¹Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

¹Zvino Ahitoferi wakati kuna Abhusaromu, Nditenderei zvino nditsaure varume vane zviuru zvine gumi nezviviri, ndisimuke, nditeverere Dhavhidhi usiku hwuno;

²And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

²ndimuvambe akaneta, asine simba, ndimutyise, vanhu vose vaanavo vatize; ini ndichauraya mambo oga.

³And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.

³Ipapo ndichadzosera vanhu vose kwamuri; kana mawana munhu mumwe wamunotsvaka, vanhu vose vachadzoka; naizvozvo vanhu vose vachava norugare.

⁴And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

⁴Shoko iro rakafadza Abhusaromu navakuru vose vaIsiraeri.

⁵Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.

⁵Ipapo Abhusaromu akati, Danai Hushai muArikiwo, tinzwe zvaanotaura.

⁶And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou.

⁶Hushai wakati asvika kuna Abhusaromu, Abhusaromu akataura naye akati, Ahitoferi wataura zvokuti nezvokuti; zvino toita sezvaakataura here? Kana tisingafaniri kudaro, taura iwe.

⁷And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.

⁷Hushai akati kuna Abhusaromu, Zano ramapiwa nguva ino naAhitoferi harina kunaka.

⁸For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

⁸Hushai akawedzera, akati, Munoziva baba venyu navanhu vavo, kuti vanhu voumhare, zvino vane shungu pamoyo pavo, sebere ratorerwa vana varo kusango; baba venyu munhu wokurwa, havangavati navanhu.

⁹Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

⁹Tarirai, zvino vandovanda pabako, kana pamwe; zvino kana vamwe vakatanga kuurawa, ani nani unonzwa uchati, Vanhu, vanotevera Abhusaromu, vourawa.

¹⁰And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.

¹⁰Ipapo kunyange munhu wemhare, ano moyo wakafanana noweshumba, uchawora moyo, nekuti vaIsiraeri vose vanoziva kuti baba venyu imhare, naivo vavanavo vanhu voumharewo.

¹¹Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

¹¹Zvino zano rangu ndiro, kuti vaIsiraeri vose vaunganidzwe kwamuri, kubva paDhani kusvikira paBheerishebha, vawande sejecha riri pagungwa; nemiwo muende mumene kuhondo.

¹²So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

¹²Naizvozvo tichamuvamba paanenge achiwanikwa, tigomhara pamusoro pake somumharire weveta pasi; hatingasii kunyange mumwe wavo, kunyange ivo kunyange vanhu vavanavo.

¹³Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

¹³Uye, kana vakapinda muguta, vaIsiraeri vose vangauya namabote kuguta iro, tirikwevere murwizi, kusvikira pachishaikwa kunyange ibwe rimwe duku.

¹⁴And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁴Ipapo Abhusaromu navarume vose vaIsiraeri vakati, Zano raHushai muAriki rakanaka kukunda zano raAhitoferi. Nekuti Jehovha wakange atema kuti zano rakanaka raAhitoferi rikoneswe, kuti Jehovha apinze Abhusaromu panjodzi.

¹⁵Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counseled.

¹⁵Zvino Hushai akati kuna Zadhoki nokuna Abhiatari vapristi, Ahitoferi wakapa Abhusaromu navakuru vaIsiraeri zano rokuti nerokuti, asi ini ndakavapa zano rokuti nerokuti.

¹⁶Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

¹⁶Naizvozvo zvino, tumai munhu pakarepo, audze Dhavhidhi, ati, Regai kuvata usiku hwuno kumazambuko erenje, asi munofanira kuyambuka, kuti mambo arege kumedzwa navanhu vose vaanavo.

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.

¹⁷Zvino Jonatani naAhimazi vakanga vari paEnirogeri; murandakadzi akaenda kundovaudza ivo vakandoudza mambo Dhavhidhi, nekuti havazaifanira kuonekwa vachipinda paguta.

¹⁸Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

¹⁸Asi mumwe mukomana wakavaona, akandoudza Abhusaromu; ivo vaviri vakakurumidza kuenda, vakasvika paimba yomumwe munhu paBhahurimu; iye wakange ane tsime paruvazhe rwake, ivo vakaburukiramo.

¹⁹And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

¹⁹Mukadzi akatora chokufukidzira nacho, akachiwarira pamusoro pomuromo wetsime, akanika zviyo zvakatswiwa pamusoro pacho; hakune chinhu chakazozikamwa.

²⁰And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²⁰Zvino varanda vaAbhusaromu vakasvika kumukadzi kumba, vakati, Ahimaazi naJonatani varipiko? Mukadzi akati kwavari, Vayambuka rukova. Ivo vakavatsvaka, vakavashaiwa, vakadzokera Jerusaremu.

²¹And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counseled against you.

²¹Zvino vakati vabva, ivo vakabuda mutsime, vakandoudza mambo Dhavhidhi; vakati kuna Dhavhidhi, Simukai, mukurumidze kuyambuka mvura, nekuti Ahitoferi wakapa zano rokuti nerokuti pamusoro penyu.

²²Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

²²Dhavhidhi akasimuka, navanhu vose vaakanga anavo, vakayambuka Joridhani; kwakati koedza mangwanani, kwakanga kusino mumwe wavo wakange achigere kuyambuka Joridhani.

²³And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

²³Zvino Ahitoferi wakati achiona kuti vakanga vasine hanya nezano rake, akaisa chigaro pamusoro pembongoro yake, akasimuka, akaenda kumba kwake kuguta rake, akaraira vose veimba yake, akazvisungirira, akafa, akavigwa muhwiro hwababa vake.

²⁴Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

²⁴Zvino Dhavhidhi akasvika Mahanaimu. Abhusaromu akayambuka Joridhani, iye navarume vose valsiraeri, vaakanga anavo.

²⁵And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.

²⁵Abhusaromu akagadza Amasa ave mutungamiriri wehondo panzvimbo yaJoabhu. Amasa wakange ari mwanakomana womunhu wainzi Jitira mulsiraeri, wakange apinda kuna Abhigairi, mukunda waNahashi, munin'ina waZeruya, amai vaJoabhu.

²⁶So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

²⁶VaIsiraeri naAbhusaromu vakadzika matende avo panyika yeGiriyadhi.

²⁷And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

²⁷Zvino Dhavhidhi wakati achisvika paMahanaimu, Shobhi mwanakomana waNahashi weRabha, wavana vaAmoni, naMakiri mwanakomana waAmieri weRodhebhari, naBharizirai muGiriyadhi weRogerimi,

²⁸Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,

²⁸vakauya nenhovo, nehari, nemidziyo yevhu, nezviyo, nebhari, noupfu, nezviyo zvakakangwa, nenyimo, nenyemba, nezvakakangwa,

²⁹And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

²⁹nouchi, namafuta, namakwai, namapundu omukaka, kuti Dhavhidhi navanhu vose vaakanga anavo vadye; nekuti vakati, Vanhu vane nzara, vaneta, vane nyota murenje.