Joab ma tuṋu omakotokero wa Absalom
1 Joab, omuzandu wa Seruja, wa tjiwa kutja ombara David u zera Absalom tjinene. 2 Joab otja hinda ombuze komukazendu onongo ngwa turire mOtekoa kutja e ye ku ye. Omukazendu ngwi tje ya, Joab arire tja tja ku ye: “Ritjita aayo u ri momutambo, nu u zare ozombanda zokupirika, o rivava omaze womiṋinga, nu ritjinda otja omukazendu ngwa kara oruveze orure moruhoze. 3 Twende kombara u keiraere ihi tji me ku raere.” Nu Joab we mu raera ihi tji ma sokukahungira.
4 Nomukazendu ngwi ngwa zire kOtekoa otja ya kombara, na kawa onḓurumika komurungu wayo, a tja: “Ndji vatera, mbara!”
5 Nombara ye mu pura nai: “Mo vanga tjike?”
Neye wa zira a tja: “Arikana, owami omuhepundu, omurumendu wandje wa koka. 6 Muhona, ami mba ri novazandu vevari, neyuva rimwe owo va posira mokuti ku ku ha ri omundu ngu meve haṋa, nu umwe otja zepa omukwao. 7 Nambano, Muhona, momuhoko vandje avehe ve ndji sekamena amave tja: ‘Tu pao omuzandu ngwa zepa omuangu we, tu mu zepe mena romuinyo womuangu we, nandarire kutja onguri omurumate weṱa.’ Owo tji va tjiti nai, ami me sewa nokuhinomuatje omuzandu! Me rire omuhangauke, nomurumendu wandje ke nokukara nena mozondekurona kombanda yehi.”
8 Ombara arire tji ya tja nai: “Yaruka koyeye, avihe me ku ṱunine.”
9 Nomukazendu ngwi otja tja nai kombara: “Muhona wandje ombara, ondjo ngai kare kombanda yandje na keṱunḓu randje; nungwari ombara, neṱunḓu rayo rouhona ngave rire ovehinandjo.”
10 Nombara ya zira ai tja: “Auhe ngu me ku tanda, mu eta ku ami, neye kemee ku kendisa rukwao.”
11 Nomukazendu wa tja “Muhona ombara, kumba ku Muhona, Ndjambi woye, kutja movazamumwe vandje mbu mave ripura okusutisa onḓiro yomuzandu wandje ave ha tjiti oumba ounene tjinene wokuzepa omuzandu ngwi omukwao.”
Ombara otji ya yana ai tja: “Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo, omuzandu woye kamaa hihamisiwa, nangarire kaṱiṱi.”
12 Nomukazendu wa tja nai: “Arikana, mu esa omukarere woye a hungire embo rimwe komurungu kove, mbara.”
Oyo arire tji ya ziri ai tja: “Hungira!”
13 Nomukazendu wa pura nai kombara: “Okutjavi tji wa tjita ondataiziro, ndji ṱa mba kotjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi? Ove, mbara, koyandjere omuzandu woye kutja a kotoke okuza kouhuura, notji we ripangura omuini nomambo nga ngu wa hee. 14 Eṱe atuhe, tjiri, matu koka, nu tu ri otja omeva ngu maye tirahirwa pehi, nu nge hi nakuwongwa rukwao. Ndjambi ka nyono omuinyo, nungwari u tunga ondunge kutja omuimbirahiwa a ha kara aruhe kokure na ye. 15 Nambano, Muhona ombara, otjiṋa tji tje ndji eta okuhungira kuna ove, otjo hi tjokutja ovandu ve ndji tanda, notji mbe ripura omuini okuyekuhungira na ove, ame undju kutja mo yenenisa ihi tji me ningire kove. 16 Ami mbe ripura kutja ove, mbara, tjiri mo puratene ku ami, omukarere woye, no ndji yama komurumendu ngu ma kondjo okundjizepa nomuzandu wandje, nokutuisa mo mehi Ndjambi nda yandja kotjiwaṋa tje ri rire otjirumatwa. 17 Ami, omukarere woye, otji mbe ripura kutja embo romuhona wandje ombara mari ndji pe orusuvo; orondu omuhona wandje u ri tjimuna omuengeri wa Ndjambi ngu tjiwa avihe. Muhona, Ndjambi woye nga kare puna ove!”
18 Nombara arire tji ya ziri nai komukazendu: “Ami me ku pura epuriro ndi, nove ndji raera ouatjiri auhe.”
Nomukazendu a ziri a tja: “Muhona wandje ombara, ndji pura ngamwa atjihe.”
19 Ombara otji ye mu pura nai: “OJoab ongwe ku popa okutjita nai?”
Nomukazendu wa zira a tja: “Tjiri, muhona wandje ombara, kape nomuhingo warwe okuzira kepuriro roye. Omukarere woye Joab ongwe ndji raera ihi tji me sokutjita na tji me sokuhungira. 20 Omukarere woye Joab wa tjita otjiṋa hi kutja a rundurure ouripura woye; nungwari omuhona wandje onongo tjimuna omuengeri wa Ndjambi, nu u tjiwa atjihe tji tji tjitwa kombanda yehi.”
21 Tjazumba ombara ya tja nai ku Joab: “Osemba, ami mba tye okutjita otja pu movanga. Twende, kakotore omuzandu ngo Absalom.”
22 Joab arire tja u onḓurumika na tja nai kombara David: “Ndjambi nge ku sere ondaya! Ndino mba tjiwa kutja omuhona wandje ombara u nounyaṋutima na ami, tjinga awa tjiti otja konḓero yomukarere woye.” 23 Tjazumba Joab otja sekama na i kOgesur, na kakotora Absalom kOjerusalem. 24 Nombara ya tja: “Nga hite mondjuwo ye omuini, nu ngaa munika momeho wandje.” Absalom otja kara mondjuwo ye, nu e he rimunikisa kombara.
Absalom ma hangana na David
25 Nu mOisrael arihe kamwa ri omurumendu ngwaa tjiukwa otja Absalom mena rouwa wombunikiro ye. Eye ka ri notjipo okuza kombaze nga kotjiuru. 26 Eye wa ri nozondjise ozengi nḓaa horisa rumwe mombura tji za rire ozonde nozengi. Ozo aaze kara nondjinda yozokirograma mangara mbari otja komasasanekero wouhona. 27 Absalom wa ri novazandu vetatu, nomukazona umwe wena Tamar, ngwa ri omuwa tjinene.
28 Nu Absalom wa kara oure wozombura mbari mOjerusalem nokuhinokumunasana nombara. 29 Absalom arire tja raa Joab e mu ire kombara, nungwari Joab wa panḓa okuya ku ye. Nu tje mu raa porutjavari, wa panḓa rukwao. 30 Absalom otja tja nai kovakarere ve: “Tareye, Joab u nehi romakunino meṋe yaindi orandje, nu mu ro mwa hapa ovirya, twendeye, mu kahwike ro.” Nowo otji va ya ave kerihwika.
31 Joab arire tja sekama na kahita mondjuwo ya Absalom, ne mu pura nai: “Okutjavi ovakarere voye tji va kahwika ehi randje romakunino?”
32 Absalom wa zira a tja: “Ami mbe ku hindira ombuze u ye mba, mbi ku hinde kombara okukendjipurira kutja hapo mba kotokera tjike konganda okuza kOgesur? Atja rira kokuwa andakuzu mba kara ngo.” Nu Absalom wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Nambano me vanga okuhakaena nombara David; nu tji mbi nondjo, eye nge ndji zepe.”
33 Joab otja ya kombara ne keiserekarerera otjiṋa hi; nombara arire tji ya isana Absalom. Neye tje ya kombara, wa wa onḓurumika momurungu wayo, nombara ye mu hupita.
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.
