< Kings II 18 >

1 And David numbered the people with him, and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.
Raja Daud mengumpulkan seluruh anak buahnya, lalu dibaginya menjadi kesatuan-kesatuan yang terdiri dari seribu dan dari seratus orang. Kemudian diangkatnya perwira-perwira untuk mengepalai kesatuan-kesatuan itu.
2 And David sent away the people, the third part under the hand of Joab, and the third part under the hand of Abessa the son of Saruia, the brother of Joab, and the third part under the hand of Ethi the Gittite. And David said to the people, I also will surely go out with you.
Setelah itu diberangkatkannya mereka maju berperang dalam tiga kelompok, masing-masing dipimpin oleh Yoab, Abisai adik Yoab dan Itai dari Gat. Kata raja kepada anak buahnya, "Aku juga ikut bersama kamu."
3 And they said, You shall not go out: for if we should indeed flee, they will not care for us; and if half of us should die, they will not mind us; for you [are] as ten thousand of us: and now [it is] well that you shall be to us an aid to help us in the city.
Tetapi orang-orang itu menjawab, "Jangan Baginda. Sebab jika kami terpaksa lari, atau walaupun separuh dari kami mati, musuh belum merasa puas, sebab Bagindalah yang mereka cari. Baginda sama nilainya dengan sepuluh ribu orang dari kami. Lagipula lebih baik Baginda mengirim bantuan saja kepada kami dari dalam kota."
4 And the king said to them, Whatsoever shall seem good in your eyes I will do. And the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
Lalu kata raja, "Baiklah, terserah kepadamu." Kemudian ia berdiri di samping pintu gerbang kota, sedang seluruh pasukan berbaris ke luar dalam kesatuan-kesatuan yang terdiri dari seribu dan seratus orang.
5 And the king commanded Joab and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Spare for my sake the young man Abessalom. And all the people heard the king charging all the commanders concerning Abessalom.
Lalu raja memerintahkan kepada Yoab, Abisai dan Itai, katanya, "Janganlah kamu lukai Absalom anak muda itu demi aku." Seluruh pasukan mendengar perintah Daud itu.
6 And all the people went out into the wood against Israel; and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim.
Lalu berangkatlah pasukan Daud memerangi pasukan Israel, dan mereka bertempur di hutan Efraim.
7 And the people of Israel fell down there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter in that day, [even] twenty thousand men.
Pasukan Israel dikalahkan oleh anak buah Daud; kekalahan itu sungguh besar, 20.000 orang tewas pada hari itu.
8 And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the land: and the wood consumed more of the people than the sword consumed among the people in that day.
Pertempuran meluas ke seluruh daerah itu, dan lebih banyak orang yang mati terjebak di hutan daripada tewas di medan pertempuran.
9 And Abessalom went to meet the servants of David: and Abessalom was mounted on his mule, and the mule came under the thick boughs of a great oak; and his head was entangled in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth; and the mule passed on from under him.
Sewaktu Absalom menunggangi bagalnya, tiba-tiba ia bertemu dengan anak buah Daud. Bagal itu lewat di bawah pohon yang besar dan rendah, maka tersangkutlah kepala Absalom pada sebuah dahannya. Bagalnya berlari terus sedangkan Absalom ketinggalan dan tergantung di situ.
10 And a man saw it, and reported to Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Abessalom hanging in an oak.
Seorang dari anak buah Daud melihatnya dan melaporkannya kepada Yoab, "Tuan, tadi kulihat Absalom tergantung pada sebatang pohon besar!"
11 And Joab said to the man who reported it to him, And, behold, you did see him: why did you not strike him there to the ground? and I would have given you ten [pieces] of silver, and a girdle.
Yoab menjawab, "Apa? Kaulihat dia? Mengapa tidak segera kaubunuh? Pastilah kuberikan kepadamu sepuluh uang perak dan sebuah ikat pinggang."
12 And the man said to Joab, Were I even to receive a thousand shekels of silver, I would not lift my hand against the king's son; for in our ears the king charged you and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Take care of the young man Abessalom for me,
Tetapi orang itu menjawab, "Meskipun diberi 1.000 uang perak kepadaku, aku takkan mau menyakiti putra raja. Kami semua mendengar apa yang diperintahkan raja kepada Tuan dan kepada Abisai serta Itai, supaya jangan melukai Absalom anak muda itu demi raja.
13 so as to do no harm to his life: and nothing of the matter will be concealed from the king, and you will set yourself against me.
Dan seandainya kubunuh Absalom tadi, pastilah ketahuan oleh raja, sebab raja tentu mendengar tentang segala sesuatu--dan Tuan pun pasti tidak akan membelaku."
14 And Joab said, I will begin this; I will not thus remain with you. And Joab took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Abessalom, while he was yet alive in the heart of the oak.
"Sudahlah! Habis waktu hanya bersoal jawab dengan engkau," kata Yoab. Lalu Yoab mengambil tiga batang tombak dan menikamnya ke dada Absalom yang ketika itu masih hidup dan tergantung pada pohon.
15 And ten young men that bore Joab's armor compassed Abessalom, and struck him and killed him.
Kemudian sepuluh orang anak buah Yoab mengeroyoknya dan membunuhnya.
16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab spared the people.
Yoab membunyikan trompet sehingga anak buahnya berhenti mengejar pasukan Israel.
17 And he took Abessalom, and cast him into a great cavern in the wood, into a deep pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every man to his tent.
Kemudian mayat Absalom diangkat dan dilemparkan ke dalam sumur yang dalam di hutan. Sumur itu mereka timbuni dengan batu sampai tinggi. Seluruh pasukan Israel melarikan diri masing-masing ke rumahnya.
18 Now Abessalom while yet alive had taken and set up for himself the pillar near which he was taken, and set it up so as to have the pillar in the king's dale; for he said he had no son to keep his name in remembrance: and he called the pillar, Abessalom's hand, until this day.
Sewaktu hidupnya Absalom telah membangun bagi dirinya sebuah tugu di Lembah Raja, sebab dia tidak mempunyai anak laki-laki untuk meneruskan keturunannya. Tugu itu dinamakannya menurut namanya sendiri, dan sampai hari ini tugu ini dikenal sebagai Tugu Absalom.
19 And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said, Let me run now and carry glad tidings to the king, for the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.
Kemudian berkatalah Ahimaas anak Zadok kepada Yoab, "Izinkanlah aku lari menemui raja dan membawa kabar gembira bahwa TUHAN telah menyelamatkan Baginda dari musuhnya."
20 And Joab said to him, You [shall] not [be] a messenger of glad tidings this day; you shall bear them another day; but on this day you shall bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.
"Jangan," kata Yoab, "lain kali saja. Hari ini tidak boleh engkau membawa kabar, sebab putra raja telah gugur."
21 And Joab said to Chusi, Go, report to the king all that you have seen. And Chusi did obeisance to Joab, and went out.
Kemudian Yoab berkata kepada budaknya seorang Sudan, "Pergilah memberitahukan kepada raja apa yang telah kaulihat." Budak itu sujud menyembah lalu pergi dengan berlari.
22 And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said again to Joab, Nay, let me also run after Chusi. And Joab said, Why would you thus run, my son? attend, you have no tidings for profit if you go.
Tetapi Ahimaas mendesak kepada Yoab, "Apa pun yang terjadi, izinkanlah juga aku membawa kabar." "Mengapa kau begitu keras mau pergi juga, anakku?" tanya Yoab. "Engkau tidak akan menerima upah untuk itu."
23 And he said, Why should I not run? and Joab said to him, Run. And Achimaas ran along the way of Kechar, and outran Chusi.
"Tidak mengapa," kata Ahimaas lagi, "Aku akan pergi." "Kalau begitu, pergilah," kata Yoab. Maka berlarilah Ahimaas menyusuri jalan yang melewati Lembah Yordan, dan tak lama kemudian ia berhasil mendahului budak Sudan tadi.
24 And David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up on the top of the gate of the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone before him.
Daud sedang duduk di ruang antara pintu gerbang dalam dan pintu gerbang luar kota itu. Penjaga naik ke atas tembok dan berdiri di atap pintu gerbang itu. Ketika ia melayangkan pandangannya, dilihatnya ada seorang datang berlari.
25 And the watchman cried out, and reported to the king. And the king said, If he be alone, [there are] good tidings in his mouth. And the man came and drew near.
Penjaga itu berseru ke bawah memberitahukan hal itu kepada raja, dan raja berkata, "Jika dia sendirian, pastilah kabar baik yang dibawanya." Ketika orang itu hampir sampai,
26 And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman cried at the gate, and said, And look, another man running alone. And the king said, He also brings glad tidings.
penjaga itu melihat ada seorang lagi datang berlari juga. Jadi ia berseru, "Lihat! Ada orang lain lagi yang lari ke mari sendirian." Raja menjawab, "Pasti ia membawa kabar yang baik juga."
27 And the watchman said, I see the running of the first as the running of Achimaas the son of Sadoc. And the king said, He [is] a good man, and will come to [report] glad tidings.
Penjaga itu berkata, "Orang yang pertama itu Ahimaas. Hamba tahu dari caranya berlari." "Dia orang baik," kata raja, "tentu dia membawa kabar baik."
28 And Achimaas cried out and said to the king, Peace. And he did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground, and said, Blessed [be] the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men that lifted up their hands against my lord the king.
Dengan berseru Ahimaas memberi salam kepada raja, lalu sujud dan berkata, "Terpujilah TUHAN Allah Baginda, yang telah menyerahkan kepada Baginda orang-orang yang memberontak kepada Tuanku!"
29 And the king said, [Is] the young man Abessalom safe? and Achimaas said, I saw a great multitude [at the time] of Joab's sending the king's servant and your servant, and I knew not what was there.
Raja bertanya, "Apakah Absalom orang muda itu selamat?" Ahimaas menjawab, "Baginda, tadi ketika hamba diutus oleh Yoab, hamba melihat keributan yang besar, tetapi hamba tidak tahu apa yang terjadi."
30 And the king said, Turn aside, stand still here. And he turned aside, and stood.
"Berdirilah di sebelah sana," kata raja; maka Ahimaas pergi ke samping dan berdiri di situ.
31 And, behold, Chusi came up, and said to the king, Let my lord the king hear glad tidings, for the Lord has avenged you this day upon all them that rose up against you.
Kemudian sampailah budak Yoab itu, dan berkata kepada raja, "Hamba membawa kabar baik untuk Baginda! Pada hari ini TUHAN telah memberikan kepada Baginda kemenangan atas semua orang yang memberontak."
32 And the king said to Chusi, Is it well with the young man Abessalom? and Chusi said, Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all whoever have risen up against him for evil, be as that young man.
Raja bertanya kepadanya, "Apakah Absalom anak muda itu selamat?" Lalu budak itu menjawab, "Kiranya semua musuh Baginda, semua orang yang memberontak terhadap Baginda mengalami nasib yang sama seperti anak muda itu."
33 And the king was troubled, and went to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and thus he said as he went, My son Abessalom, my son, my son Abessalom; would God I had died for you, [even] I [had died] for you, Abessalom, my son, my son!
Mendengar itu raja amat sedih, lalu naik ke ruangan di atas pintu gerbang sambil menangis meratap, "Oh anakku! Anakku Absalom! Absalom, anakku! Lebih baik aku saja yang mati menggantikan engkau, anakku! Absalom, anakku!"

< Kings II 18 >