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.
Joabu unolongolosela kubuya kwa Abusalomu
1 Joabu nkololo wa Zeruya kaziba kuti moyo wa mambo umile ngekwa Abusalomu. 2 Katuma nthu ku Tekowa kunon'danila nkadzi ko wakatjenjela. Kati eswika kandwa kati, “Uzwithame umu tjililo, uambale zwiambalo zwe tjililo, usitongo zhola mafuta, ngono uzwitole se nkadzi una mazhuba manjinji elilila nfi, 3 ube uyenda kuna mambo unolebeleka nabo matama iyawa.” Joabu kambudza matama aakafanila kunoleba.
4 Kwakati nkadzi we Tekowa eswika kuna mambo kawila pasi nge zwidwi ebutjila ebe eti, “Mambo, ndokumbila bhatsho!”
5 Mambo bakambuzwa bakati, “Ndingakubhatsha ngeni?”
Nkadzi kadabila eti, “Sekwamunondibona ndi tjilikadzi, ndakafigwa nge nlume. 6 Nlandakadzi wenyu wakabe ana bakololo babili, kukati limwe zhuba bakagwa bali ku shango, ngono kukabe kusina ungabaangulanya, ngono mmwe kaloba mmwe kambulaya. 7 Ngono ngwenu be nsha wangu bakandimukila bose beti, ‘Utipe nlume iwoyu wakabulaya nnung'una uwe, kuti timbulayile kutebula lopa le nnung'una uwe waakabulaya,’ ngono towobe tatjisala tisitjina na iye n'gali thaka dumbu. Ngekujalo banowobe balobesa lutshinga, besiya nlume wangu asitjina zina kene limbelimbe pasi kwe ntutshi we zhuba.” 8 Mambo bakadabila beti, “Yenda ku nzi, ndowotola thambo ngekuko.” 9 Ngono nkadzi we Tekowa kadwa mambo kati, “She wangu mambo, nlandu ngaube mu mathudzi angu ne nsha wa tate bangu, mambo ne ng'umba yabo ye bushe bashaye nlandu.” 10 Mambo bakashandula beti, “Ha kuna ungakudwa tjimwe, unzhise kundili, ngono aangatjafe akudziyidza.” 11 Nkadzi kabe eti, “Mambo ndomukumbila kuti mundikumbilile muna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuti badzibe mbgwilizili we malopa kuti asipaphe kabulaya kakale, kuti nkololo wangu asilobesiwe.”
Dafite kashandula eti, “Ndotuna na Yahwe banotjila, nkololo uwo angahwisiwe zogwadza, nakuto kuli kutukununu.”
12 Nkadzi kabe eti “She wangu, mambo wangu, nlandakadzi wenyu unokumbila lebeleka namwi.”
Dafite kashandula eti, “Kwakalulwama lebelekazo.”
13 Nkadzi kabe eti, “Hwutini makakombamisila bathu be Ndzimu nge kwakajali? Ngekuti ha mambo bakaleba beijalo, banonga ba nlandu, ngobe basakashandusa nkololo wabo wakabe atatiwa. 14 Lufu nde gwedu, tonga vula yatebukila pasi, isingake ikawolegwa kakale, koga Ndzimu autodusa butjilo, kuzhe kwe kuti, unothama maano ekuti, wakabe alashiwa, asibe nlashiki muuli. 15 Ngono ngwenu she wangu mambo wangu, ndazha kumuli, ngobe bathu bakanditjisa, ndizo ndakazwidwa ati, ndolebeleka na mambo, pamwe bangathamila nlanda wabo tjaanokumbila. 16 Pamwe mambo bangaduma kugwila nlanda wabo mu luboko gwe nlume unoshaka kundidusilanya ne nkololo wangu mu thaka Ndzimu yawakatipa! 17 Ngono ngwenu nlanda wenyu kati, ‘Dzene dama la she wangu mambo, lingandizhisila kunyatutuka, ngobe she wangu mambo banonga ntumwa we kudzimu mu kupalalanya bubuya ne mbipo. Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu babe namwi!’ ”
18 Ndizo mambo bakadabila nkadzi beti, “Usitongo lamba dabila bhuzo dzandinowokubhuzwa.”
Nkadzi kabe eti “Mundibhuzwe tetshi wangu mambo.”
19 Mambo bakabhuzwa nkadzi bakati, “Apa Joabu aana gobe muna kose ikoku?”
Nkadzi kadabila eti, “Ndolebesa ndotuna namwi she wangu mambo, akuna tjandinganyanyayidza she wangu mambo muna kose kwabaleba. Malebeswa ndakadwiwa nge nlanda wenyu Joabu kuti ndingathamani ebuya ediya nlandakadzi wenyu kuti alebeni. 20 Nlanda wenyu Joabu wakathama eijali kushandula tjimo muna sekwa tjili itjo. She wangu bana butjenjedu gunonga gwe ntumwa we kudzimu, banoziba tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinoshingikala mu shango.”
21 Mambo bakadwa Joabu bakati, “Ngono ngwenu, tjithama uijali, yenda unodana mbisana Abusalomu azhe ngeno.”
22 Joabu kathigama pasi kakotamisa nsholo, kayemulila mambo kuti bakombolegwe eti, “Nasi nlanda wenyu waziba kuti she mambo wangu bamile naye, ngobe mambo badusa tjikumbilo tje nlanda wabo.” 23 Ndizo Joabu kamilika kayenda ku Geshu kanotola Abusalomu kazhisa ku Jerusalema. 24 Ngono mambo bebe beti, “Abusalomu ngaayende ku ng'umba iye, anditoshaka kumbona.” Ndizo Abusalomu kayenda ku ng'umba iye asashanganya buso na mambo.
Abusalomu unogadzanyiwa na Dafite
25 Mu Iziraela yose kwakabe kusina nlume wakabe elumbidziwa ngekwe bubuya gugwe sa Abusalomu. Kudwa ku nsholo kunoti pasi kwe gumbo lile kusina pape paungasola. 26 Wakabe eti ha ethubula mavudzi mu nsholo uwe, wakabe otesegwa bupelo gwe gole limwe ne limwe otjilemegwa nge mavudzi, ebe eyela mavudzi e nsholo uwe ibe shekele dzili mazana mabili (200) nge tjiyelo tje bushe. 27 Abusalomu wakawana bakololo bali batatu ne nkololokadzi nng'ompela. Zina le nkololokadzi uwe lakabe liyi Tama, wakabe ali nkadzi mbuya kwazo.
28 Abusalomu wakagala makole mabili mu Jerusalema asingatongo shanganya buso na mambo. 29 Ipapo Abusalomu kadana Joabu kuti antume kuna mambo, ngono Joabu kalamba kuzha kunli. Kantumila nthu kakale gwe bubili kundana ngono kasizhe. 30 Ndizo Abusalomu kadwa balanda babe kati, “Lingani, nnda wa Joabu upejo ne wangu, ngono una mathunde e bhali, yendani munoupisa nge moto, ndizo balanda ba Abusalomu bakaulonga moto.”
31 Joabu kamilika kayenda ku nzi wa Abusalomu eswika embhuzwa eti, “Ini balanda babo bapisa nnda wangu kene?”
32 Abusalomu ka dabila Joabu eti, “Bona, ndakakudana nditi uzhe kundili kuti ndikutume kuna mambo kunombuzwa kuti, apa ini ndakadwa ku Geshuri kene? Kwakowobe kwakandilulwamila handakabe ndilizwigeligwe ikweno. Ndizo ngwenu ima ndiyende mbeli kwa mambo, hapa ndili nlandu, ngaandi bulaye.”
33 Ndizo Joabu kayenda kuna Mambo Dafite kanombudza tjalebgwa ndi Abusalomu. Mambo bakabe bedana Abusalomu, kazha ku bali kati eswika pabali kathigama kakotamisa nsholo mbeli kwabo, mambo bakan'amutjila nge kumputa.