Ondubo yaAbsalom
1 Ndele konima yoinima ei Absalom e likongela etemba neenghambe novalumenhu omilongo nhano ve mu pitile komesho. 2 Absalom okwa li e nonghedi yokupenduka ongula inene nokukala pondjila oyo tai twala koshivelo shoshilando. Nomunhu keshe ou a li e neendjovo ndele ta i kohamba, Absalom okwe mu ifana ndele ta ti: “Owa dja moshilando shilipipo?” Ou eshi a nyamukula: “Omupiya woye a dja moshilando shonhumba shomoilando yaIsrael.” 3 Opo nee Absalom ta ti kuye: “Tala, oshinima shoye shiwa nosha yuka, ndelenee kombinga yohamba kaku na umwe te ku udu.” 4 Absalom okwa tya vali: “Ngeno ame ndi tulwe po omutokoli moshilongo. Nopo keshe umwe e neendjovo ile oihokolola ote uya kwaame. Ndele ame handi tokola eendjovo daye pauyuki.” 5 Ongeenge pa li pe na ou a ehena kuye te mu linyongamene, ye a nana eke laye, nokwe mu kwata ndele te mu fipi komilungu. 6 Panghedi tuu oyo Absalom okwa ninga Ovaisraeli aveshe ovo ve uya kohamba eendjovo davo di tokolwe, onghee hano Absalom okwa yula omitima dOvaisraeli.
7 Ndele omido nhee eshi da pita, Absalom okwa lombwela ohamba: “Efe nge, ndi ye kuHebron ndi wanife eudaneko lange nde li udanekela Omwene. 8 Aame omupiya woye fimbo nda li muGesur shomuAram, onda udaneka eudaneko eli: ‘Omwene ngeenge ta shunifa nge shili muJerusalem, ame ohandi ka longela Omwene.’ ” 9 Opo nee ohamba tai ti kuye: “Inda nombili!” Nokwa fikama ndele ta i kuHebron. 10 Absalom okwa tuma vali ovahongauli komapata aeshe aIsrael va tye: “Nye ngeenge tamu udu enghuma loluvinga lodi yomhedi, tyeni: ‘Absalom a ninga ohamba muHebron!’ ” 11 Ndele muJerusalem mwa dja ovalumenhu omafele avali pamwe naAbsalom, ava va ifanwa, ndele va ya ko vehe nowino, vehe shi shii osho shi li po. 12 Ndele fimbo Absalom a yamba etomenoyambo okwa ifana yo Ahitofel, Omugiloni, elenga laDavid, li dje moshilando shalo Gilo. Osho ngaha hano ehangakeno la pamekwa novanhu ava va ama kuAbsalom va hapupala.
David novanhu vaye tava i onhapo
13 Opo nee omutumwa e uya kuDavid ndele ta ti: “Omitima dOvaisraeli da ama kuAbsalom.” 14 David okwa lombwela ovapiya vaye aveshe ovo va kala puye muJerusalem ndele ta ti: “Tu fikameni, tu yeni onhapo, osheshi katu nomhito yokuxupifwa momake aAbsalom. Endeleleni mu fikame diva, ehe tu hange ohaluka ndele te tu etele omupya ndele ta dipaa neongamukonda oonakukalamo vomuJerusalem.” 15 Novapiya vohamba tava ti kohamba: “Napa ningwe ngaashi tashi wapalele omwene wetu ohamba. Ovapiya voye ovava!”
16 Nohamba ya pita mo neumbo layo alishe tali i shikula, ndelenee ohamba ya fiya po ovalikadi omulongo vopomunghulo va kale okudiinina eumbo. 17 Osho ngaha hano ohamba ya dja mo novanhu aveshe ve mu shikula. Ova kanghama pongulu yaxuuninwa, 18 fimbo ovapiya aveshe vayo va enda po ve i koya. Nosho yo Ovakereti aveshe nOvapleti aveshe. Nosho yo Ovagati omafele ahamano ve mu shikula va dja kuGat, ove mu koya po. 19 Nohamba tai lombwele Ittai, Omugat: “Omolwashike naave yo to ende pamwe nafye? Piluka u shune u kale pohamba, osheshi ove omunailongo ndele wa tewa mo moshilongo sheni. 20 Ove we uya onghela, ame ndi ku efe ngeno nena u elaele pamwe nafye, fimbo ame ihandi shiiva apa handi i! Piluka! U shunife yo vakweni. Onghenda noudiinini nai kale naave!” 21 Ndelenee Ittai okwa nyamukula ohamba ndele ta ti: “Oshili, ngaashi Omwene e nomwenyo nomwene wange ohamba i nomwenyo. Oshili, ponhele tuu oyo omwene wange ohamba tai ka kala, nande pa kale efyo ile omwenyo, oshili, oko omupiya woye ta ka kala yo.” 22 Opo nee David ta ti kuIttai: “Hano, inda u ende po!” Ndele Ittai Omugat a enda po pamwe novakwaita vaye aveshe novana aveshe ava va kala puye. 23 Noshilongo ashishe sha lila pombada eshi ovanhu aveshe va enda po. Nohamba ya taulula okamulonga Kidron novanhu aveshe va tauluka mokweenda nondjila yokombuwa.
24 Ndele tala, Abjatar okwe uya naSadok yo oko a li napamwe naye Ovalevi aveshe ava hava humbata oshikefa shaKalunga, ndele va tula poshi oshikefa shaKalunga naAbjatar yo e uya fiyo ovanhu aveshe vomoshilando va enda po. 25 Opo nee ohamba tai ti kuSadok: “Shunifa oshikefa shaKalunga moshilando. Ame ngeenge handi filwa onghenda momesho Omwene, Ye ota ka alula nge ndele ta itavele nge ndi mu mone neumbo laye yo. 26 Ndelenee ngeenge Ye ta ti: ‘Ame inandi ku hokwa aame ou!’ Na ningile nge osho she mu wapalela.” 27 Nohamba tai ti vali komupristeli Sadok: “Oove omumonikokule ndishi! Shuna nombili koshilando novana voye ovamati vavali Ahimas, omumwoye naJonatan yaAbjatar pamwe naave. 28 Tala, ame ohandi kala peeshau domombuwa fiyo tamu tumu kwaame ondaka.” 29 Ndele Sadok naAbjatar va shunifa oshikefa shaKalunga muJerusalem ndele vo va kala mo. 30 Ndele David okwa londa kOmhunda yEemono fimbo ta ende nokulila efimbo alishe. Nomutwe waye wa uvikwa ndele a enda ehe neenghaku. Novanhu aveshe ovo va kale puye, keshe umwe, a uvika omutwe waye tava londo komhunda ndele tava lili efimbo alishe. 31 David eshi a hepaululilwa nokutya, Ahitofel oku li yo mehangakeno pamwe naAbsalom, David ta ti: “Akutu Omwene, omapukululo aAhitofel a alula ongaho.”
32 Ndele David eshi e uya koxulo yomhunda oko va ilikana Kalunga, Husai, Omuarki, e mu shakeneka, okwa li e noshikutu sha pombaulwa nondwi kombada yomutwe. 33 Ndele David ta ti kuye: “Ove ngeenge to ende naame, oto ka ninga omutengi wange. 34 Ndelenee ngeenge to shuna koshilando ndele to ti kuAbsalom: ‘Akutu ohamba, ame nda hala okuninga omupiya woye. Shito nda li omupiya waxo, ndelenee paife ame nda ninga omupiya woye.’ Opo nee to dulu okukwafa nge nokuhanauna po epukululo laAhitofel. 35 Ndele pamwe naave oko oku na ovapristeli Sadok naAbjatar. Keshe osho to udu tashi di mouhamba, u noku shi shiivifila Sadok naAbjatar. 36 Tala, ovana vavo ovamati vavali Ahimas yaSadok naJonatan yaAbjatar oko ve li puvo, moku va yakulifa otamu dulu okushiivifila nge osho ashishe mwe shi uda.” 37 Opo nee Husai, kaume kaDavid e uya moshilando fimbo Absalom e uya kuJerusalem.
Absalom Plans Rebellion
1 After this, Absalom provided a chariot and horses for himself, and an escort of fifty men. 2 He would get up early and go and stand by the road at the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. And after the man had told him what tribe he was from, 3 Absalom would say, “Look, the law is on your side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your case.” 4 And he would add, “How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and I would give him justice.” 5 When the man would approach Absalom to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him. 6 Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so he won their loyalty.
7 After four years Absalom said to King David, “Sir, let me go to Hebron and keep a promise I made to the Lord. 8 While I was living in Geshur in Syria, I promised the Lord that if he would take me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.”
9 “Go in peace,” the king said. So Absalom went to Hebron. 10 But he sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, “When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout, ‘Absalom has become king at Hebron!’” 11 There were two hundred men who at Absalom's invitation had gone from Jerusalem with him; they knew nothing of the plot and went in all good faith. 12 And while he was offering sacrifices, Absalom also sent to the town of Gilo for Ahithophel, who was one of King David's advisers. The plot against the king gained strength, and Absalom's followers grew in number.
David Flees from Jerusalem
13 A messenger reported to David, “The Israelites are pledging their loyalty to Absalom.”
14 So David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “We must get away at once if we want to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in the city!”
15 “Yes, Your Majesty,” they answered. “We are ready to do whatever you say.” 16 So the king left, accompanied by all his family and officials, except for ten concubines, whom he left behind to take care of the palace.
17 As the king and all his men were leaving the city, they stopped at the last house. 18 All his officials stood next to him as the royal bodyguards passed by in front of him. The six hundred soldiers who had followed him from Gath also passed by, 19 and the king said to Ittai, their leader, “Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with the new king. You are a foreigner, a refugee away from your own country. 20 You have lived here only a short time, so why should I make you wander around with me? I don't even know where I'm going. Go back and take all your people with you—and may the Lord be kind and faithful to you.”
21 But Ittai answered, “Your Majesty, I swear to you in the Lord's name that I will always go with you wherever you go, even if it means death.”
22 “Fine!” David answered. “March on!” So Ittai went on with all his men and their dependents. 23 The people cried loudly as David's followers left. The king crossed Kidron Brook, followed by his men, and together they went out toward the wilderness.
24 Zadok the priest was there, and with him were the Levites, carrying the sacred Covenant Box. They set it down and didn't pick it up again until all the people had left the city. The priest Abiathar was there too. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the Covenant Box back to the city. If the Lord is pleased with me, some day he will let me come back to see it and the place where it stays. 26 But if he isn't pleased with me—well, then, let him do to me what he wishes.” 27 And he went on to say to Zadok, “Look, take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan and go back to the city in peace. 28 Meanwhile, I will wait at the river crossings in the wilderness until I receive news from you.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Covenant Box back into Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 David went on up the Mount of Olives crying; he was barefoot and had his head covered as a sign of grief. All who followed him covered their heads and cried also. 31 When David was told that Ahithophel had joined Absalom's rebellion, he prayed, “Please, Lord, turn Ahithophel's advice into nonsense!”
32 When David reached the top of the hill, where there was a place of worship, his trusted friend Hushai the Archite met him with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “You will be of no help to me if you come with me, 34 but you can help me by returning to the city and telling Absalom that you will now serve him as faithfully as you served his father. And do all you can to oppose any advice that Ahithophel gives. 35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be there; tell them everything you hear in the king's palace. 36 They have their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan with them, and you can send them to me with all the information you gather.”
37 So Hushai, David's friend, returned to the city just as Absalom was arriving.
