2 Samweli 14
1 Yoabu mwana wa Seruya akatambua kwamba moyo wa mfalme ulitamani kumwona Absalomu.
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was towards Absalom.
2 Hivyo Yoabu akatuma neno huko Tekoa kumleta kwake mwanamke mwelevu. Akamwambia, “Tafadhari, vaa mavazi ya uombolezaji ujifanye kuwa mwombolezaji. Usijipake mafuta, lakini uwe kama mwanamke ambaye ameomboleza kwa muda mrefu kwa ajili yake aliyekufa.
Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please, and don’t anoint yourself with oil; but be as a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead.
3 Kisha ingia kwa mfalme na umwambiye maneno nitakayokueleza.” Hivyo Yoabu akamwambia maneno ambayo angeyasema kwa mfalme.
Go in to the king and speak like this to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 Wakati mwanamke kutoka Tekoa alipoongea na mfalme, aliinamisha uso wake chini na kusema,
When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, O king!”
5 “Mfalme, anisaidie.” Mfalme akamwambia, “Shida yako ni nini?” Akajibu, Ukweli ni kwamba mimi ni mjane, mme wangu alikufa.
The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
6 Mimi, mtumishi wako, nilikuwa na wana wawili, wakagombana shambani, na hakukuwa na wa kuwaachanisha. Mmoja wao akampiga mwenziwe na kumwua.
Your servant had two sons; and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.
7 Na sasa ukoo wote umeinuka juu ya mtumishi wako, wanasema, 'Mtoe aliyempiga nduguye, ili tumwue kulipe uhai wa nduguye aliyeuawa.' Na hivyo watamwangamiza mrithi. Hivyo watalizima kaa liwakalo nililobakiwa, hata kumwondolea mme wangu jina na mzao juu ya uso wa nchi.”
Behold, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of the earth.”
8 Hivyo mfalme akamwambia mwanamke, “Nenda nyumbani kwako, nami nitaagiza jambo la kukufanyia.”
The king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.”
9 Mwanamke kutoka Tekoa akamjibu mfalme, “Bwana wangu mfalme, hatia na iwe juu yangu na juu ya familia ya baba yangu. Mfalme na kiti chake cha enzi hawana hatia.”
The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, may the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 Mfalme akasema, “Yeyote atakayekwambia neno umlete kwangu, naye hatakugusa tena.”
The king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you any more.”
11 Kisha mwanamke akasema, “Tafadhari mfalme amkumbuke Yahwe Mungu wake, ili kwamba mlipa kisasi cha damu asiaribu zaidi, ili kwamba wasimwangamize mwanangu.” Mfalme akajibu, “Kama Mungu aishivyo, hakuna hata unywele mmoja wa mwanao utaanguka chini.”
Then she said, “Please let the king remember the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.” He said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the earth.”
12 Kisha mwanamke akasema, “Tafadhari acha mtumishi wako anene neno moja zaidi kwa bwana wangu mfalme.” Akasema, “Sema.”
Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”
13 Hivyo mwanamke akasema, “Kwa nini basi umetenda kwa hila dhidi ya watu Mungu? Maana kwa kusema hivi, mfalme ni kama mtu mwenye hatia, kwa kuwa mfalme hamjamrudisha tena mwanaye aliyeondoka.
The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one.
14 Kwa maana sisi sote tutakufa, kwa kuwa tu kama maji yamwagwayo juu ya ardhi na kwamba hayawezi kukusanywa tena. Lakini Mungu hatachukua uhai; badala yake, utafuta njia kwa walio mbali kurejeshwa.
For we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast from him.
15 Sasa basi, nimesema jambo hili kwa bwana wangu mfalme, kwa sababu watu wamenitisha. Hivyo mtumishi wako akajinenea nafsini mwake, 'Sasa nitaongea na mfalme. Huenda mfalme akampa mtumishi wake haja yake.
Now therefore, seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. Your servant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’
16 Kwa maana mfalme atanisikiliza, ili kwamba kumtoa mtumishi wake katika mikono ya mtu ambaye angeniangamiza mimi na mwanangu pamoja, tutoke katika urithi wa Mungu.
For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17 Kisha mtumishi wako akaomba, 'Yahwe, tafadhari ruhusu neno la bwana wangu mfalme linipe msaada, kwa maana bwana wangu mfalme ni kama malaika wa Mungu kwa kutofautisha wema na ubaya.' Yahwe, Mungu na awe pamoja nawe.”
Then your servant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. May the LORD, your God, be with you.’”
18 Ndipo mfalme akajibu na kumwambia yule mwanamke, Tafadhari usinifiche neno lolote nikuulizalo.” Mwanamke akajibu, “Basi bwana wangu mfalme na aseme sasa.
Then the king answered the woman, “Please don’t hide anything from me that I ask you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king now speak.”
19 Mfalme akasema, Je siyo mkono wa Yoabu ulio pamoja nawe katika haya yote? Mwanamke akajibu na kusema, “Kama uishivyo bwana wangu mfalme, hakuna awezae kuelekea mkono wa kulia wala wa kushoto kwa yale bwana wangu mfalme aliyosema. Ni mtumishi wako Yoabu aliyeniambia na kuniagiza kusema kile mtumishi wako alichokisema.
The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab urged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
20 Mtumishi wako Yoabu amefanya hivi ili kubadilisha hali ya kile kinachotendeka. Bwana wangu ni mwenye akili kama hekima ya malaika wa Mungu, ajuaye yote yatendekayo ndani ya nchi.”
Your servant Joab has done this thing to change the face of the matter. My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”
21 Hivyo mfalme akamwambia Yoabu, “Tazama, nitatenda jambo hili. Nenda na umrudishe huyo kijana Absalomu.”
The king said to Joab, “Behold now, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, and bring the young man Absalom back.”
22 HivyoYoabu akainamisha uso wake chini juu ya ardhi katika heshima na shukurani kwa mfalme. Yoabu akasema, “Mtumishi wako amejua kwamba amepata neema mbele zako, bwana wangu, mfalme, kwa vile mfalme amempa mtumishi wake haja ya moyo wake.
Joab fell to the ground on his face, showed respect, and blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favour in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.”
23 Hivyo Yoabu akainuka na kwenda Geshuri, akamrejesha Absalomu Yerusalemu tena.
So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 Mfalme akasema, “Na arudi nyumbani kwake, lakini hasinione uso wangu.” Hivyo Absalomu akarudi katika nyumba yake mwenyewe, na hakuweza kuuona uso wa mfalme.
The king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, and didn’t see the king’s face.
25 Hakukuwa na mtu katika Israeli aliyesifiwa kwa uzuri kama Absalomu. Kutoka katika wayo wa mguu wake hadi katika utosi wake hakuwa na waa lolote.
Now in all Israel there was no one 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 defect in him.
26 Alipokata nywele za kichwa chake mwishoni mwa kila mwaka, kwa sababu zilikuwa nzito juu yake, alipima nywele zake zaidi ya shekeli mia mbili, kwa kiwango cha kipimo cha mfalme.
When he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year’s end that he cut it; because it 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 Kwake Absalomu walizaliwa wana watatu na binti mmoja, jina lake Tamari. Alikuwa mwanamke mzuri.
Three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a woman with a beautiful face.
28 Absalomu akaishi Yerusalem miaka miwili pasipo kuona uso wa mfalme.
Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and he didn’t see the king’s face.
29 Kisha Absalome akatuma neno kwa Yoabu ili ampeleke kwa mfalme, lakini Yoabu hakwenda kwake. Hivyo Absalomu akatuma neno mara ya pili, lakini Yoabu hakuja bado.
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. Then he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
30 Hivyo Absalomu akawambia watumishi wake, “Tazameni, shamba la Yoabu lipo karibu na langu, naye ana shayiri kule. Nendeni mkalichome moto” Hivyo watumishi wa Absalome wakalichoma moto lile shamba.
Therefore he said to his servants, “Behold, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 Kisha Yoabu akainuka na kwenda nyumbani kwa Absalomu akamwambia, “Kwa nini watumishi wako wamelichoma moto shamba langu?
Then Joab arose and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32 Absalomu akamjibu Yoabu, “Tazama nilituma neno kwako kusema, 'Njoo ili nikutume kwa mfalme kusema, “Kwa nini nilikuja kutoka Geshuri? Ingekuwa heri kwangu kama ningesalia huko. Kwa hiyo sasa niache niuone uso wa mfalme na kama nina hatia basi na aniue.”
Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”’”
33 Hivyo Yoabu akaenda kwa mfalme na kumwambia. Mfalme alipomwita, Absalomu alikuja kwa mfalme na akainama hadi juu ya uso nchi mbele ya mfalme na mfalme akambusu Absalomu.
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.
