< 2 Samuel 17 >
1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom: 'Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night;
UAhithofeli wasesithi kuAbisalomu: Ake ngikhethe amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili, ngisukume ngixotshane loDavida ngalobubusuku.
2 and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;
Ngizamehlela esakhathele ebuthakathaka ezandleni, ngimethuse; labo bonke abantu abalaye bazabaleka; ngizatshaya inkosi kuphela.
3 and I will bring back all the people unto thee; when all shall have returned, save the man whom thou seekest, all the people will be in peace.'
Ngizabuyisela abantu bonke kuwe. Umuntu omdingayo ufanana lokubuya kwabo bonke. Bonke abantu bazakuba sekuthuleni.
4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
Lalelilizwi lalilungile emehlweni kaAbisalomu lemehlweni abo bonke abadala bakoIsrayeli.
5 Then said Absalom: 'Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.'
UAbisalomu wasesithi: Bizani-ke loHushayi umArki, sizwe ukuthi laye uthini ngomlomo.
6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spoke unto him, saying: 'Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner; shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou.'
UHushayi esefikile kuAbisalomu, uAbisalomu wakhuluma kuye esithi: UAhithofeli ukhulume ngalindlela: Senze ilizwi lakhe yini? Uba kungenjalo, khuluma wena.
7 And Hushai said unto Absalom: 'The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good.'
UHushayi wasesithi kuAbisalomu: Iseluleko uAhithofeli aselulekileyo ngalesisikhathi kasisihle.
8 Hushai said moreover: 'Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
UHushayi wathi futhi: Wena uyamazi uyihlo labantu bakhe ukuthi bangamaqhawe, ukuthi bathukuthele enhliziyweni, njengebhere elithathelwe imidlwane egangeni. Futhi uyihlo yindoda yempi; kayikulala labantu ebusuku.
9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some place; and it will come to pass, when they fall upon them at the first, and whosoever heareth it shall say: There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom;
Khangela, khathesinje ucatshile komunye wemigodi, loba kwenye yezindawo. Kuzakuthi lapho abanye babo bewile ekuqaleni, kuthi loba ngubani ozwayo athi: Bekulokubulawa ebantwini abalandela uAbisalomu.
10 then even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.
Kuthi laye olobuqhawe, onhliziyo yakhe injengenhliziyo yesilwane, ancibilike lokuncibilika; ngoba uIsrayeli wonke uyazi ukuthi uyihlo uliqhawe, lalabo abalaye balobuqhawe.
11 But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
Ngakho ngiyeluleka ukuthi uIsrayeli wonke abuthane, abuthane kuwe kusukela koDani kuze kufike eBherishebha, ngangetshebetshebe eliselwandle ngobunengi, wena ngokwakho ubususiya empini.
12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one.
Ngakho sizamehlela kwenye yezindawo lapho angatholakala khona, simehlele njengamazolo ewela emhlabathini; njalo kungasali kuye lebantwini bonke abalaye loyedwa.
13 Moreover, if he withdraw himself into a city, then shall all Israel bring up ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the valley until there be not one small stone found there.'
Uba-ke engena emzini, uIsrayeli wonke uzaletha amagoda kulowomuzi, siwuhudulele esifuleni, kungabe kusatholwa lalitshana khona.
14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said: 'The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.' — For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
UAbisalomu lawo wonke amadoda akoIsrayeli basebesithi: Iseluleko sikaHushayi umArki singcono kuleseluleko sikaAhithofeli. Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu yayilayile ukuthi kufutshiswe iseluleko esihle sikaAhithofeli ukuze iNkosi imehlisele okubi uAbisalomu.
15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests: 'Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
UHushayi wasesithi kuZadoki lakuAbhiyatha abapristi: UAhithofeli weluleke uAbisalomu labadala bakoIsrayeli kanje lakanje; mina-ke ngeluleka kanje lakanje.
16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying: Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but in any wise pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.'
Ngakho-ke thumani masinyane litshele uDavida lithi: Ungalali emagcekeni enkangala kulobubusuku, futhi chapha lokuchapha, hlezi inkosi iginywe labantu bonke abalayo.
17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David; for they might not be seen to come into the city.
OJonathani loAhimahazi babemile-ke eEnirogeli; incekukazi yeza yabatshela, bona-ke bahamba babikela inkosi uDavida; ngoba babengelakubonwa bengena emzini.
18 But a lad saw them, and told Absalom; and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither.
Kodwa umfana othile wababona, wabikela uAbisalomu; kodwa bahamba masinyane bobabili, bayafika endlini yomuntu eBahurimi, owayelomthombo egumeni lakhe; behlela khona.
19 And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed groats thereon; and nothing was known.
Owesifazana wasethatha wendlala isimbombozo phezu komlomo womthombo, wachaya amabele agigiweyo phezu kwaso; ngakho linto kayaziwanga.
20 And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said: 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' And the woman said unto them: 'They are gone over the brook of water.' And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
Lapho zifika izinceku zikaAbisalomu kowesifazana endlini, zathi: Bangaphi oAhimahazi loJonathani? Owesifazana wasesithi kizo: Bachaphe isifula samanzi. Sezidingile, zingabatholanga, zabuyela eJerusalema.
21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David: 'Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.'
Kwasekusithi sezihambile, benyuka emthonjeni baya bayitshela inkosi uDavida, bathi kuDavida: Sukani lichaphe amanzi masinyane, ngoba uAhithofeli weluleke njalo emelene lani.
22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.
UDavida wasesuka, labo bonke abantu ababelaye, bachapha iJordani; kuze kube sekukhanyeni kokusa kwakungasalanga loyedwa, ongayichaphanga iJordani.
23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
Lapho uAhithofeli ebona ukuthi iseluleko sakhe asilandelwanga, wabophela isihlalo kubabhemi, wasuka waya endlini yakhe emzini wakhe, walaya indlu yakhe, waziphanyeka, wafa, wangcwatshelwa engcwabeni likayise.
24 When David was come to Mahanaim, Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
UDavida wasefika eMahanayimi; uAbisalomu wasechapha iJordani, yena lamadoda wonke akoIsrayeli kanye laye.
25 And Absalom had set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Jesraelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
UAbisalomu wayebeke-ke uAmasa phezu kwebutho esikhundleni sikaJowabi. Njalo uAmasa wayeyindodana yomuntu obizo lakhe lalinguIthira umIsrayeli, owangena kuAbigali indodakazi kaNahashi, udadewabo kaZeruya, unakaJowabi.
26 And Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
Ngakho uIsrayeli loAbisalomu bamisa inkamba elizweni leGileyadi.
27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
Kwasekusithi uDavida esefikile eMahanayimi, uShobi indodana kaNahashi weRaba yabantwana bakoAmoni, loMakiri indodana kaAmiyeli weLodebari, loBarizilayi umGileyadi weRogelimi,
28 brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
baletha amacansi, lemiganu, lendiwo zebumba, lengqoloyi, lebhali, lempuphu, lamabele akhanzingiweyo, lendumba, lamalentili, lokunye okukhanzingiweyo,
29 and honey, and curd, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat; for they said: 'The people is hungry, and faint, and thirsty, in the wilderness.'
lenyosi, lamasi, lezimvu, letshizi yenkomo, kusenzelwa uDavida labantu ababelaye ukuze badle; ngoba bathi: Abantu balambile badiniwe bomile enkangala.