< 2 Samuel 11 >

1 [In that region], kings usually went [with their armies] to fight [their enemies] in the springtime. But the following year, in the springtime, David [did not do that. Instead, he] stayed in Jerusalem, and he sent [his commander] Joab [to lead the army]. So Joab went with the other officers and the rest of the Israeli army. They [crossed the Jordan River and] defeated the army of the Ammon people-group. Then they surrounded [their capital city, ] Rabbah.
Asusowbere a edi so no mu, bere a ɛsɛ sɛ ahemfo kɔ ɔsa no, Dawid somaa Yoab ne Israel asraafo nyinaa sɛ wɔnkɔsɛe Amonfo. Wokotuaa kuropɔn Raba ano, na Dawid de, ɔkaa Yerusalem.
2 Late one afternoon, after David got up from taking a nap, he walked around on the [flat] roof of his palace. He saw a woman who was bathing [in the courtyard of her house]. The woman was very beautiful.
Da bi anwummere a Dawid ayi nʼani so kakra no, ɔsɔre fii ne mpa so nantew faa nʼahemfi no atifi. Ogyina hɔ no, ohuu ɔbea bi sɛ ɔreguare. Na ɔbea no ho yɛ fɛ yiye;
3 David sent a messenger to find out who she was. [The messenger returned] and said, “She is [RHQ] Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and her husband is Uriah, from the Heth people-group.”
na Dawid somaa obi sɛ onkobisa ne ho nsɛm. Ɔbarima no bɛkae se, “Ɛyɛ Eliam babea Batseba, a ɔyɛ Hetini Uria yere.”
4 Then David sent more messengers to get her. They brought her to David, and he (slept/had sex) [EUP] with her. (She had just finished performing the rituals to make herself pure [after her monthly menstrual period].) Then Bathsheba went back home.
Na Dawid tuu abɔfo sɛ wɔnkɔfrɛ no mmrɛ no. Ɔbaa Dawid nkyɛn. Dawid ne no dae. (Odwiraa ne ho fii ne nsabu mu no, na ɛnkyɛe.) Afei, ɔsan kɔɔ fie.
5 [After some time], she realized that she was pregnant. So she sent a messenger to tell David [that she was pregnant].
Bere a Batseba huu sɛ wanyinsɛn no, ɔsoma ma wɔkɔka kyerɛɛ Dawid.
6 Then David sent a message to Joab. He said, “Send Uriah, from the Heth people-group, to me.” So Joab did that. He sent Uriah to David.
Enti Dawid soma kɔɔ Yoab nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Fa Hetini Uria brɛ me.”
7 When he arrived, David asked if Joab was well, and if other soldiers were well, and how the war was progressing.
Bere a Uria duu Dawid nkyɛn no, obisaa gyinabea a Yoab ne asraafo no wɔ mu ne sɛnea ɔko no rekɔ so.
8 Then David, [hoping that Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife, ] said to Uriah, “Okay, go home and relax for a while. [IDM]” So Uriah left, and David gave someone a gift [of some food] to take to Uriah’s house.
Na ɔka kyerɛɛ Uria se, “Kɔ fie na kɔhome.” Na mpo, Uria fii ahemfi hɔ no, Dawid soma ma wɔde akyɛde bi kɔmaa no.
9 But Uriah did not go home. Instead, he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guards.
Nanso Uria ankɔ fie. Ɔne ɔhene asomfo no bi tenaa ahemfi pon no ano.
10 When someone told David that Uriah did not go to his house [that night], David [summoned him again and] said to him, “Why didn’t you go home [to be with your wife last night], after having been away for a long time?” [RHQ]
Bere a Dawid tee nea Uria ayɛ no, ɔfrɛɛ no bisaa no se, “Dɛn na ɛhaw wo? Wufii fie akyɛ na adɛn na woankɔ hɔ nnɛra anadwo?”
11 Uriah replied, “The soldiers of Judah and Israel are camping in the open fields, and even our commander Joab is sleeping in a tent, and the sacred chest is with them. (How could I/It would not be right for me to) go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife [RHQ]. I solemnly declare [IDM] that I will never do such a thing!”
Uria buae se, “Apam Adaka no ne Israel asraafo ne Yuda tete ntamadan mu, na Yoab nso ne ne mpanyimfo abɔ atenae wɔ wuram baabi petee mu. Na ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na matumi akɔ fie akɔnom nsa, adidi na me ne me yere akɔda? Meka ntam se merenyɛ eyi na madi ho fɔ.”
12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. I will let you return [to the battle] tomorrow.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and that night.
Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Eye, tena ha anadwo yi, na ɔkyena wobɛkɔ asraafo no mu.” Enti Uria tenaa Yerusalem da no ne nʼadekyee.
13 The next day, David invited him [to a meal]. So Uriah had a meal with David, and David made him drink a lot of wine so that he would get drunk, [hoping that if he was drunk, he would sleep with his wife]. But that night, Uriah again did not go home. Instead, he slept on his cot with the king’s servants.
Na Dawid frɛɛ no adidi ne ɔnom aponto, na ɔmaa no nsa ma ɔbowee. Na ɛno mpo, Uria ankɔ fie ankohu ne yere. Ɔdaa ahemfi no kwan ano bio.
14 [Someone reported that to] David, [so] the next morning he wrote a letter to Joab, and gave it to Uriah to take to Joab.
Ade kyee anɔpa no, Dawid kyerɛw krataa maa Uria sɛ ɔmfa nkɔma Yoab.
15 In the letter, he wrote, “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is the (worst/most severe). Then command the soldiers to pull back from him, in order that he will be killed [by our enemies].”
Krataa no mu nsɛm kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Ma Uria nkɔ akono baabi a ɔko no ano yɛ den pa ara. Wo de, san wʼakyi, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, wobekum no.”
16 [So after] Joab [got the letter], as his army was surrounding the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew that their enemies’ strongest and best soldiers would be fighting.
Enti Yoab maa Uria kogyinaa baabi a ɛbɛn kurow no fasu, a ɛhɔ na onim sɛ atamfo no mmarima a wɔyɛ den no reko.
17 The men from the city came out and fought with Joab’s soldiers. They killed some of David’s officers, including Uriah.
Ɛhɔ na wokum Hetini Uria ne Israel asraafo no bebree.
18 Then Joab sent a messenger to David to tell him about the fighting.
Na Yoab de ɔsa mu amanneɛ kɔbɔɔ Dawid.
19 He said to the messenger, “Tell David the news about the battle. After you finish telling that to him,
Ɔka kyerɛɛ nʼabɔfo no se, “Monka ɔsa mu nsɛm no nyinaa nkyerɛ ɔhene.
20 if David is angry [because so many officers were killed], he may ask you, ‘Why did your soldiers go so close to the city to fight [RHQ]? Did you not know that they would shoot [arrows at you while they were standing on top] of the city wall [RHQ]?
Nanso ebia ne bo befuw, ama wabisa se, ‘Adɛn nti na asraafo no kɔbɛn kurow no pɛɛ saa? Na wonnim sɛ wɔbɛtow agyan afi afasu no mu?
21 Do you not remember how Abimelech, the son of Gideon, was killed? A woman [who lived] in Thebez threw a huge (millstone/stone for grinding grain) on him from [the top of] tower, and he died. So why did your troops go near to the city wall?’ If the king asks this, then tell him, ‘Your officer Uriah also was killed.’”
Ɔbeabasia antow awiyammo ammɔ Gideon babarima Abimelek wɔ Tebes ankum no?’ Afei, monka nkyerɛ no se, wɔakum Hetini Uria nso.”
22 So the messenger went and told David everything that Joab told him to say.
Enti abɔfo no kɔɔ Yerusalem kɔbɔɔ ɔsa no mu amanneɛ kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛnea Yoab somaa no sɛ ɔnkɔka no.
23 The messenger said to David, “Our enemies were very brave, and came out of the city to fight us in the fields. [They were defeating us] but we forced them back to the city gate.
Abɔfo no ka kyerɛɛ Dawid se, “Mmarima no bu faa yɛn so, na wotiaa yɛn petee mu de, nanso yepiaa wɔn kɔɔ kurow no pon ano.
24 Then their archers shot arrows at us from [the top of] the city wall. They killed some of your officers. They killed your officer Uriah, too.”
Ɛhɔ na agyantowfo tow wʼasomfo fii ɔfasu ho, maa ɔhene mmarima no bi wuwui. Na wo somfo Hetini Uria nso awu.”
25 David said to the messenger, “Go back to Joab and say to him, ‘Do not be distressed [about what happened], because no one ever knows who will be killed in a battle.’ Tell him that the next time his troops should attack the city more strongly, and capture it.”
Dawid ka kyerɛɛ abɔfo no se, “Monka nkyerɛ Yoab se ɔmmma nʼaba mu mmu, na ɔko mu de obiara tumi wu. Monyere mo ho nko ɔkoden na munni kuropɔn no so nkonim.”
26 When Uriah’s wife [Bathsheba] heard that her husband had died, she mourned for him.
Bere a Batseba tee sɛ ne kunu awu no, osuu no.
27 When her time of mourning was ended, David sent messengers to bring her to the palace. Thus, she became David’s wife. She later gave birth to a son. But Yahweh was very displeased with what David had done.
Na osu no akyi no, Dawid soma ma wɔkɔfaa no baa ne fi. Ɔbɛyɛɛ ne yere, na ɔwoo ɔbabarima. Na nea Dawid yɛe no ansɔ Awurade ani.

< 2 Samuel 11 >