2 Samuel 18
1 David loh amah taengkah pilnam te a soep tih amih te thawngkhat kah mangpa, yakhat kah mangpa a khueh pah.
David counted the soldiers who were with him and appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
2 David loh pilnam hlop thum ah hlop at te Joab kut hmuiah, hlop thum ah hlop at te Joab mana Zeruiah capa Abishai kut hmuiah, hlop thum ah hlop at Ghitti Ittai kut hmuiah hlop at, a tueih. Te vaengah manghai loh pilnam te, “Kamah khaw nangmih taengah ka pawk rhoe ka pawk bitni,” a ti nah.
Then David sent out the army, one-third under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and still another third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the army, “I will certainly go out with you myself, too.”
3 Tedae pilnam loh, “Cet boeh, rhaelrham khaw n'rhaelrham uh koinih mamih taengah lungbuei khueh hae mahpawh. Mamih khuikah he rhakthuem duek uh cakhaw mamih taengah lungbuei khueh uh mahpawh. Mamih bang mah thawng rha lo coeng. Te dongah khopuei lamloh a bom la nan bom ham te kaimih ham hnothen la om coeng,” a ti nah.
But the men said, “You must not go to battle, for if we flee away they will not care about us, or if half of us die they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us! Therefore it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.”
4 Amih te manghai loh, “Nangmih mikhmuh ah a then te ka saii bitni,” a ti nah. Manghai te vongka kaep ah a pai vaengah pilnam boeih te yakhat ah, thawngkhat ah khong uh.
So the king answered them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.” The king stood by the city gate while all the army went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 Manghai loh Joab, Abishai, Ittai te a uen tih, “Camoe taeng neh Abslom taengah khaw, kai ham tah hoelh hoelh ah ne,” a ti nah. Manghai loh mangpa taengah Absalom kawng neh rhip a uen te pilnam loh boeih a yaak.
The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Absalom.” All the people heard that the king had given the captains this command about Absalom.
6 Te vaengah pilnam tah Israel te cuuk thil hamla lohma la khong uh. Te vaengah Ephraim duup ah caemtloek om coeng.
So the army went out into the countryside against Israel; the battle spread into the forest of Ephraim.
7 Israel pilnam he David sal rhoek kah mikhmuh ah pahoi yawk uh coeng. Te vaeng hnin ah thawng kul te lucik la muep om uh.
The army of Israel was defeated there before the soldiers of David; there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
8 Caemtloek te diklai hman tom ah taekyak la taekyak. Tekah khohnin ah cunghang loh a yoop lakah duup loh a yoop pilnam te yet ngai.
The battle spread throughout the whole countryside, and more men were consumed by the forest than by the sword.
9 Absalom loh David kah sal rhoek te a mikhmuh ah a mah. Te vaengah Absalom te muli-marhang dongah ngol tih muli-marhang loh rhokael bu talulh hmuiah a kun puei. Tedae a lu te rhokael dongah vik kingkaek tih vaan laklo neh diklai laklo ah sut dingkoei. Te vaengah ah a hmuikah muli-marhang loh vik a yong tak.
Absalom happened to meet some of David's soldiers. Absalom was riding his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, and his head was caught up in the tree branches. He was left dangling between the ground and the sky while the mule he was riding kept going.
10 Hlang pakhat loh a hmuh vaengah Joab taengah puen tih, “Absalom tah rhokael dongah a kuiok ka hmuh he,” a ti nah.
Someone saw this and told Joab, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 Te dongah Joab loh amah taengla aka puen hlang te, “Na hmuh tarha mai, balae tih anih te diklai la na ngawn pahoi pawh, te koinih ka pum dongkah tangka phikrha neh hni pakhat he nang kam paek suidae,” a ti nah.
Joab said to the man who told him about Absalom, “Look! You saw him! Why did you not strike him down to the ground? I would have given you ten silver shekels and a belt.”
12 Te hlang loh Joab taengah, “Kai loh ka kut dongah tangka thawngkhat ka thuek pawt mai akhaw, manghai loh mamih hna ah namah khaw, Abishai neh Ittai taengah khaw, ‘Absalom camoe te ngaithuen uh,’ a ti tih ng'uen dongah manghai capa te ka kut ka hlah thil mahpawh.
The man replied to Joab, “Even if I received a thousand silver shekels, still I would not have reached out my hand against the king's son, because we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'No one must touch the young man Absalom.'
13 A hinglu te ka saii pah koinih ka hinglu he a honghi ni. Te dongah manghai taengah tah olka pakhat khaw phah mahpawh, namah khaw a hmaiah na pai van ni,” a ti nah.
If I had risked my life by a falsehood (and there is nothing hidden from the king), you would have abandoned me.”
14 Tedae Joab loh, “Na mikhmuh ah ka rhing voel mahpawh,” a ti nah. Te phoeiah a kut dongah mancai pathum te a khuen tih rhokael bangli ah a hing la aka bat Absalom te a lungkoe ah hlut a daeng.
Then Joab said, “I will not wait for you.” So Joab took three javelins in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive and hanging from the oak.
15 Joab kah hnopai aka phuei cadong parha loh a vael tih Absalom te a ngawn uh dongah a duek sak uh.
Then ten young men who carried Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.
16 Te phoeiah Joab loh tuki a ueng thil tih pilnam te Joab loh a hloh coeng dongah pilnam loh Israel hnuk aka hloem te a toeng.
Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the army returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the army.
17 Absalom te a loh uh tih duup kah rhom a len khuiah a voeih uh. Te phoeiah anih te lungkuk lung a len la muep a hmoek thil uh. Israel pum te khaw amah, amah kah dap la boeih rhaelrham uh.
They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest; they buried his body under a very large pile of stones, while all Israel fled, every man to his own home.
18 Absalom loh, “Ka ming aka thoelh ham ca ka khueh pawh,” a ti dongah amah a hing vaengah amah ham lungpang pakhat te manghai kol ah a thoh. Te dongah lungpang te anih ming a phom thil tih tihnin duela Absalom ngolbuel la a khue.
Now Absalom, while still alive, had built for himself a large stone pillar in the King's Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry along the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after his own name, so it is called Absalom's Monument to this very day.
19 Te vaengah Zadok capa Ahimaaz loh, “BOEIPA loh a thunkha kut lamloh anih a tang sak te ka yong laeh vetih manghai taengah ka phong laeh mako,” a ti.
Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me now run to the king with the good news, how Yahweh has rescued him from the hand of his enemies.”
20 Tedae anih te Joab loh, “Tihnin nang he olthangthen aka khuen hlang moenih, a tloe khohnin ah na phong bitni, tihnin ah phong boel dae manghai capa he duek pueng,” a ti nah.
Joab answered him, “You will not be the bearer of news today; you must do it another day. Today you will bear no news because the king's son is dead.”
21 Te phoeiah Joab loh Kushi te, “Na hmuh taengtae te cet lamtah manghai taengah thui pah,” a ti nah. Te dongah Kushi loh Joab te a bawk tih yong.
Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down to Joab, and ran.
22 Zadok capa Ahimaaz loh koep a rhaep tih Joab taengah, “Metlam khaw om mai saeh, Kushi hnukah ka yong van mai eh,” a ti nah. Tedae Joab loh, “Ka ca na yong te ba ham lae? Olthangthen te na dang hae moenih,” a ti nah.
Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Regardless of what may happen, please let me also run and follow the Cushite.” Joab replied, “Why do you want to run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?”
23 Tedae, “Metlam khaw om mai saeh ka yong ni,” a ti nah. Te dongah, “Yong laeh,” a ti nah. Ahimaaz tah vannaem longpuei ah yong tih Kushi te a khal coeng.
“Whatever happens,” said Ahimaaz, “I will run.” So Joab answered him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
24 Te vaengah David te vongka rhoi laklo ah ngol. Te vaengah rhaltawt te vongtung longah vongka imphu la cet. A mik te a huel tih a sawt hatah hlang pakhat te amah bueng tarha a yong pah.
Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates. The watchman had gone up to the roof of the gate to the wall and raised his eyes. As he looked, he saw a man approaching, running alone.
25 Rhaltawt te a doek tih manghai taengla a puen hatah manghai loh, “Amah bueng koinih a ka dongah te olthangthen coini,” a ti. Te vaengah a yoei la voeh voeh a caeh pah.
The watchman shouted out and told the king. Then the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” The runner came closer and neared the city.
26 Te vaengah rhaltawt loh hlang tloe ha yong te a hmuh bal. Te dongah hlang dawn loh thoh tawt te a khue tih, “Hlang pakhat amah bueng ha yong ke,” a ti nah. Tedae manghai loh, “Anih khaw olthang aka phong ni,” a ti.
Then the watchman noticed another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper; he said, “Look, there is another man running alone.” The king said, “He is also bringing news.”
27 Rhaltawt loh, “Lamhma la aka yong te Zadok capa Ahimaaz kah a yong bangla ka hmuh,” a ti nah. Te vaengah manghai loh, “Anih te hlang then ni, olthangthen neh a then la ha pawk coeng,” a ti.
So the watchman said, “I think the running of the man in front is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man and is coming with good news.”
28 Ahimaaz te a khue hatah manghai te, “Ngaimong la,” a ti nah. Te phoeiah manghai hmaiah a maelhmai te diklai la a bakop pah. Te phoeiah, “Ka boei manghai mai a kut aka thueng thil hlang rhoek te na kut dongah aka det BOEIPA na Pathen tah a yoethen pai,” a ti nah.
Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “All is well.” He bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be Yahweh your God! He has delivered the men who lifted up their hand against my master the king.”
29 Manghai loh, “Camoe Absalom tah a sading a?” a ti nah. Te vaengah Ahimaaz loh, “Manghai kah sal Joab neh na sal pakhat loh hlang tueih hamla hukhuk a tawn uh te ka hmuh dae mebang khaw ka ming moenih,” a ti nah.
So the king replied, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent me, the king's servant, to you, king, I saw a great disturbance, but I did not know what it was.”
30 Te dongah manghai loh, “Hela hoeih pai lah,” a ti nah tih hoeih pai tangloeng.
Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So Ahimaaz turned aside, and stood still.
31 Te vaengah Kushi te pakcak ha pawk tih Kushi loh, “Ka boei manghai loh phong pai saeh. Tihnin ah tah BOEIPA loh nang aka tlai thil hlang boeih kah kut lamloh nang n'tang sak coeng,” a ti nah.
Immediately then the Cushite arrived and said, “There is good news for my master the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today from all who rose up against you.”
32 Te dongah manghai loh Kushi te, “Camoe Absalom te a sading a?” a ti nah. Te vaengah Kushi loh, “Ka boei manghai kah thunkha rhoek neh nang taengah boethae neh aka tlai thil boeih tah camoe bangla om van saeh,” a ti nah.
Then the king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “The enemies of my master the king, and all who rise up against you to do harm to you, should be as that young man is.”
33 Manghai te a tlai neh vongka imhman la yoeng tih rhap. Te vaengah a caeh doela, “Ka capa Absalom, ka capa aw, ka capa Absalom, ka capa Absalom, nang yueng la kamah ka duek ham u long m'paek eh? ka capa Absalom, ka capa aw,” a ti.
Then the king was deeply unnerved, and he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he went he grieved, “My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
