Joab ma tuṋu omakotokero wa Absalom
1 Joab, omuzandu wa Seruja, wa tjiwa kutja ombara David u zera Absalom tjinene. 2 Joab otja hinda ombuze komukazendu onongo ngwa turire mOtekoa kutja e ye ku ye. Omukazendu ngwi tje ya, Joab arire tja tja ku ye: “Ritjita aayo u ri momutambo, nu u zare ozombanda zokupirika, o rivava omaze womiṋinga, nu ritjinda otja omukazendu ngwa kara oruveze orure moruhoze. 3 Twende kombara u keiraere ihi tji me ku raere.” Nu Joab we mu raera ihi tji ma sokukahungira.
4 Nomukazendu ngwi ngwa zire kOtekoa otja ya kombara, na kawa onḓurumika komurungu wayo, a tja: “Ndji vatera, mbara!”
5 Nombara ye mu pura nai: “Mo vanga tjike?”
Neye wa zira a tja: “Arikana, owami omuhepundu, omurumendu wandje wa koka. 6 Muhona, ami mba ri novazandu vevari, neyuva rimwe owo va posira mokuti ku ku ha ri omundu ngu meve haṋa, nu umwe otja zepa omukwao. 7 Nambano, Muhona, momuhoko vandje avehe ve ndji sekamena amave tja: ‘Tu pao omuzandu ngwa zepa omuangu we, tu mu zepe mena romuinyo womuangu we, nandarire kutja onguri omurumate weṱa.’ Owo tji va tjiti nai, ami me sewa nokuhinomuatje omuzandu! Me rire omuhangauke, nomurumendu wandje ke nokukara nena mozondekurona kombanda yehi.”
8 Ombara arire tji ya tja nai: “Yaruka koyeye, avihe me ku ṱunine.”
9 Nomukazendu ngwi otja tja nai kombara: “Muhona wandje ombara, ondjo ngai kare kombanda yandje na keṱunḓu randje; nungwari ombara, neṱunḓu rayo rouhona ngave rire ovehinandjo.”
10 Nombara ya zira ai tja: “Auhe ngu me ku tanda, mu eta ku ami, neye kemee ku kendisa rukwao.”
11 Nomukazendu wa tja “Muhona ombara, kumba ku Muhona, Ndjambi woye, kutja movazamumwe vandje mbu mave ripura okusutisa onḓiro yomuzandu wandje ave ha tjiti oumba ounene tjinene wokuzepa omuzandu ngwi omukwao.”
Ombara otji ya yana ai tja: “Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo, omuzandu woye kamaa hihamisiwa, nangarire kaṱiṱi.”
12 Nomukazendu wa tja nai: “Arikana, mu esa omukarere woye a hungire embo rimwe komurungu kove, mbara.”
Oyo arire tji ya ziri ai tja: “Hungira!”
13 Nomukazendu wa pura nai kombara: “Okutjavi tji wa tjita ondataiziro, ndji ṱa mba kotjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi? Ove, mbara, koyandjere omuzandu woye kutja a kotoke okuza kouhuura, notji we ripangura omuini nomambo nga ngu wa hee. 14 Eṱe atuhe, tjiri, matu koka, nu tu ri otja omeva ngu maye tirahirwa pehi, nu nge hi nakuwongwa rukwao. Ndjambi ka nyono omuinyo, nungwari u tunga ondunge kutja omuimbirahiwa a ha kara aruhe kokure na ye. 15 Nambano, Muhona ombara, otjiṋa tji tje ndji eta okuhungira kuna ove, otjo hi tjokutja ovandu ve ndji tanda, notji mbe ripura omuini okuyekuhungira na ove, ame undju kutja mo yenenisa ihi tji me ningire kove. 16 Ami mbe ripura kutja ove, mbara, tjiri mo puratene ku ami, omukarere woye, no ndji yama komurumendu ngu ma kondjo okundjizepa nomuzandu wandje, nokutuisa mo mehi Ndjambi nda yandja kotjiwaṋa tje ri rire otjirumatwa. 17 Ami, omukarere woye, otji mbe ripura kutja embo romuhona wandje ombara mari ndji pe orusuvo; orondu omuhona wandje u ri tjimuna omuengeri wa Ndjambi ngu tjiwa avihe. Muhona, Ndjambi woye nga kare puna ove!”
18 Nombara arire tji ya ziri nai komukazendu: “Ami me ku pura epuriro ndi, nove ndji raera ouatjiri auhe.”
Nomukazendu a ziri a tja: “Muhona wandje ombara, ndji pura ngamwa atjihe.”
19 Ombara otji ye mu pura nai: “OJoab ongwe ku popa okutjita nai?”
Nomukazendu wa zira a tja: “Tjiri, muhona wandje ombara, kape nomuhingo warwe okuzira kepuriro roye. Omukarere woye Joab ongwe ndji raera ihi tji me sokutjita na tji me sokuhungira. 20 Omukarere woye Joab wa tjita otjiṋa hi kutja a rundurure ouripura woye; nungwari omuhona wandje onongo tjimuna omuengeri wa Ndjambi, nu u tjiwa atjihe tji tji tjitwa kombanda yehi.”
21 Tjazumba ombara ya tja nai ku Joab: “Osemba, ami mba tye okutjita otja pu movanga. Twende, kakotore omuzandu ngo Absalom.”
22 Joab arire tja u onḓurumika na tja nai kombara David: “Ndjambi nge ku sere ondaya! Ndino mba tjiwa kutja omuhona wandje ombara u nounyaṋutima na ami, tjinga awa tjiti otja konḓero yomukarere woye.” 23 Tjazumba Joab otja sekama na i kOgesur, na kakotora Absalom kOjerusalem. 24 Nombara ya tja: “Nga hite mondjuwo ye omuini, nu ngaa munika momeho wandje.” Absalom otja kara mondjuwo ye, nu e he rimunikisa kombara.
Absalom ma hangana na David
25 Nu mOisrael arihe kamwa ri omurumendu ngwaa tjiukwa otja Absalom mena rouwa wombunikiro ye. Eye ka ri notjipo okuza kombaze nga kotjiuru. 26 Eye wa ri nozondjise ozengi nḓaa horisa rumwe mombura tji za rire ozonde nozengi. Ozo aaze kara nondjinda yozokirograma mangara mbari otja komasasanekero wouhona. 27 Absalom wa ri novazandu vetatu, nomukazona umwe wena Tamar, ngwa ri omuwa tjinene.
28 Nu Absalom wa kara oure wozombura mbari mOjerusalem nokuhinokumunasana nombara. 29 Absalom arire tja raa Joab e mu ire kombara, nungwari Joab wa panḓa okuya ku ye. Nu tje mu raa porutjavari, wa panḓa rukwao. 30 Absalom otja tja nai kovakarere ve: “Tareye, Joab u nehi romakunino meṋe yaindi orandje, nu mu ro mwa hapa ovirya, twendeye, mu kahwike ro.” Nowo otji va ya ave kerihwika.
31 Joab arire tja sekama na kahita mondjuwo ya Absalom, ne mu pura nai: “Okutjavi ovakarere voye tji va kahwika ehi randje romakunino?”
32 Absalom wa zira a tja: “Ami mbe ku hindira ombuze u ye mba, mbi ku hinde kombara okukendjipurira kutja hapo mba kotokera tjike konganda okuza kOgesur? Atja rira kokuwa andakuzu mba kara ngo.” Nu Absalom wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Nambano me vanga okuhakaena nombara David; nu tji mbi nondjo, eye nge ndji zepe.”
33 Joab otja ya kombara ne keiserekarerera otjiṋa hi; nombara arire tji ya isana Absalom. Neye tje ya kombara, wa wa onḓurumika momurungu wayo, nombara ye mu hupita.
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.
