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Abisalomu Abwerera ku Yerusalemu

14 Yowabu mwana wa Zeruya anadziwa kuti maganizo a mfumu ali pa Abisalomu. Kotero Yowabu anatuma munthu wina kupita ku Tekowa ndi kukatengako mkazi wanzeru. Yowabu anati kwa mkaziyo, “Ukhale ngati namfedwa. Uvale zovala zaumasiye ndipo usadzole mafuta ena aliwonse. Ukhale ngati mkazi amene wakhala akulira masiku ambiri. Kenaka upite kwa mfumu ndipo ukayankhule mawu awa.” Ndipo Yowabu anamuwuza mawu oti akanene.

Mkazi wochokera ku Tekowa uja atapita kwa mfumu anadzigwetsa pansi, napereka ulemu kwa mfumu nati, “Thandizeni mfumu!”

Mfumu inamufunsa kuti, “Kodi chikukusautsa iwe nʼchiyani?”

Iye anayankha kuti, “Ine ndine mkazi wamasiye, mwamuna wanga anamwalira. Ine wantchito wanu ndinali ndi ana aamuna awiri. Iwo anayamba kumenyana mʼmunda, ndipo panalibe woti awaleretse. Wina anakantha mnzakeyo mpaka kumupha. Tsono banja lonse landiwukira ine, wantchito wanu. Iwo akuti, ‘Utipatse mwana amene anakantha mʼbale wakeyo kuti timuphe chifukwa cha moyo wa mʼbale wake amene anaphedwayo. Ife tidzaphanso mlowamʼmalo.’ Anthuwo adzapha mwana wanga amene wanditsalira, ndipo dzina la mwamuna wanga silidzakumbukika pakuti sipadzakhalanso mwana pa banja lathu.”

Mfumu inati kwa mkaziyo, “Pitani ku nyumba kwanu ndipo ine ndidzalamula mʼmalo mwanu.”

Koma mkazi wochokera ku Tekowayo anati kwa mfumu, “Mbuye wanga mfumu, kulakwa kukhale pa ine ndi banja la abambo anga ndipo mfumu ndi mpando wanu waufumu mukhale osalakwa.”

10 Mfumu inayankha kuti, “Ngati wina aliyense anene kanthu kwa iwe, umubweretse kwa ine, ndipo sadzakuvutitsanso.”

11 Mkaziyo anati, “Mfumu ipemphe kwa Yehova Mulungu wake kuti aletse wobwezera imfa asaphenso wina kuti mwana wanga asawonongedwe.”

Mfumu inati, “Pali Yehova wamoyo ngakhale tsitsi limodzi la pamutu pa mwana wako silidzathotholedwa.”

12 Kenaka mkaziyo anati, “Lolani kuti wantchito wanu ayankhule mawu kwa inu mbuye wanga mfumu.”

Iye anayankha kuti, “Yankhula.”

13 Mkaziyo anati, “Nʼchiyani tsono chimene mwaganiza kuchitira zimenezi anthu a Mulungu? Pamene mfumu yanena izi, kodi sikudzitsutsa yokha, pakuti mfumu sinayitanitse mwana amene anamupirikitsa? 14 Koma poti madzi akatayika sawoleka, ndiye tonsefe tiyenera kufa ndithu. Koma Mulungu safuna kuti moyo wa munthu utayike kotero anakonza njira yakuti wopirikitsidwayo asakhale wotayikiratu.

15 “Tsopano ine ndabwera kudzanena izi kwa inu mbuye wanga mfumu chifukwa anthu andichititsa mantha. Mdzakazi wanu anaganiza kuti, ‘Ndikayankhula kwa mfumu, mwina adzachita zimene mdzakazi wake adzamupempha. 16 Mwina mfumu idzavomereza kupulumutsa mdzakazi wake mʼdzanja la munthu amene akufuna kupha ine pamodzi ndi mwana wanga kutichotsa pa cholowa chimene Mulungu anatipatsa.’

17 “Ndipo tsopano mtumiki wanu akuti, ‘Lolani mawu a mbuye wanga mfumu abweretse mpumulo kwa ine, pakuti mbuye wanga mfumu ali ngati mngelo wa Mulungu pozindikira chabwino ndi choyipa. Yehova Mulungu wanu akhale nanu.’ ”

18 Kenaka mfumu inati kwa mkaziyo, “Usandibisire chilichonse pondiyankha chimene ndidzakufunsa.”

Mkaziyo anati, “Mbuye wanga mfumu yankhulani.”

19 Mfumu inafunsa kuti, “Kodi zimenezi sukuchita motsogozedwa ndi Yowabu?”

Mkaziyo anayankha kuti, “Pali inu wamoyo, mbuye wanga mfumu, palibe munthu angakhotere kumanja kapena kumanzere pa chilichonse chimene mbuye wanga mfumu mwanena. Inde, ndi mtumiki wanu Yowabu amene wandilangiza ine kuchita zimenezi ndipo ndi amene anandipatsa mawu onsewa woti ine mtumiki wanu ndiyankhule. 20 Mtumiki wanu Yowabu anachita zimenezi kuti asinthe mmene zinthu zilili lero. Mbuye wanga muli ndi nzeru ngati za mngelo wa Mulungu. Mumadziwa zonse zimene zikuchitika mʼdziko.”

21 Mfumu inati kwa Yowabu, “Chabwino, ine ndichita zimenezi. Pita kamutenge Abisalomuyo.”

22 Yowabu anawerama pansi kupereka ulemu kwa mfumu. Yowabuyo anati, “Lero mtumiki wanu wadziwa kuti wapeza chifundo pamaso panu, mbuye wanga mfumu, chifukwa mwavomera pempho lakeli.”

23 Choncho Yowabu anapita ku Gesuri ndipo anamubweretsa Abisalomu ku Yerusalemu. 24 Koma mfumu inati, “Iye apite ku nyumba yake; asaone nkhope yanga.” Kotero Abisalomu anapita ku nyumba yake ndipo sanakumane ndi mfumu.

25 Mʼdziko lonse la Israeli munalibe munthu amene anayamikidwa chifukwa cha maonekedwe ake wokongola ngati Abisalomu. Kuyambira kumutu mpaka ku mapazi ake, analibe chilema. 26 Nthawi ina iliyonse akamameta tsitsi lake, ankameta pamene layamba kumulemera. Akatero amaliyeza, ndipo limalemera makilogalamu awiri pa sikelo yaufumu.

27 Abisalomu anali ndi ana aamuna atatu ndi wamkazi mmodzi. Mwana wamkazi dzina lake linali Tamara, ndipo anali mkazi wokongola kwambiri.

28 Abisalomu anakhala zaka ziwiri mu Yerusalemu osaonekera kwa mfumu. 29 Kenaka Abisalomu anatumiza mawu kwa Yowabu, kumutuma kuti apite kwa mfumu, koma Yowabu anakana kubwera. Kotero anatumizanso mawu kachiwiri, koma Yowabu anakananso. 30 Tsono Abisalomu anati kwa antchito ake, “Taonani, munda wa Yowabu uli pafupi ndi wanga ndipo muli barele mʼmenemo. Pitani mukawutenthe mundawo.” Ndipo antchito a Abisalomu anawutentha mundawo.

31 Ndipo Yowabu anapita ku nyumba ya Abisalomu ndipo anati kwa iye, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani antchito ako atentha munda wanga?”

32 Abisalomu anati kwa Yowabu, “Taona, ine ndinatumiza mawu kwa iwe ndipo ndinati, ‘Bwera kuno kuti ndikutume kwa mfumu kukafunsa kuti, ‘Nʼchifukwa chiyani ine ndinabwera kuchokera ku Gesuri? Zikanakhala bwino ndikanakhala komweko!’ Tsono pano ndikufuna kuonana ndi mfumu, ndipo ngati ndili olakwa mfumuyo indiphe.’ ”

33 Choncho Yowabu anapita kwa mfumu ndipo anayiwuza zimenezi. Ndipo mfumu inamuyitanitsa Abisalomu, ndipo analowa nawerama kugunditsa nkhope yake pansi pamaso pa mfumu. Tsono mfumu inapsompsona Abisalomu.

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

14 Joab(A) son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. So Joab sent someone to Tekoa(B) and had a wise woman(C) brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions.(D) Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab(E) put the words in her mouth.

When the woman from Tekoa went[a] to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”

The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”

She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death(F) for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir(G) as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left,(H) leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”

The king said to the woman, “Go home,(I) and I will issue an order in your behalf.”

But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon(J) me and my family,(K) and let the king and his throne be without guilt.(L)

10 The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”

11 She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger(M) of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.”

“As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair(N) of your son’s head will fall to the ground.(O)

12 Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.”

“Speak,” he replied.

13 The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself,(P) for the king has not brought back his banished son?(Q) 14 Like water(R) spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.(S) But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person(T) does not remain banished from him.

15 “And now I have come to say this 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 his servant’s request. 16 Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’(U)

17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel(V) of God in discerning(W) good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’”

18 Then the king said to the woman, “Don’t keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.”

“Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said.

19 The king asked, “Isn’t the hand of Joab(X) with you in 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 my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. 20 Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom(Y) like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.(Z)

21 The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

22 Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king.(AA) Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant’s request.”

23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.

25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head(AB)—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels[b] by the royal standard.

27 Three sons(AC) and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar,(AD) and she became a beautiful woman.

28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley(AE) there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

31 Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?(AF)

32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur?(AG) It would be better for me if I were still there!”’ Now then, I want to see the king’s face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”(AH)

33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed(AI) Absalom.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 14:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts spoke
  2. 2 Samuel 14:26 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms