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.
1 Joab knew that David couldn't stop thinking about Absalom, 2-3 and he sent someone to bring in the wise woman who lived in Tekoa. Joab told her, “Put on funeral clothes and don't use any makeup. Go to the king and pretend you have spent a long time mourning the death of a loved one.” Then he told her what to say.
4 The woman from Tekoa went to David. She bowed very low and said, “Your Majesty, please help me!”
5 David asked, “What's the matter?”
She replied:
My husband is dead, and I'm a widow. 6 I had two sons, but they got into a fight out in a field where there was no one to pull them apart, and one of them killed the other. 7 Now all of my relatives have come to me and said, “Hand over your son! We're going to put him to death for killing his brother.” But what they really want is to get rid of him, so they can take over our land.
Please don't let them put out my only flame of hope! There won't be anyone left on this earth to carry on my husband's name.
8 “Go on home,” David told her. “I'll take care of this matter for you.”
9 The woman said, “I hope your decision doesn't cause any problems for you. But if it does, you can blame me.”
10 He said, “If anyone gives you trouble, bring them to me, and it won't happen again!”
11 “Please,” she replied, “swear by the Lord your God that no one will be allowed to kill my son!”
He said, “I swear by the living Lord that no one will touch even a hair on his head!”
12 Then she asked, “Your Majesty, may I say something?”
“Yes,” he answered.
13 The woman said:
Haven't you been hurting God's people? Your own son had to leave the country. And when you judged in my favor, it was the same as admitting that you should have let him come back. 14 We each must die and disappear like water poured out on the ground. But God doesn't take our lives. Instead, he figures out ways of bringing us back when we run away.
15 Your Majesty, I came here to tell you about my problem, because I was afraid of what someone might do to me. I decided to come to you, because I thought you could help. 16 In fact, I knew that you would listen and save my son and me from those who want to take the land that God gave us.
17 I can rest easy now that you have given your decision. You know the difference between right and wrong just like an angel of God, and I pray that the Lord your God will be with you.
18 Then David said to the woman, “Now I'm going to ask you a question, and don't try to hide the truth!”
The woman replied, “Please go ahead, Your Majesty.”
19 David asked, “Did Joab put you up to this?”
The woman answered, “Your Majesty, I swear by your life that no one can hide the truth from you. Yes, Joab did tell me what to say, 20 but only to show you the other side of this problem. You must be as wise as the angel of God to know everything that goes on in this country.”
21 David turned to Joab and said, “It seems that I have already given my decision. Go and bring Absalom back.”
22 Joab bowed very low and said, “Your Majesty, I thank you for giving your permission. It shows that you approve of me.”
23 Joab went to Geshur to get Absalom. But when they came back to Jerusalem, 24 David told Joab, “I don't want to see my son Absalom. Tell him to stay away from me.” So Absalom went to his own house without seeing his father.
Absalom Was Handsome
25 No one in all Israel was as handsome and well-built as Absalom. 26 His hair grew so thick and heavy that when he got it cut once a year, it weighed over two kilograms.
27 Absalom had three sons. He also had a daughter named Tamar, who grew up to be very beautiful.
Absalom Finally Sees David
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing his father. 29 He wanted Joab to talk to David for him. So one day he sent a message asking Joab to come over, but Joab refused. Absalom sent another message, but Joab still refused. 30 Finally, Absalom told his servants, “Joab's barley field is right next to mine. Go set it on fire!” And they did.
31 Joab went to Absalom's house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 Absalom answered, “You didn't pay any attention when I sent for you. I want you to ask my father why he told me to come back from Geshur. I was better off there. I want to see my father now! If I'm guilty, let him kill me.”
33 Joab went to David and told him what Absalom had said. David sent for Absalom, and Absalom came. He bowed very low, and David leaned over and kissed him.