< 2 Samuel 18 >

1 David loh amah taengkah pilnam te a soep tih amih te thawngkhat kah mangpa, yakhat kah mangpa a khueh pah.
And David had the people who were with him numbered, and he put over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.
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.
And David sent the people out, a third of them under the orders of Joab, and a third under the orders of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, And I myself will certainly go out with you.
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 people said, It is better for you not to go out: for if we are put to flight, they will not give a thought to us, and if death overtakes half of us, it will be nothing to them: but you are of more value than ten thousand of us: so it is better for you to be ready to come to our help from this town.
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.
And the king said to them, I will do whatever seems best to you. So the king took his place by the door of the town, and all the people 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.
And the king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Because of me, be gentle to the young man Absalom. And this order about Absalom was given in the hearing of all the people.
6 Te vaengah pilnam tah Israel te cuuk thil hamla lohma la khong uh. Te vaengah Ephraim duup ah caemtloek om coeng.
So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the fight took place in the woods 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.
And the people of Israel were overcome there by the servants of David, and there was a great destruction that day, and twenty thousand men were put to the sword.
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.
And the fighting went on over all the face of the country: and the woods were responsible for more deaths than 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.
And Absalom came across some of David's men. And Absalom was seated on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great tree, and his head became fixed in the tree and he was lifted up between earth and heaven, and the beast under him went on.
10 Hlang pakhat loh a hmuh vaengah Joab taengah puen tih, “Absalom tah rhokael dongah a kuiok ka hmuh he,” a ti nah.
And a certain man saw it and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in a 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.
And Joab said to the man who had given him the news, If you saw this, why did you not put your sword through him, and I would have given you ten bits of silver and a band for your robe?
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 ah khaw, 'Absalom camoe te ngaithuen uh,’ a ti tih ng'uen dongah manghai capa te ka kut ka hlah thil mahpawh.
And the man said to Joab, Even if you gave me a thousand bits of silver, I would not put out my hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king gave orders to you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care that the young man Absalom is not touched.
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.
And if I had falsely put him to death (and nothing may be kept secret from the king), you would have had nothing to do with 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 would have made it safe for you. And he took three spears in his hand, and put them through Absalom's heart, while he was still living, in the branches of the tree.
15 Joab kah hnopai aka phuei cadong parha loh a vael tih Absalom te a ngawn uh dongah a duek sakuh.
And ten young men, servants of Joab, came round Absalom and put an end to 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.
And Joab had the horn sounded, and the people came back from going after Israel, for Joab kept them back.
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.
And they took Absalom's body and put it into a great hole in the wood, and put a great mass of stones over it: and every man of Israel went in flight to his tent.
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 a khue.
Now Absalom, before his death, had put up for himself a pillar in the king's valley, naming it after himself; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in memory: and to this day it is named Absalom's pillar.
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, the son of Zadok, said, Let me go and give the king news of how the Lord has done right in his cause against those who took up arms against him.
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.
And Joab said, You will take no news today; another day you may give him the news, but you will take no news today, 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 the Cushite, Go and give the king word of what you have seen. And the Cushite, making a sign of respect to Joab, went off running.
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, the son of Zadok, said to Joab again, Whatever may come of it, let me go after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why have you a desire to go, my son, seeing that you will get no reward for your 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 may come of it, he said, I will go. Then he said to him, Go. So Ahimaaz went running by the lowland road and overtook 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 seated between the two town doors; and the watchman went up to the roof of the doorways, on the wall, and, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running by himself.
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.
And the watchman gave news of it to the king. And the king said, If he is coming by himself, then he has news. And the man was travelling quickly, and came near.
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 saw another man running: and crying out in the direction of the door he said, Here is another man running by himself. And the king said, He, like the other, comes with 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.
And the watchman said, It seems to me that the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and his news will be good.
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.
And Ahimaaz, crying out to the king, said, It is well. And falling down before the king, with his face to the earth, he said, May the Lord your God be praised, who has given up the men who took up arms against my lord 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 lohhlang tueih hamla hukhuk a tawn uh te ka hmuh dae mebang khaw ka ming moenih,” a ti nah.
And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz said in answer, When Joab sent me, your servant, I saw a great outcry going on, but I had no knowledge of what it was.
30 Te dongah manghai loh, “Hela hoeih pai lah,” a ti nah tih hoeih pai tangloeng.
And the king said, Get back and take your place here. So turning to one side, he took his place there.
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.
And then the Cushite came and said, I have news for my lord the king: today the Lord has done right in your cause against all those who took up arms 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.
And the king said to the Cushite, Is the young man Absalom safe? And the Cushite said in answer, May all the king's haters and those who do evil against the king, 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 much moved, and went up into the room over the door, weeping, and saying, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! if only my life might have been given for yours, O Absalom, my son, my son!

< 2 Samuel 18 >