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 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: 3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 ¶ And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. 5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. 6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. 7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. 8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. 9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless. 10 And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. 11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. 12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. 13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. 14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. 16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17 Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. 18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. 19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: 20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21 ¶ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. 22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. 23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.
25 ¶ But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight. 27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28 ¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face. 29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? 32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. 33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.