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.
Absalom ta filwa onghenda
1 Joab yaSeruja eshi a dimbulukwa nokutya, omutima wohamba wa kanyatela muAbsalom, 2 Joab okwa tuma kuTekoa va ka tale ko omukainhu omunaendunge ndele ta ti kuye: “Liningifa ngaashi ou ta nyika oluhodi u djale oshikutu sheefya. Ino vava omaadi, ndelenee kala ngaashi omwalikadi ou ta lili eefya omafiku mahapu omolwanakufya. 3 Inda hano kohamba ndele u mu lombwele ngaha.” Ndele Joab okwa tula mokanya kaye eendjovo.
4 Nomukainhu wokuTekoa okwa ya kohamba, ndele te linyongamene ndele ta wile eombe koshipala shayo poshi ndele ta ti: “Akutu tatekulu ohamba, kwafa!” 5 Opo nee ohamba tai mu pula: “Owa hala shike?” Ndele ye ta ti: “Oshili, aame omufiyekadi, omulumenhu wange okwa fya. 6 Nomupiya woye omukainhu okwa li e novana ovamati vavali, ndele vo aveshe vavali va twa eemhata poluhaela. Ndele kapa li nande umwe te va anuna, onghee hano umwe okwa denga mukwao nokwe mu dipaa.
7 “Ndele tala, epata alishe la fikama okukondjifa omupiya woye omukainhu ndele tali ti: ‘Yandja nakudipaa mumwaina, tu mu dipaele omwenyo womumwaina ou e mu dipaa po, nanakufyuulula tu mu teye po yo.’ Osho ngaha va hala okudima po ekala nde li xupifilwa, omulumenhu wange aha xupifilwe edina ile oludalo kombada yedu.” 8 Nohamba ya nyamukula omukainhu: “Inda keumbo leni, ame handi ka yandja ondaka omolwoye.” 9 Opo nee omukainhu wokuTekoa ta ti kohamba: “Omwene wange ohamba, etimba nali kale kombada yange nokombada yeumbo lange, ndelenee ohamba nolukalwapangelo layo kali noushima.” 10 Nohamba tai nyamukula: “Keshe umwe ou ta popi naave ngaha u noku mu eta kwaame, opo ye ite ku pyakidike vali.” 11 Ndele ye ta ti: “Ohamba nai dimbulukwe Omwene Kalunga kayo, opo omupuli wohonde aha wede po vali etimba, omumwange omumati aha nyonwe po.” Opo nee yo tai ti: “Oshili, ngaashi Omwene e nomwenyo, oluxwiki nande limwe lokomutwe womumwoye itali ka wila poshi!”
12 Nomukainhu ta pula: “Efa, omupiya woye omukainhu na popye natango ondjovo imwe nomwene wange ohamba.” Ndele yo tai nyamukula: “Popya.” 13 Opo nee omukainhu ta ti: “Omolwashike ove wa diladila u ningile oshiwana shaKalunga sha fa osho? Shaashi mokupopya ngaha ohamba ya fa ou e netimba, osheshi ohamba inai hala omweekelwashi mwene a aluke. 14 Osheshi fye otu nokufya efiku limwe, ndele hatu ningi ngaashi omeva a tilwashi medu, omunhu ita dulu oku a ongela vali. Ndele Kalunga ita kufa po omwenyo, ndelenee ota diladila nokutya, epongo liha kale la tukauka naye. 15 Onghee hano nde uya okupopya oshinima eshi nomwene wange ohamba, osheshi ovanhu va tilifa nge. Ndelenee omupiya woye omukainhu okwa diladila: Ame ohandi ka popya nohamba. Kashiimba ohamba tai ka ninga paendjovo domupiya wayo omukainhu. 16 Osheshi ohamba otai ka pwilikina shili opo i xupife omupiya wayo omukainhu meke lomulumenhu ou ta hetekele okukandula nge po pamwe nomumwange omumati moshitukulwafyuululwa shaKalunga. 17 Omupiya woye omukainhu okwa diladila vali: Ondjovo yomwene wange ohamba tai ka tulumukifa nge. Osheshi omwene wange ohamba i li ngaashi omweengeli waKalunga, a shiiva ouwa nowii. NOmwene Kalunga koye na kale naave!” 18 Opo nee ohamba tai nyamukula omukainhu ndele tai ti: “Ino holeka nge sha osho handi ke ku pula.” Nomukainhu ta ti: “Omwene wange ohamba na popye.” 19 Opo nee ohamba tai pula: “Mwaasho ashishe eke laJoab omo li li pamwe naave?” Nomukainhu ta nyamukula ndele ta ti: “Oshili, ngaashi omwenyo woye u nomwenyo, omwene wange ohamba, itashi dulika okukanduka po nande kolulyo ile kolumosho mwaado omwene wange ohamba tai popi. Heeno, omupiya woye Joab okwa lombwela nge ndele ye okwa tula eendjovo adishe edi mokanya komupiya woye omukainhu. 20 Opo a ete oshinima molupe limwe li lili omupiya woye Joab a ninga ngaha. Ndelenee omwene wange e nomayele omweengeli waKalunga ndele a shiiva ashishe eshi tashi ningwa kombada yedu.”
21 Nohamba tai ti kuJoab: “Hano tala, ehalo olo ame ohandi li wanifa! Inda hano u ka alule omumati Absalom, ne uye.” 22 Opo nee Joab te linyongamene poshi ndele ta tu oshipala shaye pedu ndele ta nangeke ohamba noupuna. Ndele Joab ta ti: “Nena eli omupiya woye e shi shii nokutya, ame nda filwa onghenda momesho oye, omwene wange ohamba, osheshi ohamba tai wanifa ehalo lomupiya wayo.” 23 Ndele Joab okwa fikama ndele ta i kuGesur nokwa eta Absalom kuJerusalem. 24 Nohamba ya tya: “Na ye meumbo laye, ndelenee ita mono oshipala shange.” Ndele Absalom okwa ya meumbo laye. Ndelenee oshipala shohamba ine shi mona.
25 Ndele muIsrael ashishe inamu kala omulumenhu nande umwe e nondjelo iwa nomutangwa ngaashi Absalom. Okudja koshififinwa fiyo opokati komutwe waye kamu nombudi yasha. 26 Ndele ye eshi e likululifa omutwe waye, osheshi e likululifa momudo keshe, osheshi da li di noudjuu kuye, oku di humbata, onghee hano e di kululifa, opo nee eexwiki dokomutwe waye da yelekwa neekilograma mbali paekilograma dohamba. 27 Ndele Absalom okwa dalelwa ovana ovamati vatatu nokakadona kamwe, edina lako Tamar, omukainhu muwa okutala.
28 Ndele Absalom okwa kala eedula mbali di yadi muJerusalem ndele ina mona oshipala shohamba. 29 Onghee hano Absalom a ifana Joab opo ye e mu twale kohamba, ndelenee ye ina hala okuuya kuye. Ndele okwa tumununa ko vali, ndele ye ina hala okuuya. 30 Opo nee ye ta lombwele ovapiya vaye ta ti: “Taleni, epya laJoab la shaama nepya lange, ndele li noilya. Indeni mu ke li xwike.” Ndele ovapiya vaAbsalom va xwika epya. 31 Opo nee Joab a fikama ndele te uya keumbo laAbsalom ndele te mu pula: “Omolwashike ovapiya voye va xwika po epya lange?” 32 Ndele Absalom ta ti kuJoab: “Tala, onde ku tumina ondaka. Ila oku, opo ndi ku tume kohamba u pule: ‘Omolwashike nde uya nda dja kuGesur? Ngeno nda li kwinya ngeno sha wapala.’ Paife nda hala okumona oshipala shohamba, ndele ngeenge ndi netimba yo nai dipae nge.” 33 Opo nee Joab a ya kohamba nokwe shi i shiivifila. Ndele oya ifana Absalom, ndele ye okwa ya kohamba nokwe linyongamena moipafi yayo oshipala shaye sha twa pedu koshipala shohamba. Ndele ohamba oya fipa Absalom komilungu.
