2 Samuel 14
1 Na Yoab huu sɛ ɔhene pɛ sɛ ohu Absalom.
When Joab the 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.
he sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave as a woman who has been mourning 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.
Go in to the king and say this to him." Then Joab told her what to say.
4 Na Tekoani bea no duu ɔhene no anim no, ɔhwee fam de nʼanim butuw fam teɛɛ mu se, “Ao Nana! Boa me!”
And the woman of Tekoa went to the king, and she bowed down with her face to the ground and showed respect, and said, "Help, O king."
5 Ɔhene no bisaa no se, “Ɛyɛ asɛm bɛn?” Obuaa no se, “Meyɛ okunafo.
And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" And she replied, "Truly I am a widow, and 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 servant had two sons, and they both fought together in the field, and there was 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.”
Look, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, 'Give us the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed.' Thus they would eliminate also the heir and the one ember I have left will be extinguished, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.
8 Ɔhene ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Gyae asɛm no ma me. Kɔ fie na mɛhwɛ sɛ obiara remfa ne nsa nka no.”
Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to the king, my lord, it is because the people have made me afraid: and your servant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.'
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.”
For the king will hear and deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who is seeking to destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of the LORD.
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.”
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.'"
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.”
Then the king said, "Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you."
12 Afei, ɔbea no kae se, “Ma wo somfo nka biribi nkyerɛ me wura ɔhene.” Obuae se, “Kɔ so kasa.”
The woman of Tekoa 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."
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 king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more."
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.
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 ground."
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,
Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Say on."
16 na wagye yɛn afi wɔn a wobetwa yɛn afi Onyankopɔn nkurɔfo ho no nsam.’
The woman said, "Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of the LORD? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his exiled one.
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.’”
For your son is dead, and as water spilled on the ground can't be gathered up again, so he can't bring his life back again. But it seems sensible to the king to keep his exiled one away from him."
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 answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."
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 said, "Did Joab put you up to 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 said. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who had me do this, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
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.”
Your servant Joab did this in order to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of an angel of God for knowing things 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, "Look now, I have done according to your word. 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.”
Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground, and blessed the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."
23 Na Yoab kɔɔ Gesur kɔfaa Absalom baa Yerusalem.
So Joab arose and 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.
The king said, "He must return to his own house, but he must not see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king's face.
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.
Moreover, Absalom – in Israel no one was so much admired as he for his fine appearance. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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.
When he cut the hair of his head – now it was at the end of every year that he cut it, because it became too heavy, therefore he cut it – he weighed the hair of his head at one hundred shekels by the king's weight.
27 Na ɔwɔ mmabarima baasa ne ɔbabea baako. Na ne babea no din de Tamar. Na Tamar nso wɔ ahoɔfɛ a ɛmma ɔka.
To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom tenaa Yerusalem mfe abien a wanhu ɔhene no da.
Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he did not see the king's face.
29 Afei, Absalom soma kɔfrɛɛ Yoab sɛ ɔnkɔka bi mma no, nanso Yoab ankɔ. Absalom somaa ne mprenu so, nanso Yoab ankɔ.
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he 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.
Therefore he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." Absalom's servants set the field on fire. And the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes rent, and they said to him, "The servants of Absalom have set the field on fire."
31 Na Yoab baa Absalom nkyɛn bebisaa no se, “Adɛn nti na wʼasomfo akɔto mʼafuw mu gya?”
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, "Why have 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.”
And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, 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 if I were still there. Now therefore let me appear before the king. If I am guilty, put me to death.'"
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 to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. And he came to the king and bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
