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 organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of 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.
David sent the army out divided into three sections. One third was commanded by Joab, one third was commanded by Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third was commanded by Ittai the Gittite. The king told the men, “I myself will go out into battle 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 men replied, “No, you must not go out into battle! For if we have to run away, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about that either. But you are worth ten thousand of us, so it's better if you stay here and send us help from the 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.
“I will do whatever you think best,” the king replied. The king stood beside the gate while all his men marched 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 ordered Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for me.” All the men heard the king giving orders to each of his commanders about Absalom.
6 Te vaengah pilnam tah Israel te cuuk thil hamla lohma la khong uh. Te vaengah Ephraim duup ah caemtloek om coeng.
David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in 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 Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand.
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 covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed 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 ran into some of David's men while he was riding on his mule. As the mule went under the twisted branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. The mule he was riding kept going, leaving him hanging between earth and sky.
10 Hlang pakhat loh a hmuh vaengah Joab taengah puen tih, “Absalom tah rhokael dongah a kuiok ka hmuh he,” a ti nah.
One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from 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.
“What! You saw him like that?” Joab said to the man. “Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a soldier's belt as a reward!”
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.
But the man replied, “Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I wouldn't hurt the king's son. We all heard the king give the order to you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Look after young Absalom for me.’
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 disobeyed and killed Absalom—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended 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.
“I'm not going to waste time waiting around like this with you!” Joab told him. He grabbed three spears and drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the oak tree.
15 Joab kah hnopai aka phuei cadong parha loh a vael tih Absalom te a ngawn uh dongah a duek sakuh.
Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.
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 ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop.
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 deep pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
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.
Absalom while he was alive had made a stone pillar and set it up in the King's Valley as a memorial to himself, for he thought to himself, “I don't have a son to keep the memory of my name alive.” He named the pillar after himself, and it's called Absalom's Monument even today.
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, “Please let me run and take the good news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him over 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.
“You're not the man to take the good news today,” Joab replied. “You can do it some other time, but don't do it 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.
So Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” He bowed to Joab and ran off.
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.
Ahimaaz asked Joab again, “Never mind what happens, please let me run too, after the Ethiopian!” “Son, why do you want to run—you won't get anything for it?” Joab replied.
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.
“Doesn't matter, I want to run anyway,” he said. “Fine, start running!” Joab told him. Ahimaaz took the route over flatter ground and overtook the Ethiopian.
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.
David was sitting between the inside and outside gates. The watchman climbed up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. He looked out, and 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.
So he shouted down to tell the king. “If he's by himself then he's bringing good news,” the king replied. As the first runner got closer,
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.
the watchman saw someone else running, and he shouted down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running by himself!” “He'll also be bringing good news,” said the king.
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.
“The first man seems to me to be running like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok,” said the watchman. “He's a good man,” he king replied. “He'll bring 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.
Ahimaaz shouted out greetings to the king, Then he came and he bowed facedown before the king. “Blessed be the Lord your God!” he said. “He has defeated the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
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.
“How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, “It was very chaotic when your officer Joab sent me, your servant. I really don't know what was happening.”
30 Te dongah manghai loh, “Hela hoeih pai lah,” a ti nah tih hoeih pai tangloeng.
“Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.
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.
Right then the Ethiopian arrived and said, “Your Majesty, listen to the good news! Today the Lord has defeated all those who rebelled 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.
“How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. The Ethiopian replied, “May what has happened to the young man happen to Your Majesty's enemies, and to everyone who rebels against you!”
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.
The king broke down. He went up to the room over the gate and cried. As he walked, he sobbed out, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I'd died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
