¹Kui Joab, Seruja poeg, märkas, et kuninga süda kaldus Absalomi poole,

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

²siis läkitas Joab käsu Tekoasse ja laskis sealt tuua ühe targa naise ning ütles sellele: 'Tee ennast nüüd leinajaks ja pane leinariided selga; ära võia ennast õliga, vaid ole nagu naine, kes on mõnda aega surnu pärast leinanud!

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;

³Mine siis kuninga juurde ja räägi temale nõnda!' Ja Joab pani temale sõnad suhu.

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

⁴Ja Tekoa naine rääkis kuningaga, ta heitis silmili maha ja kummardas ning ütles: 'Kuningas, aita!'

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!

⁵Ja kuningas küsis temalt: 'Mis sul vaja on?' Ja ta vastas: 'Oh häda! Ma olen lesknaine, sest mu mees on surnud.

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

⁶Su teenijal oli kaks poega; need mõlemad riidlesid väljal ega olnud kedagi, kes neid oleks lahutanud; nii lõi üks teise maha ja tappis tema.

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.

⁷Ja vaata, kogu suguvõsa on tõusnud su teenija vastu ja nad ütlevad: 'Anna välja see, kes lõi oma venna maha, ja me surmame tema ta venna hinge pärast, kelle ta tappis, ja me hävitame ka pärija!' Nõnda kustutavad nad minu söe, mis veel on säilinud, jätmata mu mehele nime ja järeltulijaid maa peale.'

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.

⁸Ja kuningas ütles naisele: 'Mine koju, ma ise annan sinu kohta käsu!'

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

⁹Aga Tekoa naine ütles kuningale: 'Mu isand kuningas! Süü jääb minu ja mu isakoja peale, aga kuningas ja tema aujärg on süüta.'

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.

¹⁰Ja kuningas ütles: 'Kes sulle midagi ütleb, see too minu juurde, siis ta ei puutu enam sinusse!'

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

¹¹Aga naine ütles: 'Mõelgu ometi kuningas Issandale, oma Jumalale, et veritasunõudja ei hävitaks veelgi rohkem ja et mu poega ei hukataks!' Ja kuningas vastas: 'Nii tõesti kui Issand elab, ei pea su poja peast mitte karvagi maha langema!'

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.

¹²Aga naine ütles: 'Luba ometi, et su teenija räägib mu isandale kuningale veel ühe sõna!' Ja ta vastas: 'Räägi!'

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

¹³Ja naine ütles: 'Mispärast sa siis mõtled nõnda Jumala rahva vastu? Sest nõnda rääkides on kuningas ise saanud süüdlaseks, kui kuningas ei lase oma äratõugatut tagasi tulla.

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.

¹⁴Meie küll sureme ja oleme nagu vesi, mis maha voolab, mida ei saa koguda. Aga Jumal ei taha võtta hinge, vaid mõtleb kindlasti, et äratõugatu ei oleks temast ära tõugatud.

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.

¹⁵Ja kui ma nüüd olen tulnud seda rääkima oma isandale kuningale, siis sellepärast, et rahvas mind hirmutas. Su teenija mõtles: Ma räägin ometi kuningale, vahest kuningas teeb, mis ta teenija räägib.

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.

¹⁶Küllap kuningas kuuleb ja päästab oma teenija mehe pihust, kes mind koos mu pojaga tahab hävitada Jumala pärisosast.

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.

¹⁷Ja su teenija mõtles: Mu isanda kuninga sõna ometi rahustab mind, sest mu isand kuningas on otsekui Jumala ingel, kes võtab kuulda head ja kurja. Ja Issand, sinu Jumal, olgu sinuga!'

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.

¹⁸Ja kuningas kostis ning ütles naisele: 'Ära ometi mulle salga, mida ma sinult küsin!' Ja naine ütles: 'Mu isand kuningas rääkigu!'

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.

¹⁹Siis küsis kuningas: 'Kas Joabi käsi on sinuga kogu selles asjas?' Ja naine kostis ning ütles: 'Nii tõesti kui su hing elab, mu isand kuningas, ei pääse keegi paremale ega vasakule kõigest sellest, mis mu isand kuningas kõneleb: jah, see on su sulane Joab, kes mind käskis, ja tema pani kõik need sõnad su teenija suhu.

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:

²⁰Et anda asjale teist nägu, selleks tegi su sulane Joab nõnda. Aga mu isand on tark nagu Jumala ingel, et mõista kõike, mis maa peal on.'

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.

²¹Siis ütles kuningas Joabile: 'Vaata nüüd, ma teen seda: mine ja too tagasi nooruk Absalom!'

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

²²Ja Joab heitis silmili maha ja kummardas ning õnnistas kuningat. Ja Joab ütles: 'Nüüd su sulane teab, et ma olen leidnud armu su silmis, mu isand kuningas, sest kuningas teeb oma sulase sõna järgi.'

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.

²³Ja Joab tõusis ning läks Gesurisse ja tõi Absalomi Jeruusalemma.

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

²⁴Aga kuningas ütles: 'Mingu ta jälle oma kotta, kuid minu palet ta ei näe!' Nõnda läks Absalom jälle oma kotta ega saanud näha kuninga palet.

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.

²⁵Aga kogu Iisraelis ei olnud nii ilusat meest kui Absalom, mitte ühtegi, keda nii väga oleks ülistatud: jalatallast pealaeni ei olnud temal midagi viga.

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.

²⁶Ja kui ta lõikas oma juukseid - ta lõikas neid iga aasta lõpus, sest need muutusid temale nõnda raskeks, et ta pidi lõikama -, siis vaagisid ta juuksed kakssada seeklit kuninga vae järgi.

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.

²⁷Ja Absalomile sündis kolm poega ja üks tütar, Taamar nimi; see oli ilus naine.

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

²⁸Ja Absalom elas Jeruusalemmas kaks aastat, aga ta ei näinud kuninga palet.

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

²⁹Siis Absalom läkitas Joabile järele, et saata teda kuninga juurde, aga ta ei tahtnud tulla tema juurde. Ta läkitas veel teist korda, aga Joab ei tahtnud tulla.

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.

³⁰Siis ütles ta oma sulastele: 'Vaadake, Joabi põlluosa on minu oma kõrval ja temal on seal odrad peal. Minge ja süüdake see tulega põlema!' Ja Absalomi sulased süütasid põlluosa tulega põlema.

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.

³¹Siis Joab võttis kätte ning tuli Absalomi juurde ta kotta ja küsis temalt: 'Mispärast on su sulased süüdanud tulega põlema minu põlluosa?'

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

³²Ja Absalom vastas Joabile: 'Vaata, ma läkitasin su juurde ja ütlesin: Tule siia, et ma saaksin sind saata kuningalt küsima: Mispärast ma pidin Gesurist ära tulema? Mul oleks parem, kui ma oleksin seal. Ma tahan nüüd näha kuninga palet! Aga kui minus on süü, siis surmaku ta mind!'

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.

³³Ja Joab läks kuninga juurde ning jutustas seda temale. Ja tema kutsus Absalomi, ja ta tuli kuninga juurde ning kummardas kuninga ette silmili maha; ja kuningas andis Absalomile suud.

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.