< 2 Samuel 14 >
1 And when now Joab the son of Zeruyah perceived that the heart of the king was [turned] toward Abshalom:
Yoab menyadari bahwa raja Daud sangat sedih karena kehilangan Absalom.
2 Then sent Joab to Tekoa', and he fetched thence a wise woman, and said to her, Feign. I pray thee, as though thou mournest, and do put on mourning garments, and anoint thyself not with oil; but be as a woman that hath these many days been mourning for the dead.
Oleh sebab itu, Yoab menyusun rencana untuk menyelesaikan persoalan raja. Dia menyuruh utusan ke kota Tekoa untuk menjemput seorang perempuan yang dikenal cerdik. Waktu dia datang, Yoab berkata kepadanya, “Saya minta Ibu berpura-pura seperti sedang berduka. Kenakanlah pakaian berkabung dan jangan memakai minyak wangi. Bersikaplah seakan-akan Ibu sudah lama berkabung atas kematian anggota keluargamu.
3 And thou must come to the king and speak with him after these words: and Joab put the words into her mouth.
Lalu pergilah menghadap raja dan katakan kepadanya seperti yang kuajarkan ini.” Yoab pun memberitahukan apa yang harus dikatakan ibu itu.
4 And the woman from Tekoa' spoke to the king, and fell on her face to the ground, and bowed herself, and said, Help, O king!
Saat perempuan yang cerdik itu menghadap raja, dia bersujud untuk menghormatinya, lalu berkata, “Tuanku Raja, mohon tolonglah hamba!”
5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she said, Truly, I am a widow-woman; since my husband is dead.
Raja bertanya, “Apa masalahmu?” Ibu itu pun bercerita, “Saya seorang janda.
6 And thy hand-maid had two sons, and they two quarreled together in the field, and there was no one between them to help [either]; so the one smote the other, and slew him.
Saya memiliki dua anak laki-laki. Suatu hari, mereka berkelahi di ladang. Karena tidak ada yang menghentikan perkelahian mereka, maka kakaknya memukuli adiknya sampai mati.
7 And, behold, the whole family is risen up against thy handmaid, and they said, Give up the slayer of his brother, that we may have him put to death, for the life of his brother whom he hath killed; and we will destroy also the heir: and thus they will quench my coal which is remaining, so as not to allow to my husband either name or remainder upon the face of the earth.
Sekarang seluruh anggota keluarga kami sedang menuntut agar saya menyerahkan kakaknya, supaya dia dihukum mati untuk membalas kematian adiknya. Tetapi kalau dia dibunuh, tidak akan ada lagi ahli waris dari almarhum suami saya. Dengan begitu padamlah satu-satunya harapan saya untuk meninggalkan keturunan atas nama suami saya di muka bumi ini.”
8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will issue [my] charge concerning thee.
Jawab raja kepadanya, “Baik. Silakan pulang. Saya akan mengeluarkan perintah supaya anakmu itu tidak dihukum mati akibat peristiwa yang sudah terjadi.”
9 Then said the woman of Tekoa unto the king, On me, my Lord, O king, be the iniquity, and on my father's house: and may the king and his throne be guiltless.
Wanita itu kemudian berkata, “Tuanku, kalau ada yang merasa keputusan Tuan tidak adil, biar saya dan keluarga ayah saya yang menanggung tuduhan bersalah. Tuan dan kerajaan Tuan tidak akan dianggap bersalah dalam keputusan ini.”
10 And the king said, Whosoever speaketh aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
Kata raja, “Jika ada anggota keluarga yang masih menuntut kematian anakmu, bawalah dia ke hadapan saya, dan saya jamin bahwa dia tidak akan mengganggumu lagi.”
11 Then said she, Let the king, I pray thee, remember the Lord thy God, so as not to suffer the avenger of the blood to cause yet more destruction, and that they may not destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord liveth, there shall not fall one hair of thy son to the earth.
Jawabnya, “Ya Tuanku Raja, berjanjilah di hadapan TUHAN Allahmu, supaya anggota keluarga yang hendak menuntut kematian anakku itu tidak membunuhnya. Jangan sampai ada penumpahan darah lagi.” Jawab raja, “Aku berjanji di hadapan TUHAN yang hidup, anakmu itu tidak akan dicelakai sedikit pun.”
12 Then said the woman, Let thy hand-maid, I pray thee, speak unto my Lord the king one word. And he said, Speak on.
Lalu kata ibu itu, “Tuanku, mohon izinkan saya berbicara kepada Tuan tentang masalah lain.” Jawab Daud, “Silakan.”
13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? and since the king doth speak this thing, he is as a guilty man, if the king do not permit his banished one to return home.
Wanita itu pun berkata, “Dengan keputusan Tuan tadi, maka tampaklah bahwa Tuan melakukan kesalahan yang merugikan umat Allah, karena Tuan belum memanggil kembali anak Tuan yang ada di tempat pengasingan.
14 For we must needs die, and are as water which is spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and yet doth God not take away life; and he deviseth thoughts, so that the banished one may not remain banished from him.
Tuan, kita semua pasti akan mati. Dan siapa yang sudah mati tidak bisa hidup lagi, sama seperti air yang sudah tumpah ke tanah tidak dapat dikumpulkan kembali. Tetapi Allah tidak mengambil nyawa orang. Sebaliknya, Dia selalu membuka jalan bagi orang yang sudah jauh dari-Nya supaya dapat kembali. Demikian juga yang seharusnya kita lakukan terhadap anak kita.
15 And now that I am come to speak unto my Lord the king of this thing, [happened] because the people made me afraid; and therefore thy hand-maid said, I will still speak unto the king; perhaps the king may act [in accordance with] the word of his hand-maid.
“Tuanku, ketika ada anggota keluarga saya yang mengancam, saya datang berbicara kepada Tuan sebab saya pikir, ‘Mungkin raja akan mengabulkan permintaan hambanya ini.’
16 For the king may hear [me], to deliver his hand-maid out of the hand of the man [that desireth] to exterminate me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
Ternyata benar! Raja sudah mendengarkan dan melepaskan saya dari tangan orang yang hendak membunuh saya dan anak saya. Kalau anak saya terbunuh, kami akan kehilangan tanah warisan yang sudah diberikan Allah!
17 And thy hand-maid said, May the word of my Lord the king now become [the means of giving] repose; for as an angel of God, so is my Lord the king to comprehend the good and the bad: and may the Lord thy God be with thee.
Tetapi sekarang hati saya merasa tenang karena saya yakin bahwa keputusan Tuan akan memberkati saya dan seluruh umat Allah. Tuan berhikmat seperti malaikat, karena selalu tahu membedakan antara hal yang baik dan yang jahat. Kiranya TUHAN Allah senantiasa menyertai Tuan!”
18 Then answered the king and said unto the woman, Conceal not, I pray thee, from me a word concerning what I am going to ask thee. And the woman said, Let my Lord the king but speak.
Lalu raja berkata kepada wanita itu, “Sekarang saya akan bertanya kepadamu. Jangan sembunyikan apa pun dari saya!” Dia menjawab, “Baik, Tuan.”
19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my Lord, O king! none can turn to the right or to the left from all that my Lord the king hath spoken; for it was thy servant Joab who hath bidden me, and it was he that hath put in the mouth of thy hand-maid all these words.
Tanya raja, “Apakah Yoab yang menyuruhmu melakukan semua ini?” Jawab perempuan itu, “Benar Tuan! Di hadapan Tuanku Raja saya bersumpah bahwa itu benar, sebab tidak ada apa pun yang dapat dirahasiakan dari Tuan. Yoab yang mengutus saya, bahkan dia mengajarkan semua yang tadi saya katakan kepada Tuan.
20 In order to change the appearance of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my Lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is [done] on the earth.
Hambamu Yoab melakukannya supaya Raja dapat melihat masalah antara Tuan dan Absalom dari sudut pandang lain. Tuan memang berhikmat seperti malaikat. Itulah sebabnya Tuan mengetahui segala sesuatu yang sedang terjadi di negeri ini.”
21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold, now, thou hast done this thing: go then, bring back the young man Abshalom.
Lalu raja berkata kepada Yoab, “Baiklah! Saya setuju melakukan apa yang kamu inginkan. Bawalah Absalom kembali ke sini!”
22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself, and blessed the king: and Joab said, Today is thy servant convinced that I have found grace in thy eyes, my Lord, O king; since the king hath acted in accordance with the word of thy servant.
Maka Yoab bersujud dan berterima kasih kepada Daud, “Hari ini hambamu tahu bahwa Tuanku Raja berkenan kepada hamba, karena Tuan sudah mengabulkan permintaan hambamu ini!”
23 And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Abshalom to Jerusalem.
Kemudian Yoab berangkat ke kota Gesur untuk membawa Absalom kembali ke Yerusalem.
24 And the king said, Let him repair to his own house, but my face he shall not see. So Abshalom repaired to his own house, but the king's face he did not see.
Tetapi Daud berpesan, “Absalom hanya boleh kembali ke rumahnya sendiri. Jangan sampai dia mendatangi saya.” Jadi Absalom pulang ke rumahnya dan tidak datang kepada raja.
25 And like Abshalom there was no man as handsome in all Israel, so that he was greatly praised: from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head there was no blemish on him.
Di seluruh Israel, Absalom dipuji karena ketampanannya. Dari ujung rambut sampai ujung kaki, dia tidak bercela.
26 And when he shaved off [the hair of] his head [and it was at the end of every year that he shaved it off; because it was too heavy on him, so that he had to shave it off: ] he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king's weight.
Setahun sekali, Absalom mencukur rambutnya ketika dia merasa sudah terlalu berat. Berat rambut yang dipotong bisa mencapai dua setengah kilogram.
27 And there was born unto Abshalom three sons and one daughter, whose name was Thamar: this one was a woman of handsome appearance.
Absalom mempunyai tiga anak laki-laki dan seorang anak perempuan yang sangat cantik, namanya Tamar.
28 And Abshalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and the king's face he did not see.
Sudah dua tahun berlalu sejak Absalom tinggal di Yerusalem tanpa diizinkan menghadap raja.
29 Abshalom sent out therefore for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again the second time; but he would not come.
Pada suatu hari, Absalom menyuruh orang memanggil Yoab. Dia hendak mengutusnya menghadap raja untuk memintakan izin bertemu. Namun, Yoab tidak datang. Untuk kedua kalinya, Absalom memanggil Yoab, tetapi dia masih tidak datang.
30 He thereupon said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is alongside of mine, and he hath barley there: go and set it on fire. And Abshalom's servants set the field on fire.
Maka Absalom berkata kepada para pegawainya, “Yoab memiliki ladang yang bersebelahan dengan ladang saya. Ada tanaman jelai yang siap dipanen di situ. Bakarlah ladangnya itu!” Jadi para pegawai Absalom membakar ladang Yoab.
31 Then did Joab arise, and he went to Abshalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set the field belonging to me on fire?
Lalu Yoab datang ke rumah Absalom dan memprotes, “Mengapa para pegawaimu membakar ladang saya?!”
32 And Abshalom said to Joab, Behold, I had sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it would be better for me were I yet there: and now let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him put me to death.
Jawab Absalom, “Karena aku sudah memanggilmu, tetapi kamu tidak mau datang. Aku bermaksud meminta kamu menghadap raja dan bertanya, ‘Untuk apa Ayah menyuruh aku pulang dari Gesur kalau tidak mau bertemu denganku? Lebih baik aku tetap di sana. Izinkanlah aku datang menghadap Ayah. Jika memang aku bersalah, aku bersedia dihukum mati!’”
33 So Joab went to the king, and told it to him: and he called for Abshalom, who came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Abshalom.
Yoab pun menemui raja dan menyampaikan pesan itu kepadanya. Kemudian raja memanggil Absalom. Absalom datang dan bersujud di hadapannya. Lalu Daud memeluk anaknya itu.