Absalom Is Defeated and Killed
1 King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them. 2 Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, “I will go with you myself.”
3 “You mustn't go with us,” they answered. “It won't make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run, or even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help.”
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king answered. Then he stood by the side of the gate as his men marched out in units of a thousand and of a hundred. 5 He gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.” And all the troops heard David give this command to his officers.
6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day. 8 The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.
9 Suddenly Absalom met some of David's men. Absalom was riding a mule, and as it went under a large oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the branches. The mule ran on and Absalom was left hanging in midair. 10 One of David's men saw him and reported to Joab, “Sir, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 Joab answered, “If you saw him, why didn't you kill him on the spot? I myself would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man answered, “Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't lift a finger against the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.’ 13 But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it—he hears about everything—and you would not have defended me.”
14 “I'm not going to waste any more time with you,” Joab said. He took three spears and plunged them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, hanging in the oak tree. 15 Then ten of Joab's soldiers closed in on Absalom and finished killing him.
16 Joab had the trumpet blown to stop the fighting, and his troops came back from pursuing the Israelites. 17 They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.
18 During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.
David Is Told of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemies.”
20 “No,” Joab said, “today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead.” 21 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The slave bowed and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz insisted, “I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also.”
“Why do you want to do it, my son?” Joab asked. “You will get no reward for it.”
23 “Whatever happens,” Ahimaaz said again, “I want to go.”
“Then go,” Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave.
24 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called down and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The runner kept coming closer.
26 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running!”
The king answered, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27 The lookout said, “I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz.”
“He's a good man,” the king said, “and he is bringing good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, “Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was.”
30 “Stand over there,” the king told him; and he went over and stood there.
31 Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, “I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!”
32 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
The slave answered, “I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you.”
33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!”
Abusalomu la saayaa
1 Mansa Dawuda ye a la moolu bee bendi ñoo kaŋ, a ye ì talaŋ-talaŋ wuliwuloolu niŋ kemekemoolu ti, a ye ñaatonkoolu ke ì bee la. 2 Bituŋ a ye ì bula, ì kafu sabamaa taata, ì niŋ Yowabu aniŋ Yowabu kotoomaa Abisayi, meŋ mu Seruya dinkewo ti, aniŋ Itayi meŋ bota Kati, meŋ-wo-meŋ keta kafoo le la ñaatonkoo ti. Aduŋ mansa ko a la kewolu ye ko, “Ali niŋ nte faŋo be taa ñoo la le.”
3 Bari kewolu ko, “I maŋ ñaŋ na finti la. Niŋ ì ye m̀ forisee, fo m̀ borita, ì maŋ taa la ì hakili tu la ntolu to. Hani niŋ ntolu talantewo faata, ì te a kalamuta la, bari ite le ye nafaa soto ntolu ti ko siiñaa wuli taŋ. Saayiŋ a be beteyaa la le, niŋ i ye maakoyiroo ke ǹ ye ka bo naŋ saatewo to.”
4 Mansa ye ì jaabi ko, “Feŋ-wo-feŋ beteyaata ali fee, m be wo le ke la.” Wo to le mansa loota saatee dundaŋ daa daala, kabiriŋ kewolu ka finti niŋ wuli kiliŋolu niŋ kemoolu la. 5 Mansa ye Yowabu, Abisayi niŋ Itayi yaamari ko, “N na kuwo kamma la, ali kana kuu jawoo ke Abusalomu la.” Aduŋ kelediŋ kafoolu bee ye a moyi le, kabiriŋ mansa be Abusalomu la kuwo dandalaaroo dii la kelediŋ kuntiyolu la.
6 Kelediŋolu fintita kenoo kono, ka taa Banisirayilankoolu kele, aduŋ keloo keta Efurayimu* sutoo le kono. 7 Dawuda la kewolu ye Banisirayilankoolu noo keloo la le, ì ye ì noo baake le, kaatu wo luŋo ì ye kee wuli muwaŋ ne faa. 8 Keloo janjanta bankoo dandaŋo la, aduŋ kee jamaa le faata sutoo kono, ka tambi ì ye mennu faa niŋ hawusaroo* la.
9 Saayiŋ Abusalomu terenta Dawuda la kewolu ma. A be a la bahalewo* le borindi kaŋ nuŋ. Bituŋ kabiriŋ bahalewo dunta yiri baa bulu dibiriŋolu koto, Abusalomu kuntiñoo sakita yiribuloo bala. A tuta sakiriŋ foñoo kono, wo ye a tara bahalewo kenseŋo be bori la ka taa. 10 Kabiriŋ kee kiliŋ ye ñiŋ je, a ko Yowabu ye ko, “Saayiŋ-saayiŋ ne ŋa Abusalomu je dendiŋ yiri baa santo.”
11 Yowabu ko kewo ye, meŋ ye a fo a ye ko, “Muŋ! I ye a je le. Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i maŋ a faa? M be kodiforo kuntu taŋ ne dii la i la, aniŋ teesitiraŋo, niŋ a ye a tara, i ye a faa.” 12 Bari keendiŋo ko Yowabu ye ko, “Hani a ye a tara, i ye kodiforo kuntu wuli kiliŋ ne dii n na, n te m buloo maa la mansa dinkewo la, kaatu ŋà a moyi ǹ tuloolu la le, mansa ka ite, Abisayi aniŋ Itayi dandalaa, ka a fo ko, ‘N na kuwo kamma la, ali si Abusalomu tankandi.’ 13 Bari niŋ ŋa mansa soosoo, ŋa Abusalomu faa, mansa be a moyi la le, kaatu kuu-wo-kuu buka mansa kumpa, aduŋ ite te n tankandi la.”
14 Yowabu ko, “M maŋ taa n na haajoo tiñaa la i la kuwo la kotenke.” A ye soora saba taa, a ye ì suuri Abusalomu sisoo kono, kabiriŋ a be baluuriŋ, a be dendiŋ yiri baa santo. 15 Wo to le Yowabu la kelejooraŋ sambalaa taŋ katata Abusalomu la, ì ye a labaŋ.
16 Yowabu ye saakotoŋ binoo* fee, fo ì si i foño keloo la, aduŋ kelediŋ kafoolu ye i foño, ka Banisirayilankoolu bayindi. 17 Ì ye Abusalomu taa, ì ye a fayi dinka baa kono sutoo kono, ì ye beroolu juruma a kaŋ, fo a keta jurumi baa ti. Banisirayilankoolu bee borita, ì seyita ì la suwolu kono.
18 Abusalomu la baluwo waatoo kono, a ye samasiŋo loo a faŋo ye le Mansa la Wulumbaŋo kono, kaatu a maŋ dinkee soto, ka a too tu baluuriŋ. Bituŋ a ye a toolaa a faŋo le la. Ka naa bula bii la, ì ka jee kumandi Abusalomu la Samasiŋo le la.
Dawuda ye Abusalomu la saayaa moyi
19 Saayiŋ Ahimaasi Sadoki dinkewo ko, “M batu ŋa bori, ŋa taa ñiŋ kibaaroo futandi mansa la ko, Yaawe* ye a tankandi a jawoolu ma le.”
20 Yowabu ko a ye ko, “Bii ite maŋ ke moo ti, meŋ ñanta kibaaroo futandi la. I si kibaaroo futandi luŋ koteŋ, bari bii i te a ke la, kaatu mansa dinkewo faata le.” 21 Wo to le Yowabu ko Kusinka* doo ye ko, “Taa, a fo mansa ye, i ye meŋ je.” Kusinkoo ñoyita Yowabu ñaatiliŋo la, bituŋ a borita.
22 Bituŋ Ahimaasi Sadoki dinkewo ko Yowabu ye kotenke ko, “Meŋ be ke la, a ye ke. M batu ŋa m bori Kusinkoo nooma.”
Bari Yowabu ye a jaabi ko, “N dinkewo, muŋ ne ye a tinna, ì lafita taa la? I te jayiri soto la ñiŋ kuwo to.”
23 A ko, “Meŋ be ke la, a ye ke, n lafita taa la le.”
Wo to le Yowabu ko, “Taa.” Bituŋ Ahimaasi borita niŋ Yoridani wulumbaŋo maafaŋo la, fo a tambita Kusinkoo la.
24 Kabiriŋ Dawuda be siiriŋ saatee dundaŋ daa fuloo teema, kantarilaa seleta tata sansaŋo santo. Biriŋ a ye banta juubee, a ye kewo je, a dammaa ka bori. 25 Kantarilaa ye mansa kumandi, a ye a fo a ye. Mansa ko, “Niŋ a dammaa le mu, a be kibaari diimaa le fo la.” Bituŋ keendiŋo ka kata naŋ domaŋ-domaŋ.
26 Wo to le kantarilaa ye moo doo je, a ka bori, bituŋ a ye bundaa kantalaa kumandi ko, “A juubee, keendiŋ doo dammaa le ka bori naŋ.”
Mansa ko, “A fanaa be ke la kibaari diimaa naatilaa le ti.”
27 Kantarilaa ko, “Foloo boriñaa ka munta le ko Ahimaasi Sadoki dinkewo.”
Mansa ko, “Kee kende baa le mu. A niŋ kibaari diimaalu le ka naa.”
28 Bituŋ Ahimaasi ye mansa kumandi. A ko, “Kuwolu bee beteyaata le.” A ñoyita mansa ye, a ye a kuŋo jimi bankoo to, a ko, “M maarii mansa, jayiroo be Yaawe, i la Alla ye. A ye a ke le, ì ye kewolu noo, mennu ye keloo wulindi ì kamma.”
29 Mansa ye a ñininkaa ko, “Fo Abusalomu tankata le baŋ?”
Ahimaasi ye a jaabi ko, “Kabiriŋ Yowabu ye Kusinkoo, mansa la dookuulaa kii, aniŋ nte, i la dookuulaa, kuu jamaa le be keriŋ, bari nte maŋ a loŋ, meŋ mu.”
30 Mansa ko, “Loo kara la, i ye i batu.” Bituŋ a jenketa kara la, a loota jee.
31 Bituŋ Kusinkoo futata, a ko, “M maarii mansa, i lamoyi ñiŋ kibaari diimaa la. Bii Yaawe ye i tankandi moolu ma le, mennu wulita i la kuwo kamma, ka i kele.”
32 Mansa ye Kusinkoo ñininkaa ko, “Fo tana te Abusalomu la baŋ?”
Kusinkoo ye a jaabi ko, “Allamaa m maarii mansa jawoolu mennu lafita ka a kele ye ke ko wo fondinkewo.”
33 Mansa niyo toorata. A taata fo konoto buŋo to, meŋ be tatoo santo, a kumboota. Kabiriŋ a ka taa, a ko, “Hee, n diŋo Abusalomu! N dinkewo! N diŋo Abusalomu! Nte le ñanta faa la, janniŋ ite ka faa. Hee Abusalomu! N diŋo, n diŋo!”
