< 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.
Osutɔberɛ a ɛdi soɔ no mu, ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ ahemfo kɔ ɔsa no, Dawid somaa Yoab ne Israel akodɔm nyinaa sɛ wɔnkɔsɛe Amonfoɔ. Wɔkɔtuaa kuropɔn Raba, na Dawid deɛ, 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.
Ɛda bi anwummerɛ a Dawid ayi nʼani so kakra no, ɔsɔre firii ne mpa so nante faa nʼahemfie no atifi. Ɔgyina hɔ no, ɔhunuu ɔbaa bi sɛ ɔredware. Na ɔbaa no ho yɛ fɛ yie,
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 ɔnkɔbisa ne ho nsɛm. Ɔbarima no bɛkaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ Eliam babaa 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 abɔfoɔ sɛ wɔnkɔfrɛ no mmrɛ no. Ɔbaa Dawid nkyɛn. Dawid ne no daeɛ. (Ɔdwiraa ne ho firii ne nsabuo mu no, na ɛnkyɛreɛ.) Afei, ɔsane kɔɔ efie.
5 [After some time], she realized that she was pregnant. So she sent a messenger to tell David [that she was pregnant].
Ɛberɛ a Batseba hunuu sɛ wanyinsɛn no, ɔsoma maa 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 sɛ, “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.
Ɛberɛ a Uria duruu Dawid nkyɛn no, ɔbisaa gyinaberɛ a Yoab ne akodɔm no wɔ mu ne sɛdeɛ 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 sɛ, “Kɔ efie na kɔhome.” Na mpo, Uria firii ahemfie hɔ no, Dawid soma maa wɔde akyɛdeɛ 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 asomfoɔ no bi tenaa ahemfie ɛpono 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]
Ɛberɛ a Dawid tee deɛ Uria ayɛ no, ɔfrɛɛ no bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na ɛha wo? Wofirii fie akyɛre na adɛn na woankɔ hɔ ɛnnora 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 buaa sɛ, “Apam Adaka no ne Israel akodɔm ne Yuda tete ntomadan mu, ɛnna Yoab nso ne ne mpanimfoɔ abɔ atenaeɛ wɔ wiram baabi petee mu. Na ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na matumi akɔ efie akɔnom nsã, adidi na me ne me yere akɔda? Meka ntam sɛ merenyɛ yei 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 sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, tena ha anadwo yi, na ɔkyena wobɛkɔ akodɔm no mu.” Enti, Uria tenaa Yerusalem ɛda no ne nʼadekyeeɛ.
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 anadwoduane apontoɔ, na ɔmaa no nsã ma ɔboroeɛ. Na ɛno mpo, Uria ankɔ efie ankɔhunu ne yere. Ɔdaa ahemfie no ɛkwan 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.
Adeɛ kyee anɔpa no, Dawid twerɛɛ 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 sɛ, “Ma Uria nkɔ akono baabi a ɔko no ano yɛ den pa ara. Wo deɛ, sane wʼakyi, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔbɛkum 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 kɔgyinaa baabi a ɛbɛn kuro no fasuo, a ɛhɔ na ɔnim sɛ atamfoɔ 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 wɔkumm Hetini Uria ne Israel asraafoɔ no bebree.
18 Then Joab sent a messenger to David to tell him about the fighting.
Na Yoab de ɔsa mu amaneɛ kɔbɔɔ Dawid.
19 He said to the messenger, “Tell David the news about the battle. After you finish telling that to him,
Ɔka kyerɛɛ nʼabɔfoɔ no sɛ, “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 bɛfu, ama wabisa sɛ, ‘Adɛn enti na akodɔm no kɔbɛn kuro no pɛɛ saa? Na wɔnnim sɛ wɔbɛto agyan afiri afasuo 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.’”
Ɔbaabasia anto ayuyammoɔ ammɔ Gideon babarima Abimelek wɔ Tebes ankum no?’ Afei, monka nkyerɛ no sɛ, wɔakum Hetini Uria nso.”
22 So the messenger went and told David everything that Joab told him to say.
Enti, abɔfoɔ no kɔɔ Yerusalem kɔbɔɔ ɔsa no mu amaneɛ kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛdeɛ Yoab somaa no sɛ ɔnkɔka.
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.
Abɔfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ, “Mmarima no bu faa yɛn so, na wɔtiaa yɛn petee mu deɛ, nanso yɛpiaa wɔn kɔɔ kuro no ɛpono 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 agyantofoɔ too wʼasomfoɔ firii ɔfasuo ho, maa ɔhene mmarima no bi wuwuiɛ. Na wo ɔsomfoɔ 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 abɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, Monka nkyerɛ Yoab sɛ ɔmmma nʼaba mu mmu, na ɔko mu deɛ obiara tumi wu. Monyere mo ho nko ɔkoden na monni kuropɔn no so nkonim.”
26 When Uriah’s wife [Bathsheba] heard that her husband had died, she mourned for him.
Ɛberɛ a Batseba tee sɛ ne kunu awuo no, ɔsuu 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 fie. Ɔbɛyɛɛ ne yere, na ɔwoo ɔbabarima. Na deɛ Dawid yɛeɛ no ansɔ Awurade ani.

< 2 Samuel 11 >