2 Samuel 17
1 Ahithophel mah Absalom khaeah, kami sang hatlaihnetto ka qoih moe, vaiduem ah David to ka patom han;
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Allow me to choose 12,000 men, and I will leave [with them] tonight to pursue David.
2 dawnrai li moe, thazok nathuem ah anih to ka tuk moe, zit kaom ah ka hum han; to tiah nahaeloe a taengah kaom kaminawk to cawn o boih tih; to naah siangpahrang khue to ka hum han,
We will attack him while he is tired and discouraged, and cause him to be very frightened. All the soldiers who are with him will run away. We will kill only the king.
3 kaminawk loe nang khaeah kang hoih han; na pakrong ih kami to dueh nahaeloe, kalah kaminawk boih loe amlaem o let ueloe, kamongah om o tih, tiah a naa.
Then we will bring back all his soldiers to you, like [SIM] a (bride/woman comes to her husband when she is married). You are wanting to kill only one man; so the other people will not be harmed.”
4 To tiah pacaenghaih to Absalom hoi Israel kacoehtanawk boih mah hoih, tiah poek o.
Absalom and all the Israeli leaders [who were with him] thought that what Ahithophel said would be good to do.
5 To pacoengah Absalom mah, Ark acaeng Hushai doeh kawk oh; anih mah loe kawbangmaw thui tih, tiah tahngai o si, tiah a naa.
But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai also, and we will hear what he suggests.”
6 Hushai anih khae phak naah, Absalom mah anih khaeah, Ahithophel mah loe hae tiah poekhaih ang paek; a thuih ih lok baktiah ka sak o han maw? Ka sak o han om ai, tiah na poek nahaeloe, na poekhaih to na thui ah, tiah a naa.
So when Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had suggested. Then he asked Hushai, “What do you think we should do? If you do not think that we should do what Ahithophel suggests, tell us [what you think that we should do].”
7 Hushai mah Absalom khaeah, Ahithophel mah thuih ih lok loe vaihi thuemah sak han hoih ai.
Hushai replied, “This time what Ahithophel has suggested is not good advice.
8 Hushai mah, Nampa hoi anih ih kaminawk to na panoek; nihcae loe thacak misatuh kami ah oh o; nihcae loe taw ah a caa kakaek hmawhsaeng taqom baktiah palungthin tawnh o; to pacoengah nampa loe misatuh kop kami ah oh, anih loe angmah ih misatuh kaminawk hoi doeh nawnto om mak ai.
You know that your father and the men who are with him are strong soldiers, and that now they are very angry, like [SIM] a mother bear whose cubs have been stolen from her. Furthermore, your father knows how to fight because he has fought in many battles. He will not stay with his troops during the night.
9 Khenah, anih loe vaihi doeh naa ih thlungkhaw hoi naa ih ahmuen ah maw anghawk boeh mue, misa angtuk hmaloe naah nang ih misatuh thoemto kaminawk to dueh o nahaeloe, to tamthang to nihcae mah thaih o naah, Absalom hnukbang misatuh kaminawk loe duek o boih boeh, tiah nihcae mah thui o tih.
Right now he is probably already hiding in one of the pits, or in some other place. [If his soldiers start to attack your soldiers, and] if they kill some of them, whoever hears about that will say ‘Many of the soldiers with Absalom have been killed!’
10 To naah loe misahoih kami hoi kaipui baktiah poekhaih tawn kaminawk loe tui baktiah amzawt o tih; nampa loe misatuh kami ah oh moe, a taengah kaom kaminawk doeh, misahoih kami ah oh o, tiah Israel kaminawk boih mah panoek o.
Then your other soldiers, even if they are as fearless [SIM, IDM] as lions, they will become very afraid. Do not forget that everyone in Israel knows that your father is a great/strong soldier, and that the soldiers who are with him are also very brave/courageous.
11 To pongah hae tiah poekhaih kang paek; Israel kaminawk boih, Dan hoi Beersheba khoek to, kroek laek ai tuipui taeng ih savuet zetto kapop kaminawk to nangmah khaeah pakhuengh loe, nang mah roe nihcae to misatuk hanah khawng ah.
“So what I suggest is that you summon all the Israeli soldiers, from Dan [in the far north] to Beersheba [in the far south]. They will be as many as the grains of sand on the seashore [HYP]. And then you yourself lead us into the battle.
12 To tiah nahaeloe aicae mah anih to ahmuen maeto ah loe hnu thai tih, anih khaeah van bang hoiah kakrah dantui baktiah krah thuih si; to tiah nahaeloe anih hoi angmah ih kaminawk maeto doeh loih o mak ai.
We will find [your father], wherever he is, and we will attack him [from all sides], like [SIM] dew covers all the ground. And neither he nor any of the soldiers who are with him will survive.
13 Nampa vangpui thungah cawn nahaeloe, Israel kaminawk boih mah qui to sin si loe, thlung maeto doeh anghmat ai ah to vangpui to vapui ah ruet si, tiah a naa.
If he escapes into some city, all our soldiers will bring ropes and pull that city down into the valley. As a result, not one stone will be left there [on top of the hill where that city was]!”
14 To naah Absalom hoi Israel kaminawk boih mah, Ark acaeng Hushai mah thuih ih lok loe Ahithophel poekhaih pongah hoih kue, tiah a hnuk o. Angraeng mah, Absalom nuiah sethaih phaksak hanah, Ahithophel mah paek ih poekhaih to amrosak hanah a sak pae.
Absalom and all the other Israeli men [who were with him] said, “What Hushai suggests is better than what Ahithophel suggested.” The reason that happened was that Yahweh had determined that if they would accept the good advice that Ahithophel had given them, [they would have been able to defeat/kill David]. But [as a result of their doing what Hushai suggested], Yahweh would cause a disaster to happen to Absalom.
15 Hushai mah qaima Zadok hoi Abiathar khaeah, Ahithophel mah Absalom hoi Israel kacoehtanawk khaeah to tiah sak hanah poekhaih paek baktih toengah, kai mah doeh to tiah sak hanah poekhaih ka paek boeh.
Then Hushai told the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, what both he and Ahithophel had suggested to Absalom and the Israeli leaders.
16 Vaihi David khaeah karangah laicaeh to patoeh loe, Vai duem aqum loe praezaek azawn ah om o hmah; karangah tui to angkaat oh; to tih ai nahaeloe siangpahrang hoi a taengah kaom kaminawk to paaeh o boih tih boeh, tiah thuih pae hanah lokpat pae.
Then he said to them, “Send [a message] quickly to David. Tell him to not stay at the place where people walk across the river, near the desert. Instead, he and his soldiers must cross [the Jordan River] immediately, in order that they will not be killed/wiped out.”
17 Minawk mah hnu moeng tih, tiah a poek hoi pongah, Jonathan hoi Ahimaaz loe En-Rogel ah oh hoi. Tamna nongpata maeto mah caeh moe, nihnik to thaisak; nihnik loe David khaeah caeh hoi moe, pat ih lok to thuih pae hoi.
[The priest’s two sons, ] Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were waiting at En-Rogel [Spring], outside Jerusalem. They did not [dare to] enter the city, because if someone saw them, [he would report it to Absalom]. [While they were at En-Rogel, ] a female servant [of the two priests] would frequently go to them and report to them [what was happening], and then they would go and report it to King David.
18 Toe thendoeng maeto mah nihnik to hnuk pongah, Absalom khaeah thuih pae; toe nihnik loe karangah caeh hoi moe, Bahurim ah kaom kami maeto ih im ah akun hoi pacoengah, to kami longhmaa ih tuikhaw thungah akun hoi ving.
But a young man saw them, and went and reported it to Absalom. [They found out what the young man had done, ] so both of them left quickly and went to stay in the house of a man in Bahurim. That man had a well in his courtyard; so the two men went down into the well [to hide].
19 Nongpata maeto mah tuikhaw to kraeng khoep moe, a nuiah cang qawk thuih pongah, mi mah doeh to hmuen to panoek ai.
The man’s wife took a cloth/mat and covered the well, and scattered grain on top of it in order that no one would know [that two men were hiding inside it].
20 Absalom ih kaminawk nongpata im ah phak o naah, nihcae mah, Ahimaaz hoi Jonathan loe, naa ah maw oh hoi? tiah dueng o. Nongpata mah nihcae khaeah, Vacong tui angkat hoi ving boeh, tiah a naa. To kaminawk mah nihnik to pakrong o, toe hnu o ai; to pongah nihcae loe Jerusalem ah amlaem o let.
Some of Absalom’s soldiers [found out where the two men had gone. So they] went to the house, and asked the woman, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” She replied, “They crossed the river.” So the soldiers [crossed the river and] searched for them. But they could not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 To kaminawk amlaem o pacoengah, nihnik loe tuikhaw thung hoiah tacawt hoi tahang; David siangpahrang khaeah caeh hoi poe moe, anih khaeah, Angthawk oh loe, vapui to karangah angkat oh; Ahithophel mah nangcae amrosak hanah lokthuih pae boeh, tiah a naa hoi.
After they had gone, the two men came out of the well and went and reported to King David [what had happened and] what Ahithophel had suggested. Then they said to him, “Cross the river quickly!”
22 To pongah David hoi a taengah kaom kaminawk boih angthawk o moe, Jordan tuipui to angkat o. Khodai naah loe Jordan vapui kangkat ai kami maeto doeh anghmat ai boeh.
So David and all his soldiers quickly started to cross the Jordan [River], and by dawn they had all crossed to the other side.
23 Ahithophel mah paek ih poekhaih kahoih baktiah sah ai, tiah panoek naah, anih loe laa hrang to angthueng moe, angmah ih vangpui, angmah im ah amlaem taak ving; angmah im to kahoihah pakuem pacoengah, angmah hoi angmah to amhnawh moe, duek; anih to ampa ih taprong ah aphum o.
When Ahithophel realized that Absalom was not going to do what he suggested, he put a saddle on his donkey and returned to his own town. He gave [to his family] instructions about his possessions, and then he hanged himself [because he knew that Absalom would be defeated and that he would be considered a traitor and be killed]. His body was buried in the tomb where his ancestors [had been buried].
24 David loe Mahaniam ah caeh. Absalom loe angmah hoi nawnto kaom Israel kaminawk hoiah Jordan vapui to angkat o.
David [and his soldiers] arrived at Mahanaim. And Absalom [and all his Israeli soldiers] also crossed the Jordan [River].
25 Absalom mah Joab zuengah Amasa to misatuh angraeng ah suek; Amasa loe Joab ih amno, Zeruiah ih amnawk nongpata, Nahash canu Abigail ih sava, Israel acaeng Ithra capa ah oh.
Absalom had appointed [his cousin] Amasa to be the commander of his army, instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether, a descendant of Ishmael. Amasa’s mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.
26 Absalom loe Israel kaminawk hoi Gilead prae ah atai o.
Absalom and his Israeli soldiers set up their tents in [the] Gilead [region].
27 David Mahanaim ah angzoh naah, Ammon acaeng Rabbah vangpui ih kami, Nahash capa Shobi, Lo-Debar vangpui ih Ammiel capa Makir, Gilead acaeng Rogelim vangpui ih kami Barzillai mah,
When David [and his soldiers] arrived at Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah [city] in the Ammon area, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-Debar [city], and Barzillai from Rogelim [town] in [the] Gilead [region]
28 taw ah zok amthlam o, tui anghaeh o moe, angpho o parai boeh, tiah poek o pongah, David hoi anih ih kaminawk mah caak o hanah, takaw cang, Barli cang, takaw dip hoi kamtong, cangro thaih, peh congca,
brought sleeping mats, bowls, clay pots, barley, wheat flour, parched grain, beans, and lentils to them.
29 khoitui, maitaw tahnutui, tuunawk, tahnutui hoi sak ih kalah hmuennawk, iihkhunnawk, sabaenawk, long laomnawk to sin pae o.
They brought honey and curds, sheep, and some cream/cheese for David and his soldiers to eat. They knew that David and his soldiers would be hungry and tired and thirsty [from marching] in the desert.
