¹A Joab, sin Sarvijin, opazi da se kraljevo srce okreće k Abšalomu.

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

²Zato Joab pošalje u Tekou po jednu pametnu ženu i reče joj: "Učini se kao da si u žalosti za mrtvim, obuci žalobne haljine, nemoj se mazati uljem, nego budi kao žena koja je već dugo vremena u žalosti za mrtvim.

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

³Otići ćeš kralju i govorit ćeš mu ovako." I Joab je nauči što će govoriti.

³and come to the king, and speak after this manner to him. And Joab put the words into her mouth.

⁴Žena iz Tekoe ode kralju, pade ničice na zemlju i pokloni se, zatim reče: "Pomozi, kralju!"

⁴And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Save, O king!

⁵Kralj je upita: "Što ti je?" A ona odgovori: "Ah, ja sam udovica. Muž mi je umro,

⁵And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

⁶a tvoja je službenica imala dva sina. Oni se posvadiše u polju, a nije bilo nikoga da ih razdvoji te je jedan od njih udario svoga brata i ubio ga.

⁶And thy bondmaid 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 slew him.

⁷I sad se podiže sav rod na tvoju službenicu i reče: 'Predaj nam toga što je ubio svoga brata: mi ćemo ga pogubiti za život njegova brata koga je ubio, a time ćemo zatrti i baštinika.' Tako hoće da ugase žeravicu koja mi je ostala, da ne ostave mome mužu ni imena ni potomstva na zemlji."

⁷And behold, the whole family is risen against thy bondmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also: so they will quench my coal which is left, and will not leave to my husband a name or remnant on the earth.

⁸A kralj reče ženi: "Idi svojoj kući, ja ću odrediti što treba za te."

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

⁹A žena iz Tekoe reče kralju: "Gospodaru kralju! Neka na me i na moj očinski dom padne krivica; kralj i njegovo prijestolje nedužni su u tome!"

⁹And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the iniquity, and upon my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.

¹⁰A kralj nastavi: "Onoga koji ti se zaprijetio dovedi k meni! Taj te neće više dirnuti!"

¹⁰And the king said, Whoever speaks to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

¹¹A ona reče: "Neka se kralj udostoji spomenuti ime Jahve, svoga Boga, da krvni osvetnik neće umnožiti zator i da neće pogubiti moga sina!" A on obeća: "Tako mi živog Jahve, nijedna vlas neće pasti s glave tvome sinu!"

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

¹²A žena nastavi: "Dopusti da tvoja službenica kaže jednu riječ svome gospodaru kralju." A on odvrati: "Govori!"

¹²And the woman said, Let thy bondmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.

¹³A žena reče: "Dakle, zašto je kralj - jer se izričući ovakvu presudu sam priznao krivim - donio protiv naroda Božjega odluku da ne pušta kući onoga koga je prognao?

¹³And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against God's people? and the king in saying this thing, is as one guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

¹⁴Mi smo svi osuđeni na smrt, slični smo vodi koja se prolije na zemlju i više se ne može skupiti, i Bog ne podiže mrtvaca: neka, dakle, kralj misli na to da prognanik ne ostane izagnan daleko od njega.

¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God has not taken away his life, but devises means that the banished one be not expelled from him.

¹⁵A razlog zašto sam došla da iznesem pred svoga gospodara kralja ovu stvar bio je taj što su me zaplašili ljudi, pa je mislila tvoja službenica: moram govoriti s kraljem, možda će kralj učiniti ono što mu njegova službenica kaže.

¹⁵And now that I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy bondmaid said, I will now speak to the king; perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

¹⁶Jer će kralj poslušati svoju službenicu i izbaviti je iz ruku čovjeka koji hoće da me istrijebi zajedno s mojim sinom iz Božje baštine.

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

¹⁷Zato je tvoja službenica pomislila: neka mi riječ moga gospodara i kralja bude na umirenje. Jer moj je gospodar i kralj kao Božji anđeo koji sluša dobro i zlo. Jahve, tvoj Bog, neka bude s tobom!"

¹⁷And thy bondmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king now be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and Jehovah thy God will be with thee.

¹⁸Tada progovori kralj i reče ženi: "Nemoj mi sada zatajiti ono što ću te pitati!" A žena odgovori: "Neka govori moj gospodar kralj!"

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

¹⁹Tada kralj upita: "Nisu li Joabovi prsti s tobom u svemu tome?" A žena odgovori: "Tako bio živ, gospodaru kralju, zaista se ne može ni desno ni lijevo od svega što je kazao moj gospodar i kralj! Jest, tvoj mi je sluga Joab zapovjedio, on je naučio tvoju službenicu sve ove riječi.

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, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid:

²⁰Tvoj je sluga Joab to učinio da bi svemu dao drugo lice, ali je moj gospodar mudar kao Božji anđeo, on zna sve što se zbiva na zemlji."

²⁰in order to turn the appearance of the thing has thy servant Joab done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.

²¹Tada se kralj okrenu Joabu i reče mu: "Dobro, učinit ću to. Idi i dovedi natrag mladića Abšaloma!"

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

²²A Joab pade licem na zemlju, pokloni se i zahvali kralju; zatim reče Joab: "Danas vidi tvoj sluga da je našao milost u tvojim očima, gospodaru kralju, kad je kralj ispunio molbu svoga sluge."

²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said, To-day thy servant knows that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.

²³Potom se diže Joab, ode u Gešur i dovede Abšaloma natrag u Jeruzalem.

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

²⁴Ali kralj reče: "Neka ide u svoju kuću, a meni neka ne dolazi na oči!" I Abšalom se povuče u svoju kuću i ne dođe kralju na oči.

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

²⁵U svemu Izraelu ne bijaše čovjeka tako lijepa kao Abšalom komu bi se mogle izreći tolike pohvale: od pete do glave nije bilo na njemu mane.

²⁵But 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.

²⁶A kad bi šišao kosu - a šišao ju je na koncu svake godine, jer mu je bila preteška pa ju je morao šišati - mjerio bi svoju kosu: bila bi teška dvije stotine šekela, po kraljevskoj mjeri.

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

²⁷Abšalomu se rodiše tri sina i jedna kći po imenu Tamara; bila je to vrlo lijepa žena.

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

²⁸Abšalom provede dvije godine u Jeruzalemu a da nije došao kralju na oči.

²⁸So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face.

²⁹Tada Abšalom pozva Joaba k sebi da bi ga poslao kralju, ali Joab ne htjede doći k njemu; i posla drugi put po njega, ali on opet ne htjede doći.

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

³⁰Tada Abšalom zapovjedi slugama: "Znate Joabovo polje koje je pokraj mojega i na kojem raste ječam: idite i zapalite ga!" I Abšalomove sluge zapališe ono polje.

³⁰Then he said to his servants, See, Joab's allotment is near mine and he has barley there: go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the allotment on fire.

³¹Tada se diže Joab, dođe k Abšalomu u kuću i upita ga: "Zašto su tvoje sluge zapalile moje polje?"

³¹Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to [his] house, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my allotment on fire?

³²A Abšalom odgovori Joabu: "Ja sam poslao k tebi i poručio ti: 'Dođi ovamo, želio bih te poslati kralju s ovom porukom: Zašto sam se vratio iz Gešura?' Bolje bi bilo za mene da sam još ondje. Zato sad hoću da dođem kralju na oči, pa ako ima na meni kakva krivica, neka me pogubi!"

³²And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it would have been better for me to be there still. And now let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him slay me.

³³Joab ode kralju i javi mu te riječi. Zatim kralj pozva Abšaloma. Dođe on pred kralja, pokloni mu se i pade ničice pred kralja. I kralj poljubi Abšaloma.

³³And Joab came to the king, and told him. And he called Absalom, and he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.