2 USamuyeli 14
1 UJowabi indodana kaZeruya wasenanzelela ukuthi inhliziyo yenkosi ikuAbisalomu.
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward 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.
And Joab sent to Tekoah, and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, pretend to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
3 Ungene enkosini, ukhulume kuyo ngalindlela. UJowabi wasefaka amazwi emlonyeni wakhe.
And come to the king, and speak in this manner to him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 Lapho owesifazana umThekhowa ekhuluma enkosini, wathi mbo ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini, wakhothama, wathi: Siza, nkosi!
And when the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5 Inkosi yasisithi kuye: Ulani? Yena wasesithi: Sibili, ngingumfazi ongumfelokazi, lendoda yami yafa.
And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.
6 Njalo incekukazi yakho yayilamadodana amabili, alwa womabili egangeni; kwakungelamlamuli phakathi kwawo; enye yasitshaya enye, yayibulala.
And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew 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.
And, behold, the whole family hath risen against thy handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
8 Inkosi yasisithi kowesifazana: Yana endlini yakho; mina-ke ngizalaya ngawe.
And the king said to the woman, Go to thy house, and I will issue an order concerning thee.
9 Owesifazana umThekhowa wasesithi enkosini: Nkosi yami, nkosi, icala kalibe phezu kwami laphezu kwendlu kababa; kodwa inkosi lesihlalo sayo sobukhosi kube msulwa.
And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
10 Inkosi yasisithi: Okhuluma ulutho kuwe, umlethe kimi, njalo kayikuphinda akuthinte futhi.
And the king said, Whoever saith any thing to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
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.
Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not permit the avenger of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
12 Owesifazana wasesithi: Incekukazi yakho ake ikhulume ilizwi enkosini yami inkosi. Yasisithi: Khuluma.
Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13 Owesifazana wasesithi: Pho, unakaneleni okunje ngabantu bakaNkulunkulu? Ngokukhuluma lindaba inkosi injengolecala, ngokuthi inkosi kayibuyisanga oxotshiweyo wayo.
And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one who is faulty, in that the king doth not bring home again his banished.
14 Ngoba kumele sife, sinjengamanzi achithekele emhlabathini angabuthwanga; kodwa uNkulunkulu kayikususa impilo, kodwa uzacabanga amacebo ukuthi angalahli kuye oxotshiweyo.
For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not driven 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 that I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16 Ngoba inkosi izakuzwa, ukukhulula incekukazi yayo esandleni somuntu ofuna ukuchitha mina kanye lendodana yami elifeni likaNkulunkulu.
For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid from the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
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.
Then thy handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comforting: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.
18 Inkosi yasiphendula yathi kowesifazana: Ake ungangifihleli indaba engizayibuza kuwe. Owesifazana wasesithi: Ake ikhulume inkosi yami, inkosi.
Then the king answered and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
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.
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from any thing that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he ordered me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid:
20 Inceku yakho uJowabi iyenzile linto ukuthi iphendule ukuma kwendaba. Njalo inkosi yami ihlakaniphile njengenhlakanipho yengilosi kaNkulunkulu, ukwazi konke okusemhlabeni.
To bring about this change of affairs hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are on the earth.
21 Inkosi yasisithi kuJowabi: Khangela khathesi, ngenzile lindaba; ngakho hamba ubuyise umfana uAbisalomu.
And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
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.
And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
23 Wasesuka uJowabi, waya eGeshuri, wamletha uAbisalomu eJerusalema.
So Joab arose and 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.
And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.
25 KoIsrayeli wonke-ke kwakungelamuntu onjengoAbisalomu ukudunyiswa kakhulu ngobuhle; kwakungelasici kuye kusukela kungaphansi yonyawo lwakhe kuze kufike enkanda yakhe.
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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, (for it was at every year’s end that he cut it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he cut it: ) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.
27 Kwasekuzalelwa uAbisalomu amadodana amathathu lendodakazi eyodwa, obizo layo lalinguTamari; wayengowesifazana omuhle ebukeka.
And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28 UAbisalomu wasehlala eJerusalema iminyaka emibili epheleleyo, kabonanga ubuso benkosi.
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.
29 UAbisalomu wasethumela kuJowabi ukuthi amthume enkosini; kodwa kavumanga ukuza kuye. Waphinda wathumela ngokwesibili, kodwa kavumanga ukuza.
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, that he might send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30 Wasesithi ezincekwini zakhe: Bonani, isabelo sikaJowabi siseceleni kwesami, njalo ulebhali lapho; hambani lisithungele ngomlilo. Izinceku zikaAbisalomu zasezithungela isabelo ngomlilo.
Therefore he said to his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath 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 arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, Why have thy 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.
And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me had I been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there is any 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 came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
