2 Samuel 17
1 Ahitofel ka kyerɛɛ Absalom se, “Meyi asraafo mpem dumien, na mafi ha anadwo yi akɔtaa Dawid.
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Allow me to choose 12,000 men, and I will leave [with them] tonight to pursue David.
2 Mɛto no wɔ bere a ɔbrɛ nti, nʼaba mu abu. Ɔne nʼakofo nyinaa bɛbɔ hu na wɔaguan. Ɔhene no nko ara na mɛbɔ no ahwe,
We will attack him while he is tired and discouraged, and cause him to be very frightened. All the soldiers who are with him will run away. We will kill only the king.
3 na mede nnipa no asan abrɛ wo. Onipa a wohwehwɛ no no wu bɛma wɔn nyinaa asan aba; nnipa no mu biara ho rentɔ kyima.”
Then we will bring back all his soldiers to you, like [SIM] a (bride/woman comes to her husband when she is married). You are wanting to kill only one man; so the other people will not be harmed.”
4 Saa nhyehyɛe yi sɔɔ Absalom ne Israel mpanyimfo nyinaa ani.
Absalom and all the Israeli leaders [who were with him] thought that what Ahithophel said would be good to do.
5 Nanso Absalom kae se, “Momfrɛ Husai a ofi Arki no mmra na yentie nea ɔwɔ ka.”
But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai also, and we will hear what he suggests.”
6 Husai bae no, Absalom kaa nea Ahitofel aka no kyerɛɛ no. Afei obisaa no se, “Wʼadwene ne dɛn? Yɛmfa Ahitofel afotu no ana? Na sɛ ɛnte saa a, kyerɛ yɛn wʼadwene.”
So when Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had suggested. Then he asked Hushai, “What do you think we should do? If you do not think that we should do what Ahithophel suggests, tell us [what you think that we should do].”
7 Husai buaa Absalom se, “Afotu a Ahitofel ama wo no nnye saa bere yi.
Hushai replied, “This time what Ahithophel has suggested is not good advice.
8 Wunim wʼagya ne ne dɔm; wɔyɛ akofo akɛse, na wɔn ho yɛ hu sɛ sisi a wɔawia ne mma. Ɛno da nkyɛn a, wʼagya nim de wɔ akodi mu; ɔne nʼakofo no rentena anadwo yi.
You know that your father and the men who are with him are strong soldiers, and that now they are very angry, like [SIM] a mother bear whose cubs have been stolen from her. Furthermore, your father knows how to fight because he has fought in many battles. He will not stay with his troops during the night.
9 Sesɛɛ mpo, wakɔtɛw ɔbodan bi mu anaa baabi foforo. Na sɛ odi kan tow hyɛ mo so a, nea ɔbɛte biara no bɛka se, ‘Wɔakunkum asraafo a wodi Absalon akyi no.’
Right now he is probably already hiding in one of the pits, or in some other place. [If his soldiers start to attack your soldiers, and] if they kill some of them, whoever hears about that will say ‘Many of the soldiers with Absalom have been killed!’
10 Na sɛ ɛba saa a, ɔsraani a ɔyɛ nnam a ne koma te sɛ gyata no koraa, ehu bɛma wabɔ hu. Na Israel nyinaa nim sɛ wʼagya yɛ ɔkofo, na wɔn a wɔka ne ho no nso koko yɛ duru.
Then your other soldiers, even if they are as fearless [SIM, IDM] as lions, they will become very afraid. Do not forget that everyone in Israel knows that your father is a great/strong soldier, and that the soldiers who are with him are also very brave/courageous.
11 “Enti mitu wo fo sɛ, boa Israel nyinaa ano, efi Dan kosi Beer-Seba. Woyɛ saa a wubenya asraafo a wɔn dodow bɛyɛ sɛ mpoano nwea. Na migye di sɛ wʼankasa bedi asraafo no anim.
“So what I suggest is that you summon all the Israeli soldiers, from Dan [in the far north] to Beersheba [in the far south]. They will be as many as the grains of sand on the seashore [HYP]. And then you yourself lead us into the battle.
12 Na sɛ yehu Dawid a, yɛbɛtow ahyɛ no so, sɛnea obosu gu asase so, a ɔno ne mmarima no mu baako mpo nka.
We will find [your father], wherever he is, and we will attack him [from all sides], like [SIM] dew covers all the ground. And neither he nor any of the soldiers who are with him will survive.
13 Na sɛ Dawid aguan kɔ kuropɔn bi so a, wode Israel asraafo nyinaa bɛkɔ hɔ. Afei, yebetumi afa ntampehama de atwe kurow no afasu, akogu obon a ɛbɛn mu, kosi sɛ ɔbo biara a ɛwɔ mu no bɛyam.”
If he escapes into some city, all our soldiers will bring ropes and pull that city down into the valley. As a result, not one stone will be left there [on top of the hill where that city was]!”
14 Afei, Absalom ne Israel mpanyimfo nyinaa kae se, “Husai afotu no ye sen Ahitofel de no.” Efisɛ Awurade ahyehyɛ sɛ Ahitofel afotu pa a ɔde ama no bɛsɛe, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, ɔhaw ne abɛbrɛsɛ bɛba Absalom so.
Absalom and all the other Israeli men [who were with him] said, “What Hushai suggests is better than what Ahithophel suggested.” The reason that happened was that Yahweh had determined that if they would accept the good advice that Ahithophel had given them, [they would have been able to defeat/kill David]. But [as a result of their doing what Hushai suggested], Yahweh would cause a disaster to happen to Absalom.
15 Na Husai kɔkaa asɛm a Ahitofel aka ne ɔno ankasa adwenkyerɛ no kyerɛɛ asɔfo Sadok ne Abiatar.
Then Hushai told the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, what both he and Ahithophel had suggested to Absalom and the Israeli leaders.
16 Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Ntɛm! Monkɔhwehwɛ Dawid, na monka nkyerɛ no se, ɔnntena Asubɔnten Yordan aworoe so hɔ anadwo yi. Ɛsɛ sɛ otwa kɔ sare no so akyi, anyɛ saa a, ɔne nʼakofo nyinaa bewuwu.”
Then he said to them, “Send [a message] quickly to David. Tell him to not stay at the place where people walk across the river, near the desert. Instead, he and his soldiers must cross [the Jordan River] immediately, in order that they will not be killed/wiped out.”
17 Yonatan ne Ahimaas tenaa En-Rogel, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔrenkɔ kurow no mu na wɔnnsan mpue. Na wɔayɛ nhyehyɛe bi sɛ abaawa bi de nkra a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde kɔma ɔhene Dawid no bɛbrɛ wɔn.
[The priest’s two sons, ] Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were waiting at En-Rogel [Spring], outside Jerusalem. They did not [dare to] enter the city, because if someone saw them, [he would report it to Absalom]. [While they were at En-Rogel, ] a female servant [of the two priests] would frequently go to them and report to them [what was happening], and then they would go and report it to King David.
18 Nanso abarimaa bi huu wɔn sɛ wɔrefi En-Rogel akɔ Dawid nkyɛn nti, ɔkɔka kyerɛɛ Absalom. Na woguan kɔɔ Bahurim, maa ɔbarima bi de wɔn kosiee abura bi a ɛwɔ nʼadiwo mu.
But a young man saw them, and went and reported it to Absalom. [They found out what the young man had done, ] so both of them left quickly and went to stay in the house of a man in Bahurim. That man had a well in his courtyard; so the two men went down into the well [to hide].
19 Ɔbarima no yere de ntama kataa abura no so, de atoko guu so te sɛnea ɔrehata no owia so, na obiara ansusuw sɛ nnipa hyɛ abura no mu.
The man’s wife took a cloth/mat and covered the well, and scattered grain on top of it in order that no one would know [that two men were hiding inside it].
20 Bere a Absalom mmarima no duu hɔ no, wobisaa ɔbea no se, “Woahu Ahimaas ne Yonatan ana?” Obuaa wɔn se, “Na wɔwɔ ha de, nanso wɔatwa asuwa no kɔ.” Absalom mmarima no hwehwɛɛ wɔn, nanso wɔanhu wɔn nti, wɔsan kɔɔ Yerusalem.
Some of Absalom’s soldiers [found out where the two men had gone. So they] went to the house, and asked the woman, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” She replied, “They crossed the river.” So the soldiers [crossed the river and] searched for them. But they could not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 Afei mmarima baanu no fii abura no mu, de mmirika kɔɔ ɔhene Dawid nkyɛn kɔbɔɔ no amanneɛ se, “Fi ha twa asu no ntɛm anadwo yi!” Wɔkaa Ahitofel afotu a ɛbɛma wɔakyere no akum no no kyerɛɛ no.
After they had gone, the two men came out of the well and went and reported to King David [what had happened and] what Ahithophel had suggested. Then they said to him, “Cross the river quickly!”
22 Enti Dawid ne nnipa no nyinaa tutuu so, kotwaa Yordan. Eduu adekyee no, na obiara atwa Yordan kɔ nʼagya.
So David and all his soldiers quickly started to cross the Jordan [River], and by dawn they had all crossed to the other side.
23 Ahitofel huu sɛ nʼanim agu ase, efisɛ wɔamfa nʼafotu no, ɔhyehyɛɛ nʼafurum tenaa ne so, kɔɔ ne kurom. Ɔtotoo ne nneɛma yiye, na ɔkɔsɛn ne ho. Enti owu ma wosiee no wɔ nʼagya ɔda mu.
When Ahithophel realized that Absalom was not going to do what he suggested, he put a saddle on his donkey and returned to his own town. He gave [to his family] instructions about his possessions, and then he hanged himself [because he knew that Absalom would be defeated and that he would be considered a traitor and be killed]. His body was buried in the tomb where his ancestors [had been buried].
24 Ankyɛ na Dawid duu Mahanaim. Saa bere no na Absalom aboaboa Israel asraafo no nyinaa ano a odi wɔn anim rekotwa Asubɔnten Yordan.
David [and his soldiers] arrived at Mahanaim. And Absalom [and all his Israeli soldiers] also crossed the Jordan [River].
25 Absalom yii Amasa de no tuaa asraafo no ano, sii Yoab a na anka ɔyɛ Dawid sahene no anan mu. Amasa yɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Yitra, a ɔyɛ Israelni a ɔwaree Abigail a ɔyɛ Nahas babea, na ɔyɛ Seruia nuabea, a ɔyɛ Yoab na ba.
Absalom had appointed [his cousin] Amasa to be the commander of his army, instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether, a descendant of Ishmael. Amasa’s mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.
26 Israelfo no ne Absalom tenaa Gilead asase so.
Absalom and his Israeli soldiers set up their tents in [the] Gilead [region].
27 Na Dawid duu Mahanaim no, Nahas a ofi Raba babarima Sobi Amonni no, kyiaa no fɛw so. Saa ara na Amiel a ofi Lo-debar babarima Makir ne Gileadni Barsilai a ofi Rogelim nso gyee no fɛw so.
When David [and his soldiers] arrived at Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah [city] in the Ammon area, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-Debar [city], and Barzillai from Rogelim [town] in [the] Gilead [region]
28 Wɔbrɛɛ no kɛtɛ, nkuku ne nkaka, atoko, asikresiam, nkyewe, asɛ ne asedua,
brought sleeping mats, bowls, clay pots, barley, wheat flour, parched grain, beans, and lentils to them.
29 ɛwo ne nufusu ani srade ne anantwi nufusu a akyenkyen mua. Wɔde brɛɛ Dawid ne ne nkurɔfo a wɔka ne ho no. Na wɔkae se, “Mo nyinaa moabrɛbrɛ, na ɔkɔm ne osukɔm de mo efisɛ moanantew kwan tenten wɔ sare so.”
They brought honey and curds, sheep, and some cream/cheese for David and his soldiers to eat. They knew that David and his soldiers would be hungry and tired and thirsty [from marching] in the desert.
