Joab Arranges for Absalom's Return
1 Joab knew that King David missed Absalom very much, 2 so he sent for a clever woman who lived in Tekoa. When she arrived, he said to her, “Pretend that you are in mourning; put on your mourning clothes, and don't comb your hair. Act like a woman who has been in mourning for a long time. 3 Then go to the king and say to him what I tell you to say.” Then Joab told her what to say.
4 The woman went to the king, bowed down to the ground in respect, and said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”
5 “What do you want?” he asked her.
“I am a poor widow, sir,” she answered. “My husband is dead. 6 Sir, I had two sons, and one day they got into a quarrel out in the fields, where there was no one to separate them, and one of them killed the other. 7 And now, sir, all my relatives have turned against me and are demanding that I hand my son over to them, so that they can kill him for murdering his brother. If they do this, I will be left without a son. They will destroy my last hope and leave my husband without a son to keep his name alive.”
8 “Go back home,” the king answered, “and I will take care of the matter.”
9 “Your Majesty,” she said, “whatever you do, my family and I will take the blame; you and the royal family are innocent.”
10 The king replied, “If anyone threatens you, bring him to me, and he will never bother you again.”
11 She said, “Your Majesty, please pray to the Lord your God, so that my relative who is responsible for avenging the death of my son will not commit a greater crime by killing my other son.”
“I promise by the living Lord,” David replied, “that your son will not be harmed in the least.”
12 “Please, Your Majesty, let me say just one more thing,” the woman said.
“All right,” he answered.
13 She said to him, “Why have you done such a wrong to God's people? You have not allowed your own son to return from exile, and so you have condemned yourself by what you have just said. 14 We will all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which can't be gathered again. Even God does not bring the dead back to life, but the king can at least find a way to bring a man back from exile. 15 Now, Your Majesty, the reason I have come to speak to you is that the people threatened me, and so I said to myself that I would speak to you in the hope that you would do what I ask. 16 I thought you would listen to me and save me from the one who is trying to kill my son and me and so remove us from the land God gave his people. 17 I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you!”
18 The king answered, “I'm going to ask you a question, and you must tell me the whole truth.”
“Ask me anything, Your Majesty,” she answered.
19 “Did Joab put you up to this?” he asked her.
She answered, “I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say. 20 But he did it in order to straighten out this whole matter. Your Majesty is as wise as the angel of God and knows everything that happens.”
21 Later on the king said to Joab, “I have decided to do what you want. Go and get the young man Absalom and bring him back here.”
22 Joab threw himself to the ground in front of David in respect, and said, “God bless you, Your Majesty! Now I know that you are pleased with me, because you have granted my request.” 23 Then he got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 The king, however, gave orders that Absalom should not live in the palace. “I don't want to see him,” the king said. So Absalom lived in his own house and did not appear before the king.
Absalom Is Reconciled to David
25 There was no one in Israel as famous for his good looks as Absalom; he had no defect from head to toe. 26 His hair was very thick, and he had to cut it once a year, when it grew too long and heavy. It would weigh about five pounds according to the royal standard of weights. 27 Absalom had three sons and one daughter named Tamar, a very beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king. 29 Then he sent for Joab, to ask him to go to the king for him; but Joab would not come. Again Absalom sent for him, and again Joab refused to come. 30 So Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and it has barley growing in it. Go and set fire to it.” So they went and set the field on fire.
31 Joab went to Absalom's house and demanded, “Why did your servants set fire to my field?”
32 Absalom answered, “Because you wouldn't come when I sent for you. I wanted you to go to the king and ask for me: ‘Why did I leave Geshur and come here? It would have been better for me to have stayed there.’” And Absalom went on, “I want you to arrange for me to see the king, and if I'm guilty, then let him put me to death.”
33 So Joab went to King David and told him what Absalom had said. The king sent for Absalom, who went to him and bowed down to the ground in front of him. The king welcomed him with a kiss.
Yowabu la feeroo ka Abusalomu murundi
1 Saayiŋ Yowabu ye a loŋ ne ko, mansa hakiloo be looriŋ Abusalomu kaŋ ne. 2 Wo to le, Yowabu ye moo kii Tekowa, ka musu ñaamendiŋo doo samba naŋ ka bo jee. A ko a ye ko, “I faŋ ke ko meŋ ye saŋo soto. I paree ko saŋatiyo, aduŋ i kana seerandi feŋ maa. I faŋ ke ko musoo, meŋ tarata saŋakumboo la fo tili jamaa furewo la kuwo kamma. 3 Taa mansa yaa, i ye ñiŋ kumakaŋolu fo a ye.” Bituŋ Yowabu naata kumoolu bee fo a ye, a ñanta mennu fo la mansa ye.
4 Kabiriŋ ñiŋ Tekowa musoo taata mansa yaa, a ñoyita a bitita bankoo to ka buuñaa dii a la. Bituŋ a ko a ye ko, “Hee, ite mansa, m maakoyi!”
5 Bituŋ mansa naata a ñininkaa ko, “Muŋ ne be i batandi kaŋ?”
A ko mansa ye ko, “Nte mu furuyaamusoo le ti, n keemaa faata le. 6 Nte i la joŋo, ŋa dinkee fula le soto. Ì dunta ñoo la keloo la kunkoo to, moo maŋ soto jee ka ì fata. Doo ye doo busa, a ye a faa. 7 Saayiŋ kaabiiloo moolu bee wulita nte i la joŋo kamma, ì ko, ŋa n ñiŋ dinkee doo dii ì la, meŋ ye a baadiŋo faa, ka wo fanaa faa, ka ke niikumakaaraŋo ti a baadiŋo ye, a ye meŋ faa. Wo le mu ka keetaalaa faa, meŋ mu n jikiraŋo ti, ka n keemaa bula wo ñaama duniyaa kono, too nte sako koomalanka.”
8 Mansa ko musoo ñiŋ ye ko, “Taa suwo kono, m be kaŋo taamandi la le i la kuwo kamma la.”
9 Bari Tekowa musoo ñiŋ ko a ye le ko, “Jalayiroo be tara la nte niŋ m faamaa la dimbaayaa la karoo le la, bari a te tara la mansa niŋ a la mansakundaa kaŋ.”
10 Mansa ye a jaabi ko, “Niŋ moo-wo-moo ye feŋ-wo-feŋ fo i ye, a maarii samba n ye naŋ, a te i batandi la kotenke.”
11 Musoo ñiŋ ko mansa ye ko, “Mansa, i hakiloo bulandi Yaawe* la, i la Alla, ka n dinkewo tanka m baadiŋo ma, meŋ mu julujoolaa ti, fo meŋ si a tinna, a te n dinkewo faa noo la.”
Mansa ko, “A be koyiriŋ ñaameŋ ko Yaawe be baluuriŋ ne, i dinkewo, hani a kuntiña kesoo te laa la bankoo to.”
12 Bituŋ musoo ñiŋ ko a ye ko, “M batu, i la joŋo ye kuma kiliŋ fo ite mansa ye.”
Mansa ye a jaabi ko, “A fo.”
13 Musoo ñiŋ ko a ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i ye ñiŋ kuu siifaa hame Alla la moolu ye? Niŋ mansa ye ñiŋ fo, fo ate faŋo le maŋ a faŋ muta baŋ, a maŋ a dinkewo samba naŋ, luwaa ye meŋ muta? 14 Ntolu bee ñanta faa la le. Ntolu ka munta le ko jiyo, meŋ bonta bankoo to, meŋ te kafu noo la ñoo ma kotenke. Bari Alla te niyo bo la, a be feeroolu le miira la, i si a je, moo meŋ be luwaa la mutoo kono, si muruŋ a la karoo la kotenke. 15 Saayiŋ n naata le, ka ñiŋ kumoo fo m maarii mansa ye, kaatu moolu ye n silandi le. I la joŋo, nte ye a miira le ko, m be diyaamu kaŋ mansa ye le, ka m maakoyi kuwolu to, ŋa mennu daani a bulu. 16 Wo to mansa be soŋ na le, ka a la joŋo bondi kewo bulu, meŋ tarata a kata kaŋ, ka nte faa aniŋ n dinkewo, ka bo keetaafeŋo to, Alla ye meŋ dii ǹ na. 17 N ko m faŋ ye le ko, i la laahidoo be nte tankandi la le, kaatu mansa ka munta le ko Alla la malaayikoo, aduŋ a si kuu betoo niŋ kuu kuruŋo bo noo ñoo to le. Allamaa Yaawe i la Alla tara la i fee!”
18 Mansa ko a ye ko, “M be i ñininkaa la kumoo doo le la, aduŋ i ñanta tooñaa bee fo la n ye le.”
Musoo ñiŋ ko a ye ko, “N ñininkaa feŋ-wo-feŋ na i la mansayaa buuñaa kaŋ.”
19 Mansa ye a ñininkaa ko, “Fo i niŋ Yowabu le be dendiŋ ñiŋ kuwo la baŋ?”
Musoo ye a jaabi ko, “M maarii mansa, ko i be baluuriŋ teŋ ñaameŋ, a keta le ko ite m maarii mansa ye a fo ñaameŋ. Haa, i la dookuulaa Yowabu le keta moo ti, meŋ ye m bula ñiŋ kuwo la, aduŋ ate le keta moo ti, meŋ ye kumoolu fo nte i la jommusoo ye, n ñanta mennu bee fo la. 20 Bari a ye ñiŋ ke le, ka kuwolu bee faliŋ. M maarii, i la londoo be le komeŋ Alla la malaayikoo, ka feŋo bee loŋ, meŋ keta bankoo kaŋ.”
21 Wo to le mansa naata a fo Yowabu ye ko, “I lafita meŋ na, m be a ke la le. Taa, i ye Abusalomu samba naŋ jaŋ.”
22 Yowabu ye a faŋ fayi bankoo to Dawuda ñaatiliŋo la horomoo kono, a kumata ko, “Allamaa Alla neema la i ma, ite maralilaa. Saayiŋ ŋa a loŋ ne ko, i kontaanita n na kuwo la le, kaatu i ye n na daaniroo muta le.” 23 Bituŋ a wulita, a taata Kesuri, a ye Abusalomu murundi naŋ Yerusalaamu. 24 Mansa kumata ko, “Ali a bula, a ye taa a faŋo la buŋo to, a maŋ ñaŋ na naa la n ñaatiliŋo la.” Wo to le, Abusalomu taata a faŋo la buŋo kono, a maŋ naa mansa ñaatiliŋo la.
Abusalomu niŋ Dawuda diyaata kotenke
25 Saayiŋ, Banisirayila bee kono, moo te jee, moo si meŋ na ñiiñaa selendi Abusalomu kaŋ. Ka bo a sinkondiŋ labaŋo to, ka taa fo a kuŋo to, sootaari feŋ te jee. 26 A kuntiña kesoo warata le, aduŋ a ka a kuntu saŋo kono siiñaa kiliŋ ne, niŋ a jamfata aniŋ niŋ a kuliyaata a kuŋo to. A kuntiñoo la kuliyaa si taa le fo kilo fula, mansa la sumandirilaŋo to. 27 Abusalomu ye dinkee saba le soto, aniŋ dimmusu kiliŋ, meŋ too mu Tamara ti. Musu ñiimaa baa le mu a ti.
28 Abusalomu ye sanji kende fula le ke Yerusalaamu, a maŋ naa, niŋ a niŋ mansa ñaa si ñoo je. 29 Bituŋ a naata kiilaa kii Yowabu ye, ka a kii mansa kaŋ, bari Yowabu maŋ naa. A ye kiilaa fulanjaŋo kii, bari hani wo Yowabu maŋ naa. 30 Bituŋ a ko a la dookuulaalu ye ko, “Yowabu la kunkoo niŋ n na kunkoo le be naaneeriŋ, aduŋ baali* siimaŋo be jee le. Ali taa, ali ye dimbaa duŋ a la siimaŋ kunkoo la.” Bituŋ Abusalomu la dookuulaalu naata dimbaa duŋ kunkoo la.
31 Wo to le Yowabu taata Abusalomu kaŋ a la buŋo kono. A ko a ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i la dookuulaalu ye dimbaa duŋ n na kunkoo la?”
32 Abusalomu ye Yowabu jaabi ko, “Ŋa kumoo kii i kaŋ ne ko, i ye naa jaŋ, ŋa i kii mansa kaŋ, ka ñiŋ kumakaŋo ñininkaa a bulu ko, ‘Muŋ ne ye a tinna, nte bota naŋ Kesuri? A be beteyaa la le, niŋ m be jee hani saayiŋ.’ Saayiŋ, m batu, ŋa taa mansa ñaatiliŋo la, niŋ boyoo be nte le la karoo la, a ye m faa!”
33 Bituŋ Yowabu taata mansa yaa, a ye a fo a ye. Bituŋ mansa naata Abusalomu kili. A naata a kaŋ, a ñoyita a ye, a ye a kuŋo jimi duuma mansa ñaatiliŋo la, bituŋ mansa ye Abusalomu sumbu.
