¹وعلم يوآب ابن صروية ان قلب الملك على ابشالوم.

¹Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

²فارسل يوآب الى تقوع واخذ من هناك امرأة حكيمة. وقال لها تظاهري بالحزن والبسي ثياب الحزن ولا تدّهني بزيت بل كوني كامرأة لها ايام كثيرة وهي تنوح على ميت.

²And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead:

³وادخلي الى الملك وكلميه بهذا الكلام. وجعل يوآب الكلام في فمها

³and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴وكلمت المرأة التقوعية الملك وخرّت على وجهها الى الارض وسجدت وقالت اعن ايها الملك.

⁴And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.

⁵فقال لها الملك ما بالك. فقالت اني امرأة ارملة. قد مات رجلي.

⁵And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

⁶ولجاريتك ابنان فتخاصما في الحقل وليس من يفصل بينهما فضرب احدهما الآخر وقتله.

⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him.

⁷وهوذا العشيرة كلها قد قامت على جاريتك وقالوا سلمي ضارب اخيه لنقتله بنفس اخيه الذي قتله فنهلك الوارث ايضا. فيطفئون جمرتي التي بقيت ولا يتركون لرجلي اسما ولا بقية على وجه الارض.

⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

⁸فقال الملك للمرأة اذهبي الى بيتك وانا اوصي فيك.

⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

⁹فقالت المرأة التقوعية للملك عليّ الاثم يا سيدي الملك وعلى بيت ابي والملك وكرسيه نقيان.

⁹And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.

¹⁰فقال الملك اذا كلمك احد فأتي به اليّ فلا يعود يمسك بعد.

¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

¹¹فقالت اذكر ايها الملك الرب الهك حتى لا يكثر ولي الدم القتل لئلا يهلكوا ابني. فقال حيّ هو الرب انه لا تسقط شعرة من شعر ابنك الى الارض.

¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

¹²فقالت المرأة لتتكلم جاريتك كلمة الى سيدي الملك. فقال تكلمي.

¹²Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

¹³فقالت المرأة ولماذا افتكرت بمثل هذا الامر على شعب الله. ويتكلم الملك بهذا الكلام كمذنب بما ان الملك لا يرد منفيه.

¹³And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

¹⁴لانه لا بد ان نموت ونكون كالماء المهراق على الارض الذي لا يجمع ايضا. ولا ينزع الله نفسا بل يفكر افكارا حتى لا يطرد عنه منفيّه.

¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

¹⁵والآن حيث اني جئت لاكلم الملك سيدي بهذا الأمر لان الشعب اخافني فقالت جاريتك اكلم الملك لعل الملك يفعل كقول امته.

¹⁵Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.

¹⁶لان الملك يسمع لينقذ امته من يد الرجل الذي يريد ان يهلكني انا وابني معا من نصيب الله.

¹⁶For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

¹⁷فقالت جاريتك ليكن كلام سيدي الملك عزاء لانه سيدي الملك انما هو كملاك الله لفهم الخير والشر والرب الهك يكون معك

¹⁷Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: and Jehovah thy God be with thee.

¹⁸فاجاب الملك وقال للمرأة لا تكتمي عني امرا اسألك عنه. فقالت المرأة ليتكلم سيدي الملك.

¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

¹⁹فقال الملك هل يد يوآب معك في هذا كله. فاجابت المرأة وقالت حيّة هي نفسك يا سيدي الملك لا يحاد يمينا او يسارا عن كل ما تكلم به سيدي الملك. لان عبدك يوآب هو اوصاني وهو وضع في فم جاريتك كل هذا الكلام.

¹⁹And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

²⁰لاجل تحويل وجه الكلام فعل عبدك يوآب هذا الامر وسيدي حكيم كحكمة ملاك الله ليعلم كل ما في الارض

²⁰to change the face of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

²¹فقال الملك ليوآب هانذا قد فعلت هذا الامر فاذهب رد الفتى ابشالوم.

²¹And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.

²²فسقط يوآب على وجهه الى الارض وسجد وبارك الملك وقال يوآب اليوم علم عبدك اني قد وجدت نعمة في عينيك يا سيدي الملك اذ فعل الملك قول عبده.

²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of his servant.

²³ثم قام يوآب وذهب الى جشور وأتى بابشالوم الى اورشليم.

²³So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

²⁴فقال الملك لينصرف الى بيته ولا ير وجهي. فانصرف ابشالوم الى بيته ولم ير وجه الملك

²⁴And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

²⁵ولم يكن في كل اسرائيل رجل جميل وممدوح جدا كابشالوم من باطن قدمه حتى هامته لم يكن فيه عيب.

²⁵Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

²⁶وعند حلقه راسه اذ كان يحلقه في آخر كل سنة لانه كان يثقل عليه فيحلقه كان يزن شعر راسه مئتي شاقل بوزن الملك.

²⁶And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight.

²⁷وولد لابشالوم ثلاثة بنين وبنت واحدة اسمها ثامار وكانت امرأة جميلة المنظر

²⁷And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

²⁸واقام ابشالوم في اورشليم سنتين ولم ير وجه الملك.

²⁸And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he saw not the king's face.

²⁹فارسل ابشالوم الى يوآب ليرسله الى الملك فلم يشأ ان يأتي اليه. ثم ارسل ايضا ثانية فلم يشأ ان يأتي.

²⁹Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

³⁰فقال لعبيده انظروا. حقلة يوآب بجانبي وله هناك شعير. اذهبوا واحرقوه بالنار. فاحرق عبيد ابشالوم الحقلة بالنار.

³⁰Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

³¹فقام يوآب وجاء الى ابشالوم الى البيت وقال له لماذا احرق عبيدك حقلتي بالنار.

³¹Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?

³²فقال ابشالوم ليوآب هانذا قد ارسلت اليك قائلا تعال الى هنا فارسلك الى الملك تقول لماذا جئت من جشور. خير لي لو كنت باقيا هناك. فالآن اني ارى وجه الملك وان وجد فيّ اثم فليقتلني.

³²And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.

³³فجاء يوآب الى الملك واخبره. ودعا ابشالوم فأتى الى الملك وسجد على وجهه الى الارض قدام الملك فقبّل الملك ابشالوم

³³So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.