1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: 3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 ¶ And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. 5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. 6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. 7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. 8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. 9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless. 10 And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. 11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. 12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. 13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. 14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. 16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17 Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. 18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. 19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: 20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21 ¶ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. 22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. 23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.
25 ¶ But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight. 27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28 ¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face. 29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? 32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. 33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
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.
