2 Samuel 18
18
1David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2David sent out his troops, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”
3But 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 thousand of us.#18:3 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like us It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”
4The 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. 5The 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.
6David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. 8The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.
9Now 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 got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
10When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”
11Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels#18:11 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams of silver and a warrior’s belt.”
12But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels#18:12 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms 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.#18:12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.’ 13And if I had put my life in jeopardy#18:13 Or Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously toward him—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have kept your distance from me.”
14Joab 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. 15And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.
16Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.
18During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son 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
19Now Ahimaaz 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.”
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.”
21Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.
22Ahimaaz 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.”
23He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”
So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain#18:23 That is, the plain of the Jordan and outran the Cushite.
24While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25The 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.
26Then 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, too.”
27The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”
28Then 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.”
29The 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.”
30The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.
31Then 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.”
32The 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.”
33The 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 instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”#18:33 In Hebrew texts this verse (18:33) is numbered 19:1.
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2 Samuel 18: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
2 SAMUELE 18
18
Abosalome o a hlolwa
1Davida a bala banna ba neng ba ena le yena; ba okamelwa ke balaodi ba bahlabani ba dikete, le balaodi ba ba makgolo. 2A arola bahlabani mabotho a mararo. Molaodi wa lebotho la pele e ne e le Joabe; wa lebotho la bobedi e le Abishai, mora wa Seruya, ngwanabo Joabe; wa lebotho la boraro e le Itai wa Mogate. Kgosi ya re ho bahlabani: “Le nna ka nama, ke tla futuha le lona.”
3Empa bahlabani ba re: “Wena o se ke wa futuha le rona. Ha re ka baleha, ba ke ke ba re tsotella. Leha ba ka ba bolaya halofo ya bahlabani ba rona, ba ke ke ba re tsotella; feela wena o lekana le bahlabani ba dikete tse leshome ba rona, ka bohlokwa. Ka baka leo, ho molemo hore o tle o re thuse o ntse o le ka motseng.”
4Kgosi ya re ho bona: “Ke tla etsa seo le bonang se le molemo.”
Kgosi ya ema pela kgoro ya motse ha bahlabani ba etswa ka makgolo le ka dikete. 5Kgosi ya laela Joabe, le Abishai, le Itai, ya re: “Le mpaballele mohlankana Abosalome.” Bahlabani bohle ba utlwa ha kgosi e laela balaodi malebana le Abosalome.
6Mabotho a tswela naheng ho ya lwantsha Baiseraele. Ntwa ya lwanela morung wa Efraime. 7Bahlabani ba Baiseraele ba hlolwa ke ba Davida. Ka letsatsi leo ha bolawa Baiseraele ba bangata; ba ne ba ka ba dikete tse mashome a mabedi. 8Ntwa ya aparela sebaka seo sohle. Ka letsatsi leo, batho ba ileng ba shwella ka morung ba eba bangata ho feta ba ileng ba bolawa ka sabole.
Lefu la Abosalome
9Bahlankana ba Davida ba bona Absalome a palame mmeile. Eitse ha mmeile o feta tlasa makala a teteaneng a sefate se seholo sa eike, hlooho ya hae ya tshwaswa ke makala, yena a sala a leketlile sebakeng, mmeile oo a neng a o palame wa monyoha katlasa hae.
10Monna e mong ya ileng a bona hona a bolella Joabe, a re: “Ke bone Abosalome a leketlile sefateng sa eike.”
11Joabe a re ho monna eo ya mmoleletseng: “Haeba o mmone, ke ka baka lang o sa kang wa mmolaela hona moo, a polana fatshe? Nkabe ke o putsa ka disilefera tse leshome, le ka leqhama.”
12Monna eo a re ho Joabe: “Leha o ne o ka mpha disilefera tse sekete, ke ne nke ke ka bolaya mora wa kgosi, hobane moo re ntseng re utlwa, kgosi e ile ya laela wena, le Abishai, le Itai, ya re: ‘Le mpaballele mohlankana Abosalome.’ 13Hoja ka bolaya Abosalome ka bolotsana, ke ne ke tla ipea kotsing, hobane ha ho letho le patehileng ho kgosi, mme ebe wena wa itshola.”
14Yaba Joabe o re: “O ntshenyetsa nako!” A nka marumo a mararo, a phehletsa Abosalome pelong ka wona, a ntse a phela, a leketlile sefateng sa eike. 15Bahlankana ba leshome, bao e neng e le bajari ba dihlomo tsa Joabe, ba kopanela Abosalome, ba mo kgakgatha, ba mmolaya.
16Yaba Joabe o letsa lenaka, mme bahlabani ba kgaotsa ho phaladisa Baiseraele, hobane Joabe o ne a se a ba thibile. 17Ba nka setopo sa Abosalome, ba se lahlela ka lemeneng le leholo, le neng le le ka morung, ba se qhobella ka majwe, ba etsa qubu e kgolo. Jwale Baiseraele bohle ba phasaphasa, motho ka mong a leba lapeng la hae.
18Ha Abosalome a sa ntsane a phela, o ne a ile a ikgahela sefika ka Kgohlong ya Kgosi, hobane o ne a re: “Ha ke na mora ya tla tsosa lebitso la ka.” Sefika seo a se reella ka yena, mme se ntse se bitswa Sefika sa Abosalome le kajeno-ya-bokajeno.
Davida o behelwa lefu la Abosalome
19Ahimase, mora wa Sadoke, a re ho Joabe: “Ere ke mathe, ke yo behela kgosi ditaba tse monate tsa hore Morena o e pheteditse ho dira tsa yona.”
20Empa Joabe a re ho yena: “O ke ke wa isa ditaba kajeno; o tla di isa ka letsatsi le leng. Ha e le kajeno o ke ke wa di isa, hobane mora wa kgosi o shwele.”
21Yaba Joabe o re ho monna wa Kushe: “Tsamaya, o yo bolella kgosi seo o se boneng.” Mokushe eo a obamela Joabe, yaba o nka ka saole.
22Jwale Ahimase, mora wa Sadoke, a boela a re ho Joabe: “Leha ho ka etsahala eng kapa eng, ntumelle le nna ke mathe kamora Mokushe yane.”
Joabe a re: “Wena o tla be o mathela lelea, ngwanaka, hobane ha ho na ditaba tse monate, tseo o di isang.”
23Empa Ahimase a re: “Leha ho ka etsahala eng kapa eng, ke tla matha.”
Joabe a re ho yena: “Matha!” Ahimase a takolotsa ka tsela e ka phuleng, a siya Mokushe eo.
24Davida o ne a dutse pakeng tsa dikgoro tse pedi tsa motse. Sebohodi sa hlwella lerakong, marulelong a hodima kgoro ya motse. Ha se phahamisa mahlo, se tadima, sa bona monna ya tlang a matha a le mong. 25Sebohodi seo sa howeletsa, sa tsebisa kgosi.
Yaba kgosi e re: “Haeba monna eo a le mong, o tlisa ditaba tse monate.” Monna eo a nna a atamela.
26Sebohodi sa boela sa bona monna e mong ya tlang a matha, yaba se howeletsa molebedi wa kgoro, se re: “Monna e mong hape ke yane a etla a matha a le mong!”
Yaba kgosi e re: “Le yena o tlisa ditaba tse monate.”
27Sebohodi sa re: “Ke bona monna ya kapele a matha jwaloka Ahimase, mora wa Sadoke.”
Yaba kgosi e re: “Ke monna ya lokileng, mme o tlisa ditaba tse monate.”
28Ahimase a howeletsa, a re ho kgosi: “Kgomo tseo!” A obamela kgosi, a re: “Ho bokwe Morena Modimo wa hao, ya neelaneng ka banna ba ileng ba tsohela monga ka, kgosi ya ka, matla.”
29Kgosi ya re: “Na mohlankana Abosalome a ntse a phela?”
Ahimase a araba, a re: “Ka nako eo Joabe, mohlanka wa kgosi, a neng a roma nna, mohlanka wa hao, ke ile ka bona morusu o moholo, empa ha ke a ka ka tseba hore na ke wa eng.”
30Kgosi ya re ho Ahimase: “Fetela kathoko, o eme mona!” Ahimase a fetela kathoko, a ema themelele!
31Jwale monna wa Mokushe a fihla a re: “Ke o tsebisa ditaba tse monate, monga ka, kgosi ya ka! Ka letsatsi lena Morena o o pheteditse ho bohle ba ileng ba o tsohela matla!”
32Kgosi ya re ho monna eo wa Mokushe: “Na mohlankana Abosalome o ntse a phela?”
Mokushe a araba, a re: “Dira tsa monga ka, kgosi ya ka, le bohle ba o tsohetseng matla, hore ba o ntshe kotsi, ba ke ba be seo mohlankana eo a leng sona.”
Davida o llela Abosalome
33Kgosi ya sisimoloha moya haholo, yaba e nyolohela ka kamoreng e hahilweng hodima lerako la kgoro e kenang ka motseng, e ya llela teng. Ha e ntse e lla ya nna ya re: “Jo! ngwanaka Abosalome! Ngwanaka, ngwanaka Abosalome! Hoja ebe ho shwele nna bakeng sa hao! Jo! Abosalome, ngwanaka, ngwanaka!”
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© Bible Society of South Africa 1989. Used by permission. All rights reserved.