar, na Barsilai ngwa zire kotjihuro Roglim. 28 Nowo va eta oviṋa mbi ku David: Ovirare novitjuma, nozonyungu zomunoko novikokotwa novirya, noruhere, novikokotwa mbya ngarurwa, nomakunde noupapitjenga, 29 nouitji wokuti, nomaere nozonyanda norueru. Orondu tji ve ripura kutja ovandu mave ṱondjara nonyota nu mave urirwa mokuti onguza.
1 Ahithophel said to Absalom:
Let me choose 12,000 men and attack David tonight, 2 while he is tired and discouraged. He will panic, and everyone with him will run away. I won't kill anyone except David, 3 since he's the one you want to get rid of. Then I'll bring the whole nation back to you like a bride coming home to her husband. This way there won't be a civil war.
Hushai Fools Absalom
4 Absalom and all the leaders of the tribes of Israel agreed that Ahithophel had a good plan. 5 Then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the Archite. Let's hear what he has to say.”
6 Hushai came in, and Absalom told him what Ahithophel had planned. Then Absalom said, “Should we do what he says? And if we shouldn't, can you come up with anything better?”
7 Hushai said:
This time Ahithophel's advice isn't so good. 8 You know that your father and his followers are real warriors. Now they are as fierce as a mother bear whose cubs have just been killed. Besides, your father has a lot of experience in fighting wars, and he won't be spending the night with the others. 9 He has probably already found a hiding place in a cave or somewhere else.
As soon as anyone hears that some of your soldiers have been killed, everyone will think your whole army has been destroyed. 10 Then even those who are as brave as a lion will lose their courage. All Israel knows what a great warrior your father is and what brave soldiers he has.
11 My advice is to gather all the fighting men of Israel from the town of Dan in the north down to the town of Beersheba in the south. You will have more soldiers than there are grains of sand on the seashore. Absalom, you should lead them yourself, 12 and we will all go to fight David wherever he is. We will fall on him just as dew falls and covers the ground. He and all his soldiers will die! 13 If they go into a walled town, we will put ropes around that town and drag it into the river. We won't leave even one small piece of a stone.
14 Absalom and the others liked Hushai's plan better than Ahithophel's plan. This was because the Lord had decided to keep Ahithophel's plan from working and to cause trouble for Absalom.
Jonathan and Ahimaaz Tell David the News
15 At once, Hushai went to Zadok and Abiathar. He told them what advice Ahithophel had given to Absalom and to the leaders of Israel. He also told them about the advice he had given. 16 Then he said, “Hurry! Send someone to warn David not to spend the night on this side of the Jordan. He must get across the river, so he and the others won't be wiped out!”
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been waiting at Rogel Spring because they did not want to be seen in Jerusalem. A servant girl went to the spring and gave them the message for David. 18 But a young man saw them and went to tell Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left and hurried to the house of a man who lived in Bahurim. Then they climbed down into a well in the courtyard. 19 The man's wife put the cover on the well and poured grain on top of it, so the well could not be seen.
20 Absalom's soldiers came to the woman and demanded, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The woman answered, “They went across that stream.”
The soldiers went off to look for the two men. But when they did not find the men, they went back to Jerusalem.
21 After the soldiers had gone, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went to David and said, “Hurry! Get ready to cross the river!” Then they told him about Ahithophel's plan.
22 David and the others got ready and started crossing the Jordan River. By sunrise all of them were on the other side.
Ahithophel Kills Himself
23 When Ahithophel saw that Absalom and the leaders of Israel were not going to follow his advice, he saddled his donkey and rode back to his home in Gilo. He told his family and servants what to do. Then he hanged himself, and they buried him in his family's burial place.
Absalom Puts Amasa in Charge of the Army
24 David went to the town of Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan River with the army of Israel. 25 Absalom put Amasa in Joab's place as commander of the army. Amasa's father was Ithra from the family of Ishmael, and his mother was Abigal, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah. 26 The Israelites under Absalom's command set up camp in the region of Gilead.
Friends Bring Supplies to David
27 After David came to the town of Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash came from Rabbah in Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel came from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim.
28-29 Here is a list of what they brought: sleeping mats, blankets, bowls, pottery jars, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, yogurt, sheep, and cheese.
They brought the food for David and the others because they knew that everyone would be hungry, tired, and thirsty from being out in the desert.
