Absalom Is Defeated and Killed
1 King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them. 2 Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, “I will go with you myself.”
3 “You mustn't go with us,” they answered. “It won't make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run, or even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help.”
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king answered. Then he stood by the side of the gate as his men marched out in units of a thousand and of a hundred. 5 He gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.” And all the troops heard David give this command to his officers.
6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day. 8 The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.
9 Suddenly Absalom met some of David's men. Absalom was riding a mule, and as it went under a large oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the branches. The mule ran on and Absalom was left hanging in midair. 10 One of David's men saw him and reported to Joab, “Sir, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 Joab answered, “If you saw him, why didn't you kill him on the spot? I myself would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man answered, “Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't lift a finger against the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.’ 13 But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it—he hears about everything—and you would not have defended me.”
14 “I'm not going to waste any more time with you,” Joab said. He took three spears and plunged them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, hanging in the oak tree. 15 Then ten of Joab's soldiers closed in on Absalom and finished killing him.
16 Joab had the trumpet blown to stop the fighting, and his troops came back from pursuing the Israelites. 17 They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.
18 During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.
David Is Told of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemies.”
20 “No,” Joab said, “today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead.” 21 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The slave bowed and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz insisted, “I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also.”
“Why do you want to do it, my son?” Joab asked. “You will get no reward for it.”
23 “Whatever happens,” Ahimaaz said again, “I want to go.”
“Then go,” Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave.
24 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called down and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The runner kept coming closer.
26 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running!”
The king answered, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27 The lookout said, “I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz.”
“He's a good man,” the king said, “and he is bringing good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, “Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was.”
30 “Stand over there,” the king told him; and he went over and stood there.
31 Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, “I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!”
32 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
The slave answered, “I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you.”
33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!”
Abusalomu unokundiwa kabulawa
1 Mambo Dafite kakubunganya babhayani baakabe anabo, kabashalulila balauli be bali zwiwulu (1 000) ne balauli be bali mazana (100). 2 Ngono Dafite kadusa babhayani kabatuma ku ngwa bali makupo matatu. Gupo limwe lakatungamigwa ndi Joabu, limwe lakatungamigwa ndi Abishayi nkololo wa Zeruya, nnung'una wa Joabu, ngono limwe lakatungamigwa ndi Itai we N'giti. Ngono mambo kadwa babhayani kati, “Namibo ndowoyendabo namwi.”
3 Koga babhayani bakan'dabila beti, “Imwi musiyende naswi ku ngwa. Ngobe iswi atingatizha, abangabe ne hanya naswi. Ha gwamu limwe ledu lingafa, abangabe ne hanya naswi. Ngobe imwi muli moga molizana naswi tili zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000), kungayita ha mungatuma iswi, imwi mukasala mutitumila bhatsho muli ipapa mu nzi.”
4 Mambo kabadwa kati, “Ndowothama sekwa munowobe mubona kwakalulwama.” Ndizo mambo kama pa wunde ne nkoba, babhayani bose bakalongoloka bebhuda nge makupo e mazana ne e zwiwulu. 5 Ngono mambo kapa ndaulo Joabu na Abishayi na Itai eti, “Mu bumo gwangu musitongo hwisa zogwadza nzhuzha Abusalomu.” Ngono babhayani bose bakahwa mambo pabakabe bepa balauli be ngwa ndaulo ngekwa Abusalomu.
6 Ndizo babhayani bakayenda ku shango kunobhayana ne Baiziraela, ngwa yakagwigwa mu ishaka tje Ifureimi. 7 Baiziraela bakakundiwa nge babhayani ba Dafite, mu zhuba ilelo kwakabulawa balume bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili (20 000) mu ngwa iyeyo. 8 Ngwa yakaandama nge shango yose, bathu bakabulawa nge mbatsha dze ishaka bakabe banji kupinda bakabulawa nge thumo.
9 Ngono Abusalomu kazwiwana ashangana ne babhayani ba Dafite. Wakabe akatatha moulo iye, ngono ikangina kusi kwe nti nkulu unoyi n'oko, thabi dze nti iwoyo dzikabhata Abusalomu nge nsholo. Moulo ikatizha ikasiya Abusalomu akalembeleka mu nti makumbo ali mu phepo. 10 Mmwe nlume kambona ngono kabikila Joabu eti, “Ndabona Abusalomu akalembeleka mu n'oko.”
11 Ngono Joabu kanshandula nlume wambudza eti, “Ha wambona ini usankhukhutha kadwa awila pasi akafa. Ndabe ndingashatha kwandabe ndingakupa maloso ali gumi e siliva ne mwandabula we babhayani.”
12 Koga nlume kashandula Joabu eti, “Nenguba ndabe ndiyemula kuzwibona ndakabhata maloso e siliva ali tjiwulu (1 000), ndabe ndisingake alonga nkololo wa mambo luboko, ngobe kwakalebgwa tizwihwigwa mambo emupa ndaulo imwi na Abishayi na Itai eti, ‘Mu bumo gwangu musitongo hwisa zogwadza nzhuzha Abusalomu.’ 13 Koga, nenguba ndabe ndathama bupitipiti ambulaya, akuna tjabe tjingasumbikalila mambo, nawebo wabe usingondimila.”
14 Joabu kabe eti, “Andingatjatjinye tjibaka nge kuko.” Ngono kabe etola mathumo matatu nge luboko gugwe, ebe enobhaya Abusalomu ndiwo mu moyo atjimpenyu pezhugwi kwe n'oko. 15 Bazhuzha bali gumi, basengi be zwibhayano zwa Joabu, bakabe bekomba Abusalomu benloba, bebe bembulaya.
16 Ndizo Joabu kalidza lunyanga, babhayani bakashanduka mu kutatana ne Baiziraela, ngobe Joabu wakabe abadziba. 17 Bakatola itumbu tja Abusalomu bakatjilashila mu gomba lakangina mu ishaka, bakakubunganyila mabgwe pezhugwi kukwe likabe duthu lisishoma le mabgwe. Baiziraela bose bakatizha mmwe ne mmwe kuyenda ku nzi uwe.
18 Mu bupenyu gwa Abusalomu wakabe azwibakila bgwe lakashongoloka mu Nkuku wa Mambo, ngobe wakabe asina nkololo ungati afa kamusa zina lile. Ndizo katumila bgwe ilelo zina lile, ngono lodang'wa Bgwe la Abusalomu na nasi.
Dafite unobudziwa ngekwe lufu gwa Abusalomu
19 Ipapo Ahimaazi nkololo wa Zadoki kadwa Joabu kati, “Tjima ndilabuke ndiyise thawu kuna mambo kubabudza kuti Yahwe ba baangula mu simba le zwita zwabo.”
20 Ngono Joabu kandwa kati, “Aunganoyisa thawu nasi, unganodziyisa limwe zhuba, koga nasi aungayise thawu, ngobe nkololo wa mambo wafa.” 21 Ndizo Joabu kadwa Nkhushi kati, “Yenda, unobudza mambo tjawabona.” Nkhushi kakotamisa nsholo mbeli kwa Joabu, ngono kabhuda akalabuka.
22 Ndizo Ahimaazi nkololo wa Zadoki kadwa Joabu kati, “Nenguba kungabeni, mundiletje ndilabuke ndili shule kwe Nkhushi uwoje.” Ngono Joabu kandwa kati, “Apa ini tjaunowobe utjilabukila nkololo wangu? Ndakalinga kuti auna mbhayilo waunowowana ngekwe thawu idzedzi.” 23 Ahimaazi kapapha kadwa Joabu kati, “Nenguba kungabeni, ndowolabuka.” Joabu kandwa kati, “Labuka.” Ndizo Ahimaazi kalabuka nge zila ye libala kanopindila Nkhushi.
24 Ipapo Dafite wakabe aligele pakati kwe mikoba mibili ye nzi. Nlume we nlindi katathila pezhugwi kwe zhalilo le nzi nge guma, kati emilidza mesho elinga kabona nlume ezha akalabuka ali ega. 25 Nlume we nlindi kamimila kabudza mambo, ngono mambo kadabila eti, “Apa ezha ali ega kodwa kuti wakasenga thawu dzinozipa.” Ngono kazha tjinyolotjo kasedzela pejo.
26 Nlume we nlindi kabona mmwe nlume kakale ezha akalabuka, ngono kadana ntjengeti we nkoba eti, “Bonani, mmwe nlume unozha akalabuka ali ega!” Mambo kashandula eti, “Na iyebo wakasenga thawu dzinozipa.”
27 Nlume we nlindi kabe eti, “Ndobona thambo dze we kutanga dzinga dza Ahimaazi nkololo wa Zadoki.” Mambo kashandula eti, “Nlume wakalulwama, unozha nge matama mabuya.”
28 Ndizo Ahimaazi kamilidza hwi kati kuna mambo, “Kose kwakalulwama.” Kawapasi nge zwidwi mbeli kwa mambo kandwa kati, “Ngakukudziwe Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, wakunda balume bakabe bakamilidzila luboko gwabo tetshi wangu mambo.”
29 Ngono mambo kabhuzwa kati, “Apa nzhuzha Abusalomu unomuka kene?” Ahimaazi kadabila eti, “Kwati Joabu etuma nlanda wa mambo, imi nlanda wenyu, ndakabona bhonyongo gulu kwazo, koga asizibe kuti kwakabe kulini.”
30 Ngono mambo kandwa kati, “Tongo tsheduka, ume ipapo.” Ndizo katendebuka kama.
31 Ngono bonani, Nkhushi kaswika, ngono kadwa mambo kati, “Ndamuzhila thawu dzakanaka kwazo tetshi wangu mambo! Ngobe Yahwe bamuangula nasi mu simba la bose bapanduki benyu.”
32 Mambo kabhuzwa Nkhushi kati, “Apa nzhuzha Abusalomu unomuka kene?” Ngono Nkhushi kadabila eti, “Dzene tshene tjanshingikalila tjingashingikalila zwita zwenyu zose, tetshi wangu, na bose banomupandukila.”
33 Mambo kadzipiwa nge shungu, katathila pezhugwi ku ng'umba yakabakigwa pezhugwi kwe nkoba, kayenda elila elebeleka eti, “Eke nkololo wangu Abusalomu, nkololo wangu, nkololo wangu Abusalomu! Akwabe kwafa imi mu bumo gugo, eke Abusalomu, nkololo wangu, nkololo wangu!”