2 Samuel 20
1 Ɔtɔkwapɛfo bi a na wɔfrɛ no Seba na ɔyɛ Bikri a ofi Benyamin babarima, hyɛn torobɛnto teɛɛ mu se, “Yɛne Dawid nni hwee yɛ. Yenni agyapade biara wɔ Yisai babarima no nkyɛn. Israel mmarima, mommra na yɛn nyinaa nkɔ yɛn kurom!”
And there happened to be a man of worthlessness there, and his name [is] Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjamite, and he blows with a horn and says, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; each [goes] to his tents, O Israel.”
2 Enti Israel mmarima gyaw Dawid hɔ, kodii Seba akyi. Nanso Yuda mmarima no de, wɔtenaa wɔn hene nkyɛn, na wɔwowaw no fi Asubɔnten Yordan ho, kosii Yerusalem.
And every man of Israel goes up from after David, after Sheba son of Bichri, and the men of Judah have cleaved to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.
3 Bere a oduu nʼahemfi hɔ wɔ Yerusalem no, ɔhyɛɛ sɛ ne mpenanom du a ogyaw wɔn hɔ no, wɔmfa wɔn nkɔhyɛ kokoa mu baabi. Na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔma wɔn wɔn ahiade nyinaa, nanso ɔne wɔn renna bio. Enti wɔn mu biara tenaa ase sɛ okunafo, kosii ne wuda.
And David comes to his house at Jerusalem. And the king takes the ten women-concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and puts them in a house of ward and sustains them, and he has not gone in to them, and they are shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4 Ɔhene no hyɛɛ Amasa sɛ ɔmfa nnansa mmoaboa Yuda asraafo ano, na ɔmmɛka biribi nkyerɛ no saa bere no mu.
And the king says to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah for me [within] three days, and you, stand here,”
5 Enti Amasa kɔbɔɔ asraafo no amanneɛ, nanso nʼahoboa no boroo nnansa no.
and Amasa goes to call Judah, and tarries beyond the appointed time that he had appointed him;
6 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Abisai se, “Saa ɔtɔkwapɛfo Seba no rebɛhaw yɛn asen sɛ nea Absalom haw yɛn no. Fa mʼakofo no, na taa no ansa na waguan akɔbɔ ne ho aguaa wɔ hintabea nkurow no mu baabi a yɛn nsa renka no.”
and David says to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bichri does evil to us more than Absalom; you, take the servants of your lord, and pursue after him, lest he has found fortified cities for himself, and delivered himself [from] our eye.”
7 Enti Abisai ne Yoab yiyii awɛmfo a wodi mu fii Yoab asraafo ne ɔhene no ankasa de mu de tiw Seba.
And the men of Joab go out after him, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and all the mighty men, and they go out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri;
8 Na woduu Gibeon ɔbo kɛse no ho no, Amasa hyiaa wɔn. Na Yoab hyɛ nʼakotade a ɔde afoa abɔ nʼataaso. Otuu nten kɔɔ nʼanim sɛ ɔrekokyia Amasa no, afoa no fii boha no mu tɔɔ fam.
they [are] near the great stone that [is] in Gibeon, and Amasa has gone before them, and Joab [is] girded; he has put his long robe on him, and on it a girdle—a sword [is] fastened on his loins in its sheath; and he has gone out, and it falls.
9 Yoab bisaa no se, “Me nua, wo ho te dɛn?” Ɛhɔ ara na Yoab de ne nsa nifa soo nʼabogyesɛ mu, sɛ nea ɔrefew nʼano.
And Joab says to Amasa, “Are you [in] peace, my brother?” And the right hand of Joab lays hold on the beard of Amasa to give a kiss to him;
10 Amasa anhu sɛ afoa no hyɛ ne nsa benkum mu. Na Yoab de afoa no wɔɔ ne yam, maa ne nsono tu guu fam. Ɛho anhia sɛ Yoab betia ne so koraa, na Amasa wui. Yoab ne ne nuabarima Abisai gyaw no hɔ, toaa so tiw Bikri babarima Seba.
and Amasa has not been watchful of the sword that [is] in the hand of Joab, and he strikes him with it to the fifth [rib], and sheds out his bowels to the earth, and he has not repeated [it] to him, and he dies; and Joab and his brother Abishai have pursued after Sheba son of Bichri.
11 Yoab asraafo no mu aberante a ɔyɛ panyin wɔ nsraadɔm no so no mu baako teɛɛ mu kyerɛɛ Amasa asraafo no se, “Obiara a ɔtaa Yoab akyi ne obiara a ɔwɔ Dawid afa no, ommedi Yoab akyi.”
And a man has stood by him, of the young men of Joab, and says, “He who has delight in Joab, and he who [is] for David—after Joab!”
12 Amasa daa ne mogyabura mu wɔ ɔkwan no mfimfini. Na ɔbarima no huu sɛ asraafo no adu hɔ a wɔagyina rehwɛ Amasa no, ɔtwee no fii ɔkwan no mu, de no too wuram, de atade kataa ne so.
And Amasa is rolling himself in blood, in the midst of the highway, and the man sees that all the people have stood still, and he brings around Amasa out of the highway to the field, and casts a garment over him when he has seen that everyone who has come by him has stood still.
13 Woyii Amasa fii ɔkwan no mu akyi no, mmarima no nyinaa dii Yoab akyi sɛ wɔrekɔkyere Bikri babarima Seba.
When he has been removed out of the highway, every man has passed on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri.
14 Saa bere no, Seba kyinii Israel nyinaa boaboaa ne fifo Bikrifo ano wɔ Abel-Bet-Maaka.
And he passes over through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-Maachah, and to all the Berites, and they are assembled, and also go in after him,
15 Yoab asraafo no duu hɔ no, wɔtow hyɛɛ Abel-Bet-Maaka so. Wosisii mpie wɔ kurow no akyi, de bɔɔ wɔn ho ban fii atamfo ho na wɔpempem afasu no, pɛɛ sɛ wodwiriw gu.
and they go in and lay siege against him, in Abel of Beth-Maachah, and cast up a mound against the city, and it stands in a trench, and all the people who are [are] with Joab are destroying, to cause the wall to fall.
16 Na ɔbea nyansafo bi teɛɛ mu fi kurow no mu se, “Muntie! Muntie! Monka nkyerɛ Yoab se ɔmmra ha, na menka asɛm bi nkyerɛ no.”
And a wise woman calls out of the city, “Hear! Hear! Please say to Joab, Come near here, and I speak to you.”
17 Yoab kɔɔ ne nkyɛn, na obisaa no se, “Wo na wɔfrɛ wo Yoab no?” Obuae se, “Yiw.” Ɔkae se, “Tie asɛm a wʼafenaa pɛ sɛ ɔka no.” Obuae se, “Meretie.”
And he comes near to her, and the woman says, “Are you Joab?” And he says, “I [am].” And she says to him, “Hear the words of your handmaid”; and he says, “I am hearing.”
18 Ɔkae se, “Tete no, na yɛka se, ‘Yɛrekɔpɛ afotu wɔ Abel.’
And she speaks, saying, “They spoke often in former times, saying, Let them diligently inquire at Abel, and so they finished.
19 Yɛpɛ asomdwoe ne nokware wɔ Israel. Wopɛ sɛ wosɛe kurow a adi nokware wɔ Israel. Adɛn nti na wopɛ sɛ wosɛe ade a ɛyɛ Awurade dea?”
I [am] of the peaceable, faithful ones of Israel; you are seeking to destroy a city and mother in Israel; why do you swallow up the inheritance of YHWH?”
20 Yoab buae se, “Ɛnyɛ sɛ mepɛ sɛ mesɛe wo kuropɔn.
And Joab answers and says, “Far be it—far be it from me; I do not swallow up nor destroy.
21 Nea merehwehwɛ no ara ne ɔbarima bi a ne din de Seba a ɔyɛ Bikri babarima a ofi Efraim bepɔw so, na wama ne ho so atia ɔhene, ɔhene Dawid. Fa saa ɔbarima no bra, na mefi kurow no mu.” Ɔbea no ka kyerɛɛ Yoab se, “Wɔbɛtow ne ti afi ɔfasu no so ama wo.”
The matter [is] not so; for a man of the hill-country of Ephraim—Sheba son of Bichri [is] his name—has lifted up his hand against the king, against David; give him up by himself, and I go away from the city.” And the woman says to Joab, “Behold, his head is cast to you over the wall.”
22 Afei, ɔbea no kɔkaa nʼafotu pa no kyerɛɛ nnipa no nyinaa. Na wotwaa Bikri babarima Seba ti, tow maa Yoab. Enti ɔhyɛn torobɛnto maa ne mmarima no bɔ hwetee, maa obiara kɔɔ ne fi. Na Yoab san kɔɔ ɔhene nkyɛn wɔ Yerusalem.
And the woman comes to all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast [it] to Joab, and he blows with a horn, and they are scattered from the city, each [goes] to his tents, and Joab has turned back to Jerusalem to the king.
23 Yoab bɛyɛɛ Dawid asraafo no so sahene bio. Na Yehoiada babarima Benaia nso yɛ ɔhene bammɔfo so panyin.
And Joab [is] over all the host of Israel, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada [is] over the Cherethite, and over the Pelethite,
24 Adoram na na ɔhwɛ adwumayɛfo so, na Yehosafat a ɔyɛ Ahilud babarima no kyerɛw ahemfo ho abakɔsɛm.
and Adoram [is] over the tribute, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] the remembrancer,
25 Na Sewa yɛ asennii kyerɛwfo. Na Sadok ne Abiatar nso yɛ asɔfo.
and Sheva [is] scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar [are] priests,
26 Ɛnna Yairini Ira nso yɛ Dawid sɔfo.
and also, Ira the Jairite has been minister to David.
