Absalom ta tukula oshipotha
1 Konima yaambika Absalom okwi imonene etembakwiita nuukambe, osho wo ongundu yaamati aathindikili omilongo ntano. 2 Okwa li ha meneka ongulangula e ta yi, a ka thikame pondjila pomweelo gwoshilando. Ngele ku na ngoka te ya e na iihokolola a hala omukwaniilwa, yi pulakenwe, Absalom ohe mu ithana e te mu pula mpoka ta zi. Omuntu sho e mu hokololele kutya okwa za mezimo lini, 3 Absalom oha ti: “Tala, oveta otayi ku popile, ihe kape na omukalelipo gwomukwaniilwa, a uve uupyakadhi woye.” 4 Oha gwedha ko ta ti: “Ando ongame nda li omutokolihapu moshilongo shika, ando shaa ngoka e na iihokolola nenge omayeme gasha, ando ote ya kungame e tandi mu tokolele pauyuuki.” 5 Omuntu sho ta hedha kuAbsalom noti inyongamene koshipala she, Absalom oha yeluka e te mu yelutha e te mu thipi komilungu. 6 Absalom okwa kala ha ningi ngeyi kOmuisraeli kehe ngoka e ya a tokolelwe komukwaniilwa, nosho ngeyi a sindi einekelo lyawo.
7 Konima yomimvo ne Absalom okwa ti komukwaniilwa David: “Tate, kwatha ndje, ndi ye kuHebron, ndi gwanithe euvaneko nde li uvanekele Omuwa. 8 Manga nda li muGeshur muSiria, ondu uvanekele Omuwa kutya ngele ta galulile ndje kuJerusalem, onda hala oku mu simanekela muHebron.”
9 Omukwaniilwa okwa ti: “Inda nombili.” Onkee Absalom okwa yi kuHebron. 10 Ihe okwa tumu aatumwa komazimo agehe gaIsrael ya tye: “Shampa mu uvu oshihomo shoombenda tadhi hikwa, tyeni: ‘Absalom a ningi omukwaniilwa muHebron.’ ” 11 Okwa li aantu omathele gaali mboka ya zi muJerusalem kehiyo lyaAbsalom ye mu landula. Oya li inaa tseya sha kombinga yoshikumungu noya yi kaaye na mbudhi. 12 Manga a li ta yamba oontselelandjambo, Absalom okwa tumu koshilando Gilo kuAhitofel, gumwe gwomaagandjimayele yaDavid, naalanduli yaAbsalom oya ningi ongundu onene.
David ta zi ontuku muJerusalem
13 David okwe etelwa elaka tali ti: “Aaisraeli oyi igameke kuAbsalom.”
14 Nena David okwa ti kaambala ye ayehe mbaka ya li pamwe naye muJerusalem: “Natu zeni po mbala, ngele otwa hala okufadhuka po Absalom. Endeleleni! Otashi vulika ta holoka mpaka nziya e te tu dhenge e ta dhipaga aantu ayehe moshilando.”
15 Oya yamukula ya ti: “Eewa, Nkeyama, otwi ilongekidha okuninga shoka to ti.” 16 Osho omukwaniilwa okwa yi a landulwa kaanegumbo ye ayehe, kakele koohonda omulongo ndhoka a dhi thigi po, dhi keelele uuwa.
17 Omukwaniilwa naantu ye sho ya li taa zi moshilando, oya kankama pegumbo lyahugunina. 18 Aambala ye ayehe oya thikama ontega naye, manga aalangeli aayinekelwa taa piti po montaneho ye. Aakwiita omathele gahamano mboka ye mu landula ya za kuGat, oya pitilile po wo. 19 Omukwaniilwa okwa ti komuwiliki gwawo Ittai: “Oshike to yi natse? Shuna, u ka kale nomukwaniilwa omupe. Ngoye omukwiilongo, ontauki wa zi koshilongo sheni. 20 Muka owa kala mo owala ethimbo efupi, omolwashike ndi ku endagulithe pamwe nangame? Kandi shi nokuli kutya ondu uka peni. Shuna nooyakweni yokoshilongo shaandjeni. Omuwa ne mu sile ohenda ye e mu dhiginine.”
21 Ihe Ittai okwa yamukula a ti: “Nkeyama, otandi ku ganene medhina lyOmuwa kutya otandi yi nangoye shaa mpoka to yi, nando nee nashi pule eso.”
22 David okwa ti: “Eewa, inda ano!” Onkee Ittai a tsikile a yi naantu ye ayehe. 23 Aantu oya lilagana, sho aalanduli yaDavid taa piti po. Omukwaniilwa a tokola okalonga Kidron a landulwa kaantu ye yu uka kombuga.
24 Omuyambi Sadok opo a li e na ongundu yAalevi ya humbata oshikethahangano oshiyapuki. Oye shi tula po yo inaye shi tumba po we, sigo aantu ayehe ya zi moshilando. Omuyambi Abiatar opo a li wo. 25 Nena omukwaniilwa okwa ti kuSadok: “Shunitha oshikethahangano moshilando. Omuwa ngele ta sile ndje ohenda, esiku limwe na galula ndje ngaa, ndi ye ndi shi mone nehala mpoka sha kala. 26 Ihe ngele ita sile ndje ohenda, nena na ningile ndje shoka a hala.” 27 Okwa tsikile okulombwela Sadok ta ti: “Tala, kutha omumwoye Ahimaaz naJonatan yaAbiatar, ne mu shune nombili moshilando. 28 Otandi ku tegelele manga poonkondo dhomilonga mombuga, sigo tandi uvu onkundana ya za kune.” 29 Onkee Sadok naAbiatar oya fala oshikethahangano kuJerusalem e taa kala nkoka.
30 David okwa londo kOndundu yooholivi ta lili; okwa li oompadhi dhowala a siikila omutse gwe endhindhiliko lyoluhodhi. Ayehe mboka ye mu landula, oyi isiikile omitse dhawo noya lili wo. 31 David sho a lombwelwa kutya Ahitofel okwi itula moshikumungu shaAbsalom, okwa galikana a ti: “Omuwa, otandi ku galikana, tula omayele gaAhitofel muugoya.”
32 David sho a thiki kondungu yondundu, nkoka kwa li eha lyegalikaneno, kuume ke kopothingo Omuarki Hushai okwe mu tsakaneke e na oonguwo dha tuuka nomutse gwa gundwa evi. 33 David okwa ti kuye: “Ngele oto kala pungame, ito kwatha ndje sha, 34 ihe oto vulu okukwatha ndje, ngele to shuna koshilando e to lombwele Absalom kutya ngashingeyi oto ke mu longela nuudhiginini, ngaashi wa yakulile he. Ninga ashihe to vulu, u kondjithe nou tompe ondunge kehe tayi gandjwa kuAhitofel. 35 Aayambi Sadok naAbiatar otaa kala po; ya lombwela kehe sho to uvu muuwa womukwaniilwa. 36 Oye na oyana aamati Ahimaaz naJonatan, noto vulu oku ya tuma kungame, opo u tseyithile ndje ashihe to uvu.”
37 Osho ngaaka kuume kaDavid Hushai okwa galukile koshilando, naanaa pethimbo ndyoka Absalom a li e li pokuthika.
Absalom Rebels against David
1 Some time later, Absalom got himself a chariot with horses to pull it, and he had 50 men run in front. 2 He would get up early each morning and wait by the side of the road that led to the city gate. Anyone who had a complaint to bring to King David would have to go that way, and Absalom would ask each of them, “Where are you from?”
If they said, “I'm from a tribe in the north,” 3 Absalom would say, “You deserve to win your case. It's too bad the king doesn't have anyone to hear complaints like yours. 4 I wish someone would make me the judge around here! I would be fair to everyone.”
5 Whenever anyone came to Absalom and started bowing down, he would reach out and hug and kiss them. 6 That's how he treated everyone from Israel who brought a complaint to the king. Soon everyone in Israel liked Absalom better than they liked David.
7 Four years later, Absalom said to David, “Please, let me go to Hebron. I have to keep a promise that I made to the Lord, 8 when I was living with the Arameans in Geshur. I promised that if the Lord would bring me back to live in Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.”
9 David gave his permission, and Absalom went to Hebron. 10-12 He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him, but they had no idea what he was going to do. Absalom offered sacrifices in Hebron and sent someone to Gilo to tell David's advisor Ahithophel to come.
More and more people were joining Absalom and supporting his plot. Meanwhile, Absalom had secretly sent some messengers to the northern tribes of Israel. The messengers told everyone, “When you hear the sound of the trumpets, you must shout, ‘Absalom now rules as king in Hebron!’ ”
David Has To Leave Jerusalem
13 A messenger came and told David, “Everyone in Israel is on Absalom's side!”
14 David's officials were in Jerusalem with him, and he told them, “Let's get out of here! We'll have to leave soon, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Hurry! If he moves fast, he could catch us while we're still here. Then he will kill us and everyone else in the city.”
15 The officials said, “Your Majesty, we'll do whatever you say.”
16-17 David left behind ten of his wives to take care of the palace, but the rest of his family and his officials and soldiers went with him.
They stopped at the last house at the edge of the city. 18 Then David stood there and watched while his regular troops and his bodyguards marched past. The last group was the 600 soldiers who had followed him from Gath. Their commander was Ittai.
19 David spoke to Ittai and said, “You're a foreigner from the town of Gath. You don't have to leave with us. Go back and join the new king! 20 You haven't been with me very long, so why should you have to follow me, when I don't even know where I'm going? Take your soldiers and go back. I pray that the Lord will be kind and faithful to you.”
21 Ittai answered, “Your Majesty, just as surely as you and the Lord live, I will go where you go, no matter if it costs me my life.”
22 “Then come on!” David said.
So Ittai and all his men and their families walked on past David.
David Sends the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem
23 The people of Jerusalem were crying and moaning as David and everyone with him passed by. He led them across Kidron Valley and along the road toward the desert.
24 Zadok and Abiathar the priests were there along with several men from the tribe of Levi who were carrying the sacred chest. They set the chest down, and left it there until David and his followers had gone out of the city.
25 Then David said:
Zadok, take the sacred chest back to Jerusalem. If the Lord is pleased with me, he will bring me back and let me see it and his tent again. 26 But if he says he isn't pleased with me, then let him do what he knows is best.
27 Zadok, you are a good judge of things, so return to the city and don't cause any trouble. Take your son Ahimaaz with you. Abiathar and his son Jonathan will also go back. 28 I'll wait at the river crossing in the desert until I hear from you.
29 Zadok and Abiathar took the sacred chest back into Jerusalem and stayed there. 30 David went on up the slope of the Mount of Olives. He was barefoot and crying, and he covered his head to show his sorrow. Everyone with him was crying, and they covered their heads too.
31 Someone told David, “Ahithophel is helping Absalom plot against you!”
David said, “Please, Lord, keep Ahithophel's plans from working!”
David Sends Hushai Back as a Spy
32 When David reached the top of the Mount of Olives, he met Hushai the Archite at a place of worship. Hushai's robe was torn, and dust was on his head. 33 David told him:
If you come with me, you might slow us down. 34 Go back into the city and tell Absalom, “Your Majesty, I am your servant. I will serve you now, just as I served your father in the past.”
Hushai, if you do that, you can help me ruin Ahithophel's plans. 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you, and you can tell them everything you hear in the palace. 36 Then they can send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what you've heard.
37 David's advisor Hushai slipped back into Jerusalem, at just about the same time Absalom was coming in.
