2 USamuyeli 14

1 UJowabi indodana kaZeruya wasenanzelela ukuthi inhliziyo yenkosi ikuAbisalomu.

Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.

2 UJowabi wasethumela eThekhowa ukuthi alande khona owesifazana ohlakaniphileyo, wathi kuye: Ake uzitshaye olilayo, ake ugqoke izigqoko zokulila, ungazigcobi ngamafutha, kodwa ube njengowesifazana oselilele ofileyo insuku ezinengi.

So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

3 Ungene enkosini, ukhulume kuyo ngalindlela. UJowabi wasefaka amazwi emlonyeni wakhe.

Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 Lapho owesifazana umThekhowa ekhuluma enkosini, wathi mbo ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini, wakhothama, wathi: Siza, nkosi!

When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”

5 Inkosi yasisithi kuye: Ulani? Yena wasesithi: Sibili, ngingumfazi ongumfelokazi, lendoda yami yafa.

“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.

6 Njalo incekukazi yakho yayilamadodana amabili, alwa womabili egangeni; kwakungelamlamuli phakathi kwawo; enye yasitshaya enye, yayibulala.

And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.

7 Khangela-ke, usendo lonke seluvukele incekukazi yakho, bathi: Nikela lowo owatshaya umfowabo wambulala, ukuthi simbulale ngenxa yempilo yomfowabo ambulalayo, sichithe lendlalifa. Ngalokho bacitshe ilahle lami eliseleyo, ukuze bangatshiyeli indoda yami ibizo lensali ebusweni bomhlaba.

Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”

8 Inkosi yasisithi kowesifazana: Yana endlini yakho; mina-ke ngizalaya ngawe.

“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”

9 Owesifazana umThekhowa wasesithi enkosini: Nkosi yami, nkosi, icala kalibe phezu kwami laphezu kwendlu kababa; kodwa inkosi lesihlalo sayo sobukhosi kube msulwa.

But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”

10 Inkosi yasisithi: Okhuluma ulutho kuwe, umlethe kimi, njalo kayikuphinda akuthinte futhi.

“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”

11 Wasesithi: Inkosi ake ikhumbule iNkosi uNkulunkulu wayo ukuthi umphindiseli wegazi angabe esachitha, hlezi bachithe indodana yami. Yasisithi: Kuphila kukaJehova, kakuyikuwela emhlabathini olulodwa unwele lwendodana yakho.

“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

12 Owesifazana wasesithi: Incekukazi yakho ake ikhulume ilizwi enkosini yami inkosi. Yasisithi: Khuluma.

Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.

13 Owesifazana wasesithi: Pho, unakaneleni okunje ngabantu bakaNkulunkulu? Ngokukhuluma lindaba inkosi injengolecala, ngokuthi inkosi kayibuyisanga oxotshiweyo wayo.

The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

14 Ngoba kumele sife, sinjengamanzi achithekele emhlabathini angabuthwanga; kodwa uNkulunkulu kayikususa impilo, kodwa uzacabanga amacebo ukuthi angalahli kuye oxotshiweyo.

For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.

15 Ngakho-ke, njengoba ngizile ukukhuluma linto enkosini, inkosi yami, kungoba abantu bangesabisile; incekukazi yakho yasisithi: Khathesi ngizakhuluma lenkosi; mhlawumbe inkosi izakwenza ilizwi lencekukazi yayo.

Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.

16 Ngoba inkosi izakuzwa, ukukhulula incekukazi yayo esandleni somuntu ofuna ukuchitha mina kanye lendodana yami elifeni likaNkulunkulu.

For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’

17 Incekukazi yakho yasisithi: Akuthi ilizwi lenkosi yami, inkosi, libe ngelokuthula, ngoba njengengilosi kaNkulunkulu, injalo inkosi yami, inkosi, ukuzwa okubi lokuhle. Ngakho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho kayibe lawe.

And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”

18 Inkosi yasiphendula yathi kowesifazana: Ake ungangifihleli indaba engizayibuza kuwe. Owesifazana wasesithi: Ake ikhulume inkosi yami, inkosi.

Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

19 Inkosi yasisithi: Isandla sikaJowabi silawe yini kukho konke lokhu? Owesifazana wasephendula wathi: Kuphila komphefumulo wakho, nkosi yami, nkosi, isibili kakho ongaya ngakwesokunene langakwesokhohlo asuke lakuyiphi into inkosi yami, inkosi, eyikhulumileyo; ngoba inceku yakho uJowabi, yona yangilaya, yiyo eyafunza incekukazi yakho wonke lamazwi.

So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.

20 Inceku yakho uJowabi iyenzile linto ukuthi iphendule ukuma kwendaba. Njalo inkosi yami ihlakaniphile njengenhlakanipho yengilosi kaNkulunkulu, ukwazi konke okusemhlabeni.

Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

21 Inkosi yasisithi kuJowabi: Khangela khathesi, ngenzile lindaba; ngakho hamba ubuyise umfana uAbisalomu.

Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

22 UJowabi wasesithi mbo ngobuso emhlabathini, wakhothama, wayibusisa inkosi; uJowabi wasesithi: Lamuhla inceku yakho iyazi ukuthi ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, nkosi yami, nkosi, ngokuthi inkosi yenzile indaba yenceku yayo.

Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”

23 Wasesuka uJowabi, waya eGeshuri, wamletha uAbisalomu eJerusalema.

So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 Inkosi yasisithi: Kaphendukele endlini yakhe, angaboni ubuso bami. Ngakho uAbisalomu waphendukela endlini yakhe, kabonanga ubuso benkosi.

But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.

25 KoIsrayeli wonke-ke kwakungelamuntu onjengoAbisalomu ukudunyiswa kakhulu ngobuhle; kwakungelasici kuye kusukela kungaphansi yonyawo lwakhe kuze kufike enkanda yakhe.

Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.

26 Nxa ephuca ikhanda lakhe - ngoba kwakusithi ekupheleni kwawo wonke umnyaka aliphuce, ngoba zazinzima kuye, ngakho waliphuca - walinganisa inwele zekhanda lakhe, amashekeli angamakhulu amabili ngesilinganiso senkosi.

And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard.

27 Kwasekuzalelwa uAbisalomu amadodana amathathu lendodakazi eyodwa, obizo layo lalinguTamari; wayengowesifazana omuhle ebukeka.

Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

28 UAbisalomu wasehlala eJerusalema iminyaka emibili epheleleyo, kabonanga ubuso benkosi.

Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.

29 UAbisalomu wasethumela kuJowabi ukuthi amthume enkosini; kodwa kavumanga ukuza kuye. Waphinda wathumela ngokwesibili, kodwa kavumanga ukuza.

Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

30 Wasesithi ezincekwini zakhe: Bonani, isabelo sikaJowabi siseceleni kwesami, njalo ulebhali lapho; hambani lisithungele ngomlilo. Izinceku zikaAbisalomu zasezithungela isabelo ngomlilo.

Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

31 Wasesuka uJowabi weza kuAbisalomu endlini, wathi kuye: Izinceku zakho zithungeleleni isabelo esingesami ngomlilo?

Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

32 UAbisalomu wasesithi kuJowabi: Khangela, ngithumele kuwe ngisithi: Woza lapha, ukuze ngikuthume enkosini, ukuthi: Ngibuyeleni ngisuka eGeshuri? Bekukuhle kimi ukuthi ngabe ngilokhu ngikhonale. Ngakho-ke kangibone ubuso benkosi; njalo uba kulecala kimi, kayingibulale.

“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

33 Ngakho uJowabi weza enkosini, wayitshela; isimbizile uAbisalomu weza enkosini, wayikhothamela ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini, phambi kwenkosi; inkosi yasimanga uAbisalomu.

So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.