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Imfa ya Abisalomu

18 Davide anasonkhanitsa anthu amene anali naye ndipo anasankha atsogoleri ena olamulira ankhondo 1,000 ndi ena olamulira ankhondo 100. Davide anatumiza asilikaliwo atawagawa patatu: gulu loyamba limalamulidwa ndi Yowabu, gulu lachiwiri limalamulidwa ndi Abisai ndipo gulu lachitatu limalamulidwa ndi Itai Mgiti. Mfumu inawuza asilikaliwo kuti, “Inenso ndipita nanu ndithu.”

Koma anthuwo anati, “Inu musapite nafe. Ngati tidzathamangitsidwa, iwowo sadzasamala za ife. Ngakhale theka la ife litafa, iwo sadzasamalako. Koma inuyo ndinu ofunika kuposa asilikali 10,000. Nʼkwabwino kwambiri kuti inu muzititumizira chithandizo kuchokera ku mzindako.”

Mfumu inayankha kuti, “Ine ndichita chimene chili chokukomerani.”

Kotero mfumu inayima pambali pa chipata pamene ankhondo onse amayenda mʼmagulu a anthu 100 ndi a 1,000. Mfumu inalamulira Yowabu, Abisai ndi Itai kuti, “Mumukomere mtima Abisalomu chifukwa cha ine.” Ndipo asilikali onse anamva pamene mfumu imalamula izi za Abisalomu kwa wolamulira aliyense.

Ankhondo anayenda kupita kukachita nkhondo ndi Israeli, ndipo nkhondo inachitika mʼnkhalango ya Efereimu. Aisraeli anagonjetsedwa kumeneko ndi ankhondo a Davide. Tsiku limenelo anaphedwa anthu okwanira 20,000. Nkhondo inafalikira ku madera onse akumidzi ndipo anthu akufa chifukwa cha zoopsa za mʼnkhalango anali ambiri tsiku limenelo kuposa akufa ndi lupanga.

Tsono zinachitika kuti Abisalomu anakumana ndi asilikali a Davide. Iye anali atakwera bulu ndipo pamene buluyo amadutsa pansi pa nthambi zambiri za mtengo wa thundu, mutu wa Abisalomu unakodwa mu mtengomo. Iye anasiyidwa atatsakamira mʼmalele, pamene bulu amene anakwerapoyo amapitirira.

10 Mmodzi mwa asilikali ataona zimenezi, anamuwuza Yowabu kuti, “Ine ndamuona Abisalomu ali lende mu mtengo wa thundu.”

11 Yowabu anati kwa munthu amene anamuwuza zimenezi, “Ukuti chiyani! Unamuona? Nʼchifukwa chiyani sunamukanthire pansi pomwepo? Ndipo ine ndikanakupatsa ndalama za siliva khumi ndi lamba wausilikali.”

12 Koma munthuyo anayankha kuti, “Ngakhale atandipatsa mʼmanja mwanga ndalama zasiliva 1,000, sindingatambasule dzanja langa kupha mwana wa mfumu. Ife tikumva, mfumu inalamula inu Abisai ndiponso Itai kuti, ‘Mutetezeni mnyamatayo Abisalomu chifukwa cha ine!’ 13 Ndipo sindikanayika moyo wanga pa chiswe pakuti palibe chimene chimabisika pamaso pa mfumu komanso inu simukanditeteza.”

14 Yowabu anati, “Ine sinditayanso nthawi ndi iwe.” Ndipo anatenga mikondo itatu mʼmanja mwake ndipo anabaya pamtima pa Abisalomu, Abisalomuyo akanali ndi moyo pa mtengo wa thundu. 15 Ndipo anthu khumi onyamula zida za Yowabu anazungulira Abisalomu, kumubaya ndi kumupha.

16 Kenaka Yowabu analiza lipenga ndipo asilikali analeka kuthamangitsa Israeli pakuti Yowabu anawaletsa. 17 Iwo anatenga Abisalomu ndi kumuponya mʼdzenje lalikulu mʼchipululumo ndipo anawunjikapo miyala ikuluikulu. Nthawiyi Aisraeli onse anathawa kupita ku nyumba zawo.

18 Abisalomu ali ndi moyo anadzimangira chipilala mʼchigwa cha mfumu, pakuti ankaganiza kuti, “Ine ndilibe mwana wamwamuna amene adzakhale chikumbutso changa.” Chipilalacho anachitchula dzina lake lomwe ndipo mpaka lero chimatchedwa chipilala cha Abisalomu.

Davide Alira Abisalomu

19 Tsono Ahimaazi mwana wa Zadoki anati, “Ndiloleni ndithamange ndi kukapereka uthenga kwa mfumu kuti Yehova wayipulumutsa mʼdzanja la adani ake.”

20 Yowabu anamuwuza iye kuti, “Iwe si amene uti ukanene zimenezi lero. Ukapereka uthenga nthawi ina, koma usatero lero, chifukwa mwana wa mfumu wafa.”

21 Kenaka Yowabu anawuza Mkusi kuti, “Pita ukawuze mfumu zimene waona.” Mkusiyo anawerama pamaso pa Yowabu ndipo anathamanga kupita.

22 Ahimaazi mwana wa Zadoki ananenanso kwa Yowabu kuti, “Zivute zitani, chonde mundilole kuti ndipite pambuyo pa Mkusiyo.”

Koma Yowabu anayankha kuti, “Mwana wanga, nʼchifukwa chiyani ukufuna kupita? Ulibe nkhani yoti ukalandire nayo mphotho.”

23 Iye anati, “Zivute zitani ine ndikufuna kuti ndipite.”

Choncho Yowabu anati “Pita!” Ndipo Ahimaazi anathamanga kudzera njira ya ku chigwa ndipo anamupitirira Mkusi uja.

24 Nthawi imeneyo nʼkuti Davide atakhala pakati pa zipata ziwiri, chakubwalo ndi chamʼkati. Mlonda anakwera pa khoma nakayimirira pa denga la chipata. Anati atayangʼana, anaona munthu akuthamanga yekhayekha. 25 Mlonda uja anapita kwa mfumu ndipo anafotokoza.

Mfumu inati, “Ngati ali yekha ali ndi nkhani yabwino” Ndipo munthuyo anayandikira.

26 Mlonda uja anaonanso munthu wina akuthamanga, ndipo anayitana woyangʼanira pa chipata, “Taona, munthu winanso akuthamanga ali yekha!”

Mfumu inati, “Iye akubweretsanso nkhani yabwino.”

27 Mlonda uja anati, “Munthu akuthamanga patsogoloyo, kathamangidwe kake kakufanafana ndi mmene amathamangira Ahimaazi, mwana wa Zadoki.”

Mfumu inati, “Ameneyo ndi munthu wabwino, ndipo akubwera ndi nkhani yabwino.”

28 Ndipo Ahimaazi anafuwula kwa mfumu, “Zonse zili bwino!” Iye anagwada pamaso pa mfumu nkhope yake atagunditsa pansi ndipo anati, “Yehova Mulungu wathu alemekezedwe! Iye wapereka mʼdzanja lathu anthu amene anawukira inu mbuye wanga mfumu.”

29 Mfumu inafunsa, “Kodi mnyamata uja Abisalomu watetezedwa?”

Ahimaazi anayankha, “Pamene Yowabu amati azindituma ine mtumiki wanu ndinaona chipiringu cha anthu, koma sindikudziwa chinali chiyani.”

30 Mfumu inati, “Ima apo ndipo udikire.” Kotero iye anapita pa mbali nayima pamenepo.

31 Kenaka Mkusi uja anafika ndipo anati, “Mbuye wanga mfumu imvani nkhani yabwino! Yehova wakupulumutsani inu lero kwa onse amene anakuwukirani.”

32 Mfumu inafunsa Mkusiyo kuti, “Kodi mnyamata uja Abisalomu watetezedwa?”

Mkusiyo anayankha kuti, “Adani anu mbuye wanga mfumu, pamodzi ndi anthu onse amene amakuwukirani, ziwaonekere zomwe zamuonekera mnyamatayo.”

33 Mfumu inanthunthumira. Inapita ku chipinda cha mmwamba cha pa chipata kukalira. Pamene imapita, inkati: “Iwe mwana wanga Abisalomu! Mwana wanga! Mwana wanga Abisalomu! Zikanakhala bwino ndikanafa ndine mʼmalo mwako! Iwe Abisalomu, mwana wanga, mwana wanga!”

18 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. David sent out his troops,(A) a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai(B) son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai(C) the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”

But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten(D) thousand of us.[a] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”(E)

The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest(F) of Ephraim. There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair(G) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike(H) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels[b] of silver and a warrior’s belt.(I)

12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels[c] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.[d] 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy[e]—and nothing is hidden from the king(J)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

14 Joab(K) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.(L)

16 Then Joab(M) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up(N) a large heap of rocks(O) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

18 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley(P) as a monument(Q) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son(R) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

David Mourns

19 Now Ahimaaz(S) son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.(T)

20 “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

21 Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”

But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”

23 He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”

So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain[f] and outran the Cushite.

24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman(U) went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out to the king and reported it.

The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.

26 Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”

The king said, “He must be bringing good news,(V) too.”

27 The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like(W) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”

29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”

30 The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”(X)

33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died(Y) instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”[g](Z)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:3 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like us
  2. 2 Samuel 18:11 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  3. 2 Samuel 18:12 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  4. 2 Samuel 18:12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.
  5. 2 Samuel 18:13 Or Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously toward him
  6. 2 Samuel 18:23 That is, the plain of the Jordan
  7. 2 Samuel 18:33 In Hebrew texts this verse (18:33) is numbered 19:1.