2 USamuyeli 13
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho uAbisalomu indodana kaDavida wayelodadewabo omuhle, obizo lakhe lalinguTamari; uAmnoni indodana kaDavida wasemthanda.
David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Another of David’s sons, Amnon, was attracted to Tamar.
2 UAmnoni wasehlupheka kakhulu waze wagula ngenxa kaTamari udadewabo; ngoba wayeyintombi emsulwa, kwasekusiba nzima emehlweni kaAmnoni ukwenza ulutho kuye.
He wanted [to have sex with] [EUP] his half-sister very much, with the result that he made himself sick [thinking about her all the time]. But it was not possible for Amnon to get her, because she was a virgin, [so they kept men away from her].
3 Kodwa uAmnoni wayelomngane, obizo lakhe lalinguJonadabi indodana kaShimeya umfowabo kaDavida; njalo uJonadabi wayengumuntu olobuqili kakhulu.
But Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty/shrewd man.
4 Wasesithi kuye: Kungani wena, indodana yenkosi, ucaka kangaka ukusa ngokusa? Ungengitshele yini? UAmnoni wasesithi kuye: Ngiyamthanda uTamari udadewabo kaAbisalomu umfowethu.
[One day] Jonadab said to Amnon, “You are the king’s son, but every day I see that [RHQ] you seem very depressed/sad. What is your problem?” Amnon replied, “I (am in love/want to sleep) [EUP] with Tamar, my half-brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 UJonadabi wasesithi kuye: Lala embhedeni wakho, uzitshaye ogulayo; lapho uyihlo efika ukukubona, uzakuthi kuye: Ake kuze uTamari udadewethu, anginike ukudla, akulungise ukudla phambi kwamehlo ami, ukuze ngikubone, ngidle esandleni sakhe.
Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend that you are sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Allow my half-sister Tamar to come and give me some food to eat. She can prepare the food while I am watching her. Then she can serve it to me herself.’”
6 Waselala phansi uAmnoni, wazitshaya ogulayo; lapho inkosi ifika ukuzambona, uAmnoni wathi enkosini: Ake kuze uTamari udadewethu, enze amaqebelengwana amabili phambi kwamehlo ami ukuthi ngidle esandleni sakhe.
So Amnon lay down, and pretended that he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “[I am sick; ] please allow my half-sister Tamar to come and make a couple scones/dumplings for me while I am watching, and then she can serve them to me.”
7 UDavida wasethumela endlini kuTamari esithi: Yana khathesi endlini yomfowenu uAmnoni, umenzele ukudla.
So David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, saying “Amnon [is sick and he wants you to] go to his house and prepare some food for him.”
8 Ngakho uTamari waya endlini kaAmnoni umfowabo, owayelele phansi. Wathatha inhlama, wayixova, wenza amaqebelengwana phambi kwamehlo akhe, wapheka amaqebelengwana.
So Tamar went to Amnon’s house, where he was lying in bed. She took some dough and kneaded it, and formed it into some scones/dumplings while he was watching her. Then she baked them.
9 Wasethatha ipani, wawathulula phambi kwakhe, kodwa wala ukudla; uAmnoni wasesithi: Khupha wonke umuntu kimi. Basebephuma, wonke umuntu kuye.
She took them out of the pan and put them [on a plate] in front of him, but he refused to eat them. Then he said to everyone else in the room, “All the rest of you, leave me now!” So all the others left his [room].
10 UAmnoni wasesithi kuTamari: Letha ukudla ekamelweni ukuze ngidle esandleni sakho. UTamari wasethatha amaqebelengwana ayewenzile, wawangenisa ekamelweni kuAmnoni umnewabo.
Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into my room and serve it to me.” So Tamar took into his room the scones/dumplings that she had made.
11 Lapho ewasondeza kuye ukuthi adle, wambamba, wathi kuye: Woza ulale lami, dadewethu.
But when she brought them close for him to eat them, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come to bed with me!”
12 Wasesithi kuye: Hatshi mnewethu, ungangibhinyi, ngoba okunje kakwenziwa koIsrayeli, ungenzi lobubuwula.
She replied, “No, do not force me to do such a disgraceful thing! We never do things like that in Israel! That would be awful/terrible!
13 Mina-ke ngingalisa ngaphi ihlazo lami? Lawe uzakuba njengomunye weziphukuphuku koIsrayeli. Ngalokho-ke, ake ukhulume lenkosi, ngoba kayiyikungigodla kuwe.
As for me, if I did that, I would not be able to [RHQ] endure being disgraced by having done that. And as for you, everyone in Israel would condemn you for having done such a disgraceful deed. So I plead with you, talk to the king. I am sure that he will allow me to marry you.”
14 Kodwa kafunanga ukulalela ilizwi lakhe; kodwa elamandla kulaye, wambhinya walala laye.
But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sex with him.
15 UAmnoni wasemzonda ngenzondo enkulu kakhulu; ngoba inzondo amzonda ngayo yayinkulu kulothando ayemthande ngalo. UAmnoni wasesithi kuye: Vuka uhambe.
Then Amnon hated her very much. He hated her much more than he had desired her. He said to her, “Get up and get out of here!”
16 Yena wasesithi kuye: Kakulazizatho; lobububi bokungixotsha bukhulu okwedlula obunye obenze kimi. Kodwa kafunanga ukumlalela.
But she said to him, “No! It would be very wrong for you to send me away. It would be worse than what you just did to me!” But he would not listen to her.
17 Wasebiza inceku yakhe eyayisebenza kuye, wathi: Umkhuphele phandle lo khathesi asuke kimi, unxibe umnyango emva kwakhe.
He summoned his personal servant and said to him, “Take this woman outside, away from me, and lock the door [so that she cannot come in again]!”
18 Njalo wayegqoke isigqoko esilemibalabala, ngoba amadodakazi enkosi ayizintombi ezimsulwa ayegqoka izigqoko ezinjalo. Inceku yasimkhuphela phandle, yanxiba umnyango emva kwakhe.
So the servant put her outside and locked the door. Tamar was wearing a long robe with long sleeves, which was the clothing that was usually worn by the unmarried daughters of the king at that time.
19 UTamari wasezithela ngomlotha ekhanda, wadabula isigqoko sakhe esilemibalabala ayesigqokile, wathwala imikhono ekhanda, wahamba, ehamba ekhala.
But Tamar tore the long robe that she was wearing, and put ashes on her head [to show that she was very sad]. Then she put her hands on her head [to show that she was grieving], and she went away, crying.
20 UAbisalomu umnewabo wasesithi kuye: UAminoni umnewenu kade elawe yini? Ngakho-ke, thula, dadewethu, ungumnewenu; ungabeki inhliziyo yakho kulindaba. Ngakho uTamari wahlala eyedwa endlini kaAbisalomu umnewabo.
Her brother Absalom [saw her and] said to her, “Has your half-brother Amnon [DOU] forced you to have sex with him [EUP]? Please, my sister, do not tell anyone, and do not become depressed/sad.” So Tamar went to live in Absalom’s house, and she was very sad and lonely.
21 Inkosi uDavida isizwile zonke lezizinto yathukuthela kakhulu.
When King David heard about all that, he became very angry.
22 UAbisalomu kakhulumanga loAmnoni okuhle kumbe okubi, ngoba uAbisalomu wamzonda uAmnoni, ngenxa yokuthi wayebhinye uTamari udadewabo.
And Absalom hated Amnon, because he had raped his sister, so he would not speak to Amnon about anything.
23 Kwasekusithi emva kweminyaka emibili epheleleyo uAbisalomu wayelabagundi bezimvu eBhali-Hazori eliseceleni kweEfrayimi; uAbisalomu wasenxusa wonke amadodana enkosi.
Two years later, Absalom’s servants were shearing sheep at Baal-Hazor, which is near [a town named] Ephraim. [When they finished shearing the sheep, they celebrated], and Absalom invited all the king’s sons [to come and celebrate].
24 UAbisalomu wasesiza enkosini wathi: Khangela khathesi, inceku yakho ilabagundi; inkosi ake ihambe lenceku zayo lenceku yakho.
Absalom went to the king and said to him, “Sir, my servants have been shearing my sheep. Please come with your officials [to celebrate] with us!”
25 Kodwa inkosi yathi kuAbisalomu: Hatshi, ndodana yami, ake singahambi sonke, hlezi sibe ngumthwalo kuwe. Wayibamba ngamandla kodwa kayivumanga ukuhamba, kodwa yambusisa.
But the king replied, “No, my son, it would not be good for all of us to go, because it would cause you to do a lot of work and spend a lot of money for food.” Absalom continued urging him, but the king would not go. Instead, he said that he hoped/desired that God would bless them [while they celebrated].
26 UAbisalomu wasesithi: Uba kungenjalo, ake ahambe lathi uAmnoni umfowethu. Inkosi yasisithi kuye: Uzahambelani lawe?
Then Absalom said, “If you will not go, please allow my half-brother Amnon to go with us.” But the king replied, “Why [do you want] him to go with you?”
27 UAbisalomu eseyicindezele, yabayekela oAmnoni lawo wonke amadodana enkosi ahamba laye.
But Absalom continued to insist, so finally the king permitted Amnon and all David’s other sons to go with Absalom.
28 UAbisalomu waselaya inceku zakhe esithi: Khangelani-ke, nxa inhliziyo kaAmnoni isithokoza ngewayini, lapho ngisithi kini: Tshayani uAmnoni, beselimbulala; lingesabi; angithi ngoba mina ngililayile? Qinani, libe ngamaqhawe.
[So they all went. And at the celebration], Absalom commanded his servants, “Notice when Amnon has become a bit drunk from the wine. Then when I signal to you, kill him. Do not be afraid; you will be doing this [only] because I told you [RHQ] to do it. So be courageous and do it!”
29 Izinceku zikaAbisalomu zasezisenza kuAmnoni njengokulaya kukaAbisalomu. Amadodana wonke enkosi asesukuma, agada, ngulowo lalowo imbongolo yakhe, abaleka.
So Absalom’s servants did what Absalom told them to do. [They killed Amnon]. All the rest of David’s sons [saw what happened and] fled, riding on their mules.
30 Kwasekusithi besesendleleni, kwafika umbiko kuDavida usithi: UAbisalomu utshaye wonke amadodana enkosi, kakusalanga leyodwa yawo.
While they were on their way home, someone [went quickly and] reported to David, “Absalom has killed all of your other sons; none of them is still alive!”
31 Inkosi yasisukuma yadabula izigqoko zayo, yalala emhlabathini; lazo zonke inceku zayo zazimi izigqoko zidatshuliwe.
The king stood up, tore his clothes [because he was extremely sad], and then he threw himself down on the ground. All the servants who were there also tore their clothes.
32 UJonadabi indodana kaShimeya, umfowabo kaDavida, wasephendula wathi: Inkosi yami kayingathi babulele wonke amajaha, amadodana enkosi, ngoba nguAmnoni yedwa ofileyo; ngoba ngomlomo kaAbisalomu kwanqunywa kusukela osukwini abhinya ngalo udadewabo uTamari.
But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “Your Majesty, [I am sure that] they have not killed all your sons. [I am sure that] only Amnon is dead, because Absalom has determined to do this ever since the day that Amnon raped [EUP] his half-sister Tamar.
33 Ngakho-ke inkosi yami, inkosi, kayingayibeki indaba enhliziyweni yayo, ukuthi wonke amadodana enkosi afile, ngoba nguAmnoni yedwa ofileyo.
So, your majesty, do not believe the report that all your sons are dead. [I am sure that] only Amnon is dead.”
34 Kodwa uAbisalomu wabaleka. Ijaha elilindayo laseliphakamisa amehlo alo, labona, khangela-ke, abantu abanengi babesiza ngendlela emva kwalo ehlangothini lwentaba.
In the meantime, Absalom ran away. Just then, the soldier/sentry [who was standing on the city wall] saw a large crowd of people coming down the hill along the road from Horonaim. [He ran and told the king what he had seen].
35 UJonadabi wasesithi enkosini: Khangela, amadodana enkosi ayeza; njengokwelizwi lenceku yakho, kunjalo.
Jonadab said to the king, “Aha! What I told you is true. Your other sons [are alive and] have come!”
36 Kwasekusithi ekuqedeni kwakhe ukukhuluma, khangela, afika amadodana enkosi, aphakamisa ilizwi lawo, akhala inyembezi; lenkosi layo lazo zonke inceku zayo bakhala inyembezi ngokukhala okukhulukazi.
And as soon as he said that, David’s sons came in. They all started crying, and David and all his officials also cried very much.
37 Kodwa uAbisalomu wabaleka waya kuTalimayi indodana kaAmihudi inkosi yeGeshuri. UDavida waselilela indodana yakhe insuku zonke.
But Absalom had fled. He went to stay with the king of [the] Geshur [region], who was Talmai the son of Ammihud. Absalom stayed there for three years. David mourned for his son Amnon for a long time,
38 Wabaleka-ke uAbisalomu, waya eGeshuri, waba lapho iminyaka emithathu.
39 Inhliziyo kaDavida inkosi yasikhanuka kakhulu ukuphuma iye kuAbisalomu, ngoba wayeseduduzekile ngoAmnoni ukuthi ufile.
but after that, he desired very much to see Absalom, because he was no longer grieving about Amnon being dead.
