2 Samuel 14
1 Na Yoab hunuu sɛ ɔhene pɛ sɛ ɔhunu Absalom.
And Joab the son of Sarvia, understanding that the king’s heart was turned to Absalom,
2 Enti, ɔsoma ma wɔkɔɔ Tekoa kɔfaa ɔbaa nyansafoɔ bi a wagye edin yie brɛɛ no. Yoab ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Hyɛ da yɛ wo ho sɛ wowɔ ayie mu, na fira ayitoma. Nnware anaa mfa aduhwam mpete wo ho nso. Yɛ wo ho sɛ ɔbaa a wadi awerɛhoɔ nna bebree.
Sent to Thecua, and fetched from thence a wise woman: and said to her: Feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, and be not anointed with oil, that thou mayest be as a woman that had a long time been mourning for one dead.
3 Na kɔ ɔhene nkyɛn kɔka asɛm a merebɛka akyerɛ wo yi kyerɛ no.” Na Yoab kaa asɛm a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔbaa no kɔka no kyerɛɛ no.
And thou shalt go in to the king, and shalt speak to him in this manner. And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 Na Tekoani baa no duruu ɔhene no anim no, ɔhwee fam de nʼanim butuu fam teaam sɛ, “Ao Nana! Boa me!”
And when the woman of Thecua was come in to the king, she fell before him upon the ground, and worshipped, and said: Save me, O king.
5 Ɔhene no bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛyɛ asɛm bɛn?” Ɔbuaa no sɛ, “Meyɛ okunafoɔ.
And the king said to her: What is the matter with thee? She answered: Alas, I am a widow woman: for my husband is dead.
6 Me mma baanu kɔdii ako wɔ akono. Na ɛsiane sɛ na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛpata ɔko no enti, wɔkumm wɔn mu baako.
And thy handmaid had two sons: and they quarrelled with each other in the field, and there was none to part them: and the one struck the other, and slew him.
7 Nanso, abusua no nkaeɛ no bisaa sɛ, ‘Ma yɛn nsa nka wo ba no. Yɛbɛkum no, ɛfiri sɛ, woakum ne nuabarima. Ɔmfata sɛ ɔbɛdi efie agyapadeɛ so.’ Na sɛ meyɛ saa nso a, na menni obiara a waka, na me kunu din ne me fie bɛyera wɔ asase so ha.”
And behold the whole kindred rising against thy handmaid, saith: Deliver him that hath slain his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he slew, and that we may destroy the heir: and they seek to quench my spark which is left, and will leave my husband no name, nor remainder upon the earth.
8 Ɔhene ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Gyae asɛm no ma me. Kɔ efie na mɛhwɛ sɛ obiara remfa ne nsa nka no.”
And the king said to the woman: Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9 Ɔkaa sɛ, “Ao, me wura, meda wo ase. Na sɛ mmoa a woaboa me yi enti, sɛ obi kasa tia wo a, mɛfa ho soboɔ no.”
And the woman of Thecua said to the king: Upon me, my lord, be the iniquity, and upon the house of my father: but may the king and his throne be guiltless.
10 Ɔhene no kaa sɛ, “Mma yei nha wo. Sɛ nnipa bi mpene a, fa wɔn brɛ me wɔ ha. Na mɛtumi ama wo awerɛhyɛmu sɛ, obiara nwiinwii wɔ ho bio.”
And the king said: If any one shall say ought against thee, bring him to me, and be shall not touch thee any more.
11 Afei, ɔbaa no kaa sɛ, “Fa Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, no din ka ntam kyerɛ me sɛ, woremma obiara ntɔ me babarima no so were. Merenhwehwɛ mogyahwieguo bio.” Ɔhene no nso kaa sɛ, “Mmerɛ dodoɔ a Awurade te ase yi, wo ba no tirinwi a ɛwɔ ne tiri so mu baako mpo ho renka.”
And she said: Let the king remember the Lord his God, that the next of kin be not multiplied to take revenge, and that they may not kill my son. And he said: As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
12 Afei, ɔbaa no kaa sɛ, “Ma wo ɔsomfoɔ nka biribi nkyerɛ me wura ɔhene.” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Kɔ so kasa.”
Then the woman said: Let thy handmaid speak one word to my lord the king. And he said: Speak.
13 Ɔbaa no bisaa sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wonyɛ mma Onyankopɔn nkurɔfoɔ sɛdeɛ wɔahyɛ bɔ sɛ wobɛyɛ ama me no. Woabu wo ho fɔ sɛ woasi saa gyinaeɛ yi. Wompɛ sɛ woma wʼankasa wo ba a wɔatwa no asuo no ba efie.
And the woman said: Why hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God, and why hath the king spoken this word, to sin, and not bring home again his own exile?
14 Sɛ ɛkɔsi sɛn ara, obiara bɛwu. Na sɛdeɛ nsuo hwie gu fam a wosesa a ɛnyɛ yie no, saa ara na nkwa teɛ. Ɛno enti na Onyankopɔn sane de yɛn ba ne nkyɛn ɛberɛ a yɛate yɛn ho afiri ne ho no. Wɔn a ɔhwɛ wɔn no, ɔmma wɔnnhwere wɔn kra; enti wo nso, ɛnsɛ sɛ woyɛ saa.
We all die, and like waters that return no more, we fall down into the earth: neither will God have a soul to perish, but recalleth, meaning that he that is cast off should not altogether perish.
15 “Na maba sɛ merebɛdi ama me babarima, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔde owuo hunahuna me ne me ba no. Meka kyerɛɛ me ho sɛ, ‘Ebia, ɔhene bɛtie me,
Now therefore I am come, to speak this word to my lord the king before the people. And thy handmaid said: I will speak to the king, it maybe the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16 na wagye yɛn afiri wɔn a wɔbɛtwa yɛn afiri Onyankopɔn nkurɔfoɔ ho no nsam.’
And the king hath hearkened to me to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of all that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17 “Aane, ɔhene no bɛma yɛn asomdwoeɛ bio. ‘Menim sɛ wote sɛ Onyankopɔn ɔbɔfoɔ a wobɛtumi ahunu papa ne bɔne ntam nsonsonoeɛ. Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, nka wo ho.’”
Then let thy handmaid say, that the word of the Lord the king be made as a sacrifice. For even as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, that he is neither moved with blessing nor cursing: wherefore the Lord thy God is also with thee.
18 Ɔhene bisaa sɛ, “Mepɛ sɛ mehunu adeɛ baako.” Ɔbaa no kaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ ɛdeɛn, me wura?”
And the king answering, said to the woman: Hide not from me the thing that I ask thee. And the woman said to him: Speak, my lord the king.
19 Na ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Yoab na ɔsomaa wo ha anaa?” Ɔbaa no buaa sɛ, “Me wura, Daasebrɛ, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na matwa yei ho atorɔ? Obiara ntumi mfa biribiara nhinta wo. Ɛyɛ nokorɛ sɛ Yoab na ɔsomaa me, na ɔkyerɛɛ me asɛm a menka.
And the king said: Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? The woman answered, and said: By the health of thy soul, my lord, O king, it is neither on the left hand, nor on the right, in all these things which my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy handmaid.
20 Ɔyɛɛ saa, sɛdeɛ mɛfa ɛkwan foforɔ so de saa asɛm yi ato wʼanim. Na wo nso, wonim nyansa te sɛ Onyankopɔn ɔbɔfoɔ, na biribiara a ɛsi yɛn ntam ha no nso, wote aseɛ.”
That I should come about with this form of speech, thy servant Joab, commanded this: but thou, my lord, O king, art wise, according to the wisdom of ail angel of God, to understand all things upon earth.
21 Enti, ɔhene no soma ma wɔkɔfaa Yoab baeɛ, na ɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, kɔ na kɔfa aberanteɛ Absalom bra.”
And the king said to Joab: Behold I am appeased and have granted thy request: Go therefore and fetch back the boy Absalom.
22 Yoab hwee ɔhene no nan ase, hyiraa no sɛ, “Ne korakora mu no, woapene me so, na woayɛ mʼabisadeɛ ama me.”
And Joab falling down to the ground upon his face, adored, and blessed the king: and Joab said: This day thy servant hath understood, that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king: for thou hast fulfilled the request of thy servant.
23 Na Yoab kɔɔ Gesur kɔfaa Absalom baa Yerusalem.
Then Joab arose and went to Gessur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 Nanso, ɔhene maa ahyɛdeɛ yi sɛ, “Absalom tumi kɔ ɔno ankasa ne fie, nanso ɔnhwɛ na wamma mʼanim ha.” Enti, Absalom anhunu ɔhene no.
But the king said: Let him return into his house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned into his house, and saw not the king’s face.
25 Israel nyinaa, na obiara nni hɔ a ne ho yɛ fɛ, te sɛ Absalom. Ɛfiri ne tiri so kɔsi ne nan ase, na wohunu sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbarima ankasa.
But in all Israel there was not a man so comely, and so exceedingly beautiful as Absalom: from the sole of the foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26 Afe biara, na ɔyi ne ti pɛnkorɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, ne nwi no yɛ adesoa ma no. Na sɛ ɔyi na ɔkari a, na ɛyɛ kilogram mmienu ne fa.
And when he polled his hair (now he was polled once a year, because his hair was burdensome to him) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred sicles, according to the common weight.
27 Na ɔwɔ mmammarima baasa ne ɔbabaa baako. Na ne babaa no din de Tamar. Na Tamar nso kura ahoɔfɛ a ɛmma ɔka.
And there were born to Absalom three sons: and one daughter, whose, name was Thamar, and she was very beautiful.
28 Absalom tenaa Yerusalem mfeɛ mmienu a wanhunu ɔhene no da.
And Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem, and saw not 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.
He sent therefore to Joab, to send him to the king: but he would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and he would not come to him,
30 Ɛno enti, Absalom ka kyerɛɛ nʼasomfoɔ sɛ, “Monkɔ na momfa ogya nkɔto Yoab atokoɔ afuo a ɛbɛn me deɛ no ho mu.” Na wɔde ogya kɔtoo afuo no mu, sɛdeɛ Absalom hyɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔnyɛ no.
He said to his servants: You know the field of Joab near my field, that hath a crop of barley: go now and set it on fire. So the servants of Absalom set the corn on fire. And Joab’s servants coming with their garments rent, said: The servants of Absalom have set part of the field on fire.
31 Na Yoab baa Absalom nkyɛn bɛbisaa no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wʼasomfoɔ akɔto mʼafuo mu ogya?”
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said: Why have thy servants set my corn on fire?
32 Na Absalom buaa no sɛ, “Ɛfiri sɛ, na mepɛ sɛ wokɔbisa ɔhene ma me sɛ, adɛn enti na ɔmaa me sane firi Gesur baeɛ, nanso ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔhunu mʼanim koraa? Ɛnneɛ, sɛ anka metenaa me dada mu hɔ ara a, anka ɛyɛ. Ma menhunu ɔhene no, na sɛ medi fɔ wɔ biribi ho a, ɔtumi kum me.”
And Absalom answered Joab: I sent to thee beseeching thee to come to me, that I might send thee to the king, to say to him: Wherefore am I come from Gessur? it had been better for me to be there: I beseech thee therefore that I may see the face of the king: and if he be mindful of my iniquity, let him kill me.
33 Enti, Yoab kaa asɛm a Absalom aka akyerɛ no no kyerɛɛ ɔhene no. Afei, Dawid frɛɛ ne ba a wate ne ho no, ma ɔbaa nʼanim. Absalom bɛduruu ɔhene no anim no, ɔbɔɔ ne mu ase, na Dawid fee nʼano.
So Joab going in to the king, told him all: and Absalom was called for, and he went in to the king: and prostrated himself on the ground before him: and the king kissed Absalom.
