Samuel 2 14

1 Esi Aʋafia Yoab kpɔ be David di vevie be yeagakpɔ Absalom la,

Now it was clear to Joab, the son of Zeruiah, that the king's heart was turning to Absalom.

2 eɖo du ɖe nyɔnu nyanu aɖe si nɔ Tekoa. Esi nyɔnu la va la, Yoab gblɔ nɛ be, “Wɔ abe ɖe nèle konyi fam ene eye nàta funyivɔ. Mègavu ɖa o; wɔ ɖokuiwò abe nyɔnu si le fu nyim ɣeyiɣi didi aɖe ene.

And Joab sent to Tekoa and got from there a wise woman, and said to her, Now make yourself seem like one given up to grief, and put on the clothing of sorrow, not using any sweet oil for your body, but looking like one who for a long time has been weeping for the dead:

3 Ekema nàyi fia la gbɔ eye nàgblɔ nu si magblɔ na wò be nàgblɔ la nɛ.”

And come to the king and say these words to him. So Joab gave her words to say.

4 Esi nyɔnu la ɖo fia la gbɔ la, emlɔ anyigba, tsyɔ mo anyi le fia la ŋkume eye wòdo ɣli be, “Oo, fia, nyo nam!”

And the woman of Tekoa came to the king, and falling on her face, gave him honour and said, Give me help, O king.

5 Fia la biae be, “Nu kae le fu ɖem na wò.” Eɖo eŋu be, “Ahosie menye, srɔ̃nye ku.

And the king said to her, What is your trouble? And her answer was, Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

6 Viŋutsu eve nɔ nye, wò dɔla si. Wowɔ avu kple wo nɔewo le gbedzi; ame aɖeke menɔ afi ma alé avu wo o. Ale ɖeka wu nɔvia.

And I had two sons, and the two of them had a fight in the field, and there was no one to come between them, and one with a blow put the other to death.

7 Azɔ la, ƒometɔ mamlɛawo le biabiam be maɖe asi le esi wu nɔvia la ŋu ne woawu eya hã le ale si wòwu nɔvia la ta. Ne mewɔ woƒe gbe dzi la, viŋutsu aɖeke maganɔ asinye o, ekema srɔ̃nye ƒe ŋkɔ abu le anyigba dzi.”

And now all the family is turned against me, your servant, saying, Give up him who was the cause of his brother's death, so that we may put him to death in payment for the life of his brother, whose life he took; and we will put an end to the one who will get the heritage: so they will put out my last burning coal, and my husband will have no name or offspring on the face of the earth.

8 Fia la gblɔ nɛ be, “Gblẽ nya sia ɖe nye asi me; makpɔ egbɔ be ame aɖeke maka asi viwò ŋutsu la ŋu o.”

And the king said to the woman, Go to your house and I will give orders about this.

9 Tekoa nyɔnu la gblɔ nɛ be, “Oo, nye aƒetɔ, meda akpe na wò; ne woaxa wò be nèkpe ɖe ŋunye alea la, maxɔ nya la ɖe ɖokuinye dzi.”

And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, may the sin be on me and on my family, and may the king and the seat of his kingdom be clear of sin!

10 Fia la yi edzi be, “Mègatsi dzi le akpa ma ŋu o. Ne ame aɖe melɔ̃ ɖe edzi o la, kplɔe vɛ nam. Meka ɖe edzi na wò be magagblɔ nya aɖeke o!”

And the king said, If anyone says anything to you, make him come to me, and he will do you no more damage.

11 Nyɔnu la gblɔ na David be, “Meɖe kuku, tsɔ Yehowa, wò Mawu, ka atam nam be, yemaɖe mɔ ame aɖeke nawɔ nuvevi vinye la o. Nyemedi be woagakɔ ʋu bubu aɖeke ɖi o.” David ɖo eŋu be, “Metsɔ Yehowa ka atam na wò bena ame aɖeke manyɔ viwò la ƒe taɖa ɖeka pɛ gɔ̃ hã o!”

Then she said, Let the king keep in mind the Lord your God, so that he who gives punishment for blood may be kept back from further destruction and that no one may send death on my son. And he said, By the living Lord, not a hair of your son's head will come to the earth.

12 Nyɔnu la yi edzi be “Meɖe kuku, na magabia nu ɖeka wò, nye aƒetɔ fia la!” David gblɔ nɛ be, “Bia faa!”

Then the woman said, Will the king let his servant say one word more? And he said, Say on.

13 Nyɔnu la gblɔ be, “Ekema nu ka ta nèɖo nu sia tsitre ɖe Mawu ƒe amewo ŋuti? Elabena le nyametsotso si nèna nu la, fia la bu fɔ eɖokui le esime megbugbɔ via si wònya de gbe la va aƒee o.

And the woman said, Why have you had such a thought about the people of God? (for in saying these very words the king has put himself in the wrong because he has not taken back the one whom he sent far away.)

14 Mí katã míele kuku ge, mlɔeba la míaƒe agbe le abe tsi si wotrɔ kɔ ɖe anyigba ene, womagate ŋu aklui o. Ke Mawu ayra wò kple agbe didi wu, ne àto mɔ aɖe nu ana viwò Absalom nagbɔ va aƒe.

For death comes to us all, and we are like water drained out on the earth, which it is not possible to take up again; and God will not take away the life of the man whose purpose is that he who has been sent away may not be completely cut off from him.

15 “Eya ta meva be magblɔ nya sia na nye aƒetɔ, fia la elabena ameawo le vɔvɔ̃ dom nam. Wò subɔla bu be, ‘Maƒo nu kple fia la kpɔ; ɖewohĩ awɔ nu si eƒe subɔla la abia.

And now it is my fear of the people which has made me come to say these words to my lord the king: and your servant said, I will put my cause before the king, and it may be that he will give effect to my request.

16 Ɖewohĩ fia la alɔ̃ be yeaɖe eƒe subɔla tso ame si le didim be yeana be nye kple vinye míaxɔ domenyinu si Mawu na mí o la si me.’

For the king will give ear, and take his servant out of the power of the man whose purpose is the destruction of me and my son together from the heritage of God.

17 “Ɛ̃, fia la agana eƒe asimeŋutifafa mí. Menya be èle abe mawudɔla ene eye ètea ŋu dzea si nyui tso vɔ̃ gbɔ. Yehowa, wò Mawu, nanɔ kpli wò.”

Then your servant said, May the word of my lord the king give me peace! for my lord the king is as the angel of God in his hearing of good and bad: and may the Lord your God be with you!

18 Fia la gblɔ be, “Medi be manya nu ɖeka.” Nyɔnu la biae be, “Nye aƒetɔ, nu kae?”

Then the king said to the woman, Now give me an answer to the question I am going to put to you; keep nothing back. And the woman said, Let my lord the king say on.

19 Fia la yi edzi be, “Yoab ye nye ame si dɔ wò ɖe afi sia?” Nyɔnu la ɖo eŋu be, “Nye aƒetɔ fia, aleke mate ŋu agblɔ be menye eyae o? Ɛ̃, Yoab ye dɔm ɖa eye wògblɔ nu si magblɔ na wò la nam.

And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman in answer said, By the life of your soul, my lord the king, it is not possible for anyone to go to the right hand or to the left from anything said by the king: your servant Joab gave me orders, and put all these words in my mouth:

20 Ewɔ nu sia, ale be yeatsɔ nya la aɖo wò ŋkume to mɔ bubu dzi. Ke wò nye aƒetɔ, ènyaa nu abe mawudɔla ene eye nènya nu sia nu si dzɔna!”

This he did, hoping that the face of this business might be changed: and my lord is wise, with the wisdom of the angel of God, having knowledge of everything on earth.

21 Ale David yɔ Yoab eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Enyo, yi nàkplɔ Absalom vɛ.”

And the king said to Joab, See now, I will do this thing: go then and Come back with the young man Absalom.

22 Yoab mlɔ anyigba le fia la ŋkume eye wòyra fia la hegblɔ be, “Nye aƒetɔ fia, egbe nye wò dɔla medze sii mlɔeba be èlɔ̃m elabena èlɔ̃ ɖe nu si mebia wò la dzi!”

Then Joab, falling down on his face on the earth, gave the king honour and blessing; and Joab said, Today it is clear to your servant that I have grace in your eyes, my lord king, because the king has given effect to the request of his servant.

23 Ale Yoab yi Gesur eye wòkplɔ Absalom gbɔ va Yerusalem.

So Joab got up and went to Geshur and came back again to Jerusalem with Absalom.

24 Fia David de se be, “Absalom ate ŋu ayi eya ŋutɔ ƒe nɔƒe le fiasã sia me gake mekpɔ mɔ ado ɖe nye ŋkume le afi sia gbeɖe o. Nyemedi be makpɔe kura o!”

And the king said, Let him go to his house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom went back to his house and did not see the face of the king.

25 Ame aɖeke medze ɖeka le Israelnyigba dzi abe Absalom ene o eye womekafua ame bubu aɖeke hã nenema abe eya ene o.

Now in all Israel there was no one so greatly to be praised for his beautiful form as Absalom: from his feet to the crown of his head he was completely beautiful.

26 Ekoa eƒe taɖa zi ɖeka pɛ ko le ƒe blibo ɖeka me. Nu si ta ko wòkonɛ zi ɖeka ma hãe nye be taɖa la tona ʋutuu, eye ne edae la ekpena kilogram etɔ̃ sɔŋ eye wòkpena le ta nɛ akpa.

And when he had his hair cut, (which he did at the end of every year, because of the weight of his hair; ) the weight of the hair was two hundred shekels by the king's weight.

27 Viŋutsu etɔ̃ kple vinyɔnu ɖeka, Tamar, ame si dze tugbe ŋutɔ la nɔ Absalom si.

And Absalom was the father of three sons and of one daughter named Tamar, who was very beautiful.

28 Absalom nɔ Yerusalem ƒe eve eye mekpɔ fia la o.

For two full years Absalom was living in Jerusalem without ever seeing the face of the king.

29 Eɖo du ɖe Yoab be wòava aɖe kuku na ye fofo na ye gake Yoab gbe meyi o. Absalom gaɖo du ɖee zi evelia eye wògagbe yiyi.

Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

30 Ale Absalom ɖe gbe na eƒe subɔlawo be, “Miyi miatɔ dzo Yoab ƒe lugble si le tɔnye xa” eye woyi ɖatɔ dzoe.

So he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley in it; go and put it on fire. And Absalom's servants put the field on fire.

31 Yoab yi Absalom gbɔ eye wòbiae be, “Nu ka ta wò subɔlawo tɔ dzo nye lugble ɖo?”

Then Joab came to Absalom in his house and said to him, Why have your servants put my field on fire?

32 Absalom ɖo eŋu be, “Elabena medi be nàbia fia la nam be, nu ka ta wòkplɔm gbɔe tso Gesur ne medi be yeakpɔm o? Anye ne manɔ afi ma hafi. Na maƒo nu kple fia la eye ne ekpɔ be mewu ame la, wòawum.”

And Absalom's answer was, See, I sent to you saying, Come here, so that I may send you to the king to say, Why have I come back from Geshur? it would be better for me to be there still: let me now see the king's face, and if there is any sin in me, let him put me to death.

33 Yoab gblɔ nya si Absalom gblɔ la na fia la eye David yɔ Absalom mlɔeba. Eva, de ta agu na fia la eye wòkpla asi kɔ nɛ.

So Joab went to the king and said these words to him: and when the king had sent for him, Absalom came, and went down on his face on the earth before the king: and the king gave him a kiss.