2 Samuel 14
1 Na Yoab huu sɛ ɔhene pɛ sɛ ohu Absalom.
Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 Enti ɔsoma ma wɔkɔɔ Tekoa kɔfaa ɔbea nyansafo bi a wagye din yiye brɛɛ no. Yoab ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Hyɛ da yɛ wo ho sɛ wowɔ ayi mu, na fura ayitam. Nguare anaa mfa aduhuam mpete wo ho nso. Yɛ wo ho sɛ ɔbea a wadi awerɛhow nna bebree.
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 Na kɔ ɔhene nkyɛn kɔka asɛm a merebɛka akyerɛ wo yi kyerɛ no.” Na Yoab kaa asɛm a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔbea no kɔka no kyerɛɛ no.
Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 Na Tekoani bea no duu ɔhene no anim no, ɔhwee fam de nʼanim butuw fam teɛɛ mu se, “Ao Nana! Boa me!”
When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
5 Ɔhene no bisaa no se, “Ɛyɛ asɛm bɛn?” Obuaa no se, “Meyɛ okunafo.
“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
6 Me mma baanu twaa wɔn ho koe, a na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛpata wɔn. Ɔbaako bɔɔ ɔbaako kum no.
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 Nanso abusua no nkae no kae se, ‘Ma yɛn nsa nka wo ba no a okum ne nua no na yenkum no bi na wammedi agyapade so.’ Na sɛ meyɛ saa nso a, na minni obiara a waka, na me kunu din ne me fi bɛyera wɔ asase so ha.”
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 Ɔhene ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Gyae asɛm no ma me. Kɔ fie na mɛhwɛ sɛ obiara remfa ne nsa nka no.”
“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
9 Ɔkae se, “Me wura, meda wo ase. Mmoa a wode ama me yi nti, sɛ obi kasa tia wo a, mɛfa ho sobo no.”
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 Ɔhene no kae se, “Mma eyi nhaw wo. Sɛ nnipa bi mpene a, fa wɔn brɛ me wɔ ha. Na metumi ama wo awerehyɛmu sɛ, obiara renwiinwii wɔ ho bio.”
“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
11 Afei, ɔbea no kae se, “Fa Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, no din ka ntam kyerɛ me sɛ, woremma obiara ntɔ me babarima no so were. Menhwehwɛ mogyahwiegu bio.” Ɔhene no nso kae se, “Mmere dodow a Awurade te ase yi, wo ba no tinwi a ɛwɔ ne ti so mu baako mpo ho renka.”
“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 Afei, ɔbea no kae se, “Ma wo somfo nka biribi nkyerɛ me wura ɔhene.” Obuae se, “Kɔ so kasa.”
Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.
13 Ɔbea no bisae se, “Adɛn nti na wonyɛ mma Onyankopɔn nkurɔfo sɛnea wɔahyɛ bɔ sɛ wobɛyɛ ama me no. Woabu wo ho fɔ sɛ woasi saa gyinae yi. Wompɛ sɛ woma wʼankasa wo ba a wɔatwa no asu no ba fie.
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 Nea ɛte biara no, obiara bewu. Na sɛnea nsu hwie gu fam a wosesaw a ɛnyɛ yiye no, saa ara na nkwa te. Ɛno nti na Onyankopɔn san de yɛn ba ne nkyɛn bere a yɛatew yɛn ho afi ne ho no. Wɔn a ɔhwɛ wɔn no, ɔmma wɔnnhwere wɔn kra; enti wo nso, ɛnsɛ sɛ woyɛ saa.
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 “Na maba sɛ merebedi ama me babarima, efisɛ wɔde owu hunahuna me ne me ba no. Meka kyerɛɛ me ho se, ‘Ebia, ɔhene betie me,
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 na wagye yɛn afi wɔn a wobetwa yɛn afi Onyankopɔn nkurɔfo ho no nsam.’
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 “Yiw, ɔhene no bɛma yɛn asomdwoe bio. ‘Minim sɛ wote sɛ Onyankopɔn bɔfo a wubetumi ahu papa ne bɔne ntam nsonoe. Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, nka wo ho.’”
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 Ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ ɔbea no se, “Mepɛ sɛ mihu ade baako; mfa nhintaw me.” Ɔbea no kae se, “Ɛyɛ dɛn asɛm, me wura?”
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 “Yoab na ɔsomaa wo ha ana?” Ɔbea no buae se, “Me wura, Daasebrɛ, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na matwa eyi ho atoro? Obiara ntumi mfa biribiara nhintaw wo. Ɛyɛ nokware sɛ Yoab na ɔsomaa me, na ɔkyerɛɛ me asɛm a menka.
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 Ɔyɛɛ saa, sɛnea mɛfa ɔkwan foforo so de saa asɛm yi ato wʼanim. Na wo nso, wunim nyansa te sɛ Onyankopɔn bɔfo, na biribiara a esi yɛn ntam ha no nso, wote ase.”
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 Enti ɔhene no soma ma wɔkɔfaa Yoab bae, na ɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Eye, kɔ na kɔfa aberante Absalom bra.”
Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 Yoab hwee ɔhene no nan ase, hyiraa no se, “Ne korakora mu no, woapene me so, na woayɛ mʼabisade ama me.”
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 Na Yoab kɔɔ Gesur kɔfaa Absalom baa Yerusalem.
So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 Nanso ɔhene hyɛe se, “Absalom tumi kɔ ɔno ankasa ne fi, nanso ɔnhwɛ na wamma mʼanim ha.” Enti Absalom anhu ɔhene no.
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 Israel nyinaa, na obiara nni hɔ a ne ho yɛ fɛ, te sɛ Absalom. Efi ne ti so kosi ne nan ase, na wuhu sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbarima ankasa.
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 Afe biara, na oyi ne ti pɛnkoro, efisɛ ne nwi no yɛ adesoa ma no. Na sɛ oyi na ɔkari a, na ɛyɛ kilogram abien ne fa.
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 Na ɔwɔ mmabarima baasa ne ɔbabea baako. Na ne babea no din de Tamar. Na Tamar nso wɔ ahoɔfɛ a ɛmma ɔka.
Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom tenaa Yerusalem mfe abien a wanhu ɔhene no da.
Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.
29 Afei, Absalom soma kɔfrɛɛ Yoab sɛ ɔnkɔka bi mma no, nanso Yoab ankɔ. Absalom somaa ne mprenu so, nanso Yoab ankɔ.
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 Ɛno nti, Absalom ka kyerɛɛ nʼasomfo se, “Monkɔ na momfa ogya nkɔto Yoab atokofuw a ɛbɛn me de no ho mu.” Na wɔde ogya kɔtoo afuw no mu, sɛnea Absalom hyɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔnyɛ no.
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 Na Yoab baa Absalom nkyɛn bebisaa no se, “Adɛn nti na wʼasomfo akɔto mʼafuw mu gya?”
Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 Na Absalom buaa no se, “Efisɛ na mepɛ sɛ wukobisa ɔhene ma me sɛ, adɛn nti na ɔmaa me san fii Gesur bae, nanso ɔmpɛ sɛ ohu mʼanim koraa? Ɛno de, sɛ anka metenaa me dedaw mu hɔ ara a, anka eye. Ma minhu ɔhene no, na sɛ midi fɔ wɔ biribi ho a, otumi kum me.”
“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 Enti Yoab kaa asɛm a Absalom aka akyerɛ no no kyerɛɛ ɔhene no. Afei, Dawid frɛɛ ne ba a watew ne ho no, ma ɔbaa nʼanim. Absalom beduu ɔhene no anim no, ɔbɔɔ ne mu ase, na Dawid few nʼano.
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.
