¹Zvino Joabhu mwanakomana waZeruya, wakaona kuti moyo

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

²Joabhu akatumira Tekoa, akatorako mukadzi wakange akangwara, akati kwaari, Uzviite hako somuchemi, ufuke nguvo dzokuchema, usazvizora mafuta, asi uzviite somukadzi wakanguva achema wakafa;

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

³zvino upinde kuna mambo, utaure naye zvokuti nezvokuti. Naizvozvo Joabhu akaisa mashoko mumuromo make.

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

⁴Zvino mukadzi weTekoa wakati achitaura namambo, akawira pasi nechiso chake, akakotama, akati, Ndibatsirei, mambo wangu!

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

⁵Mambo akati kwaari, Unonzweiko? Akapindura, akati, Zvirokwazvo, ndiri chirikadzi, murume wangu wakafa.

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

⁶Murandakadzi wenyu wakange ana vanakomana vaviri, ivo vaviri vakarwa kusango; kwakanga kusino munhu wakavanunura, mumwe akarova mumwe, akamuuraya.

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 slew him.

⁷Zvino tarirai, imba yose yamukira murandakadzi wenyu, vakati, Tipei uyo wakauraya munin'ina wake, timuuraye pamusoro poupenyu hwomunin'ina wake waakauraya, tiuraye nomudyi wenhakawo; naizvozvo vachadzima zimbe rangu rakasara, vakasasiira murume wangu zita kana mumwe wakasara panyika.

⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

⁸Mambo akati kumukadzi, Enda hako kumba kwako, ndicharaira shoko pamusoro pako.

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

⁹Mukadzi weTekoa akati kuna mambo, Ishe wangu mambo, mhosva ngaive kwandiri nokuimba yababa vangu, asi mambo nechigaro chake choushe ngazvirege kuva nemhosva.

⁹And the woman of Tekoah 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.

¹⁰Mambo akati, Ani nani anotaura chinhu kwauri, uya naye kwandiri, haangazokugunzvizve.

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

¹¹Ipapo iye akati, Mambo ngaarangarire Jehovha Mwari wenyu, kuti mutsivi weropa arege kuramba achiparadza, varege kuzoparadza mwanakomana wangu. Iye akati, NaJehovha mupenyu, ruvhudzi rumwe rwomwanakomana wako harungawiri pasi.

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

¹²Zvino mukadzi akati, Murandakadzi wenyu ngaatenderwe hake kutaura shoko rimwe kunashe wangu mambo. Iye akati, Taura hako.

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

¹³Mukadzi akati, Zvino makarangarireiko kuitira vanhu vaIsiraeri chinhu chakadai? nekuti pakutaura kwenyu shoko rakadai, mambo wafanana nomunhu ane mhosva, nekuti mambo haadzoserizve kumusha kwake mwanakomana wake waakadzinga.

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

¹⁴Nekuti tinofanira kufa, takafanana nemvura yakateurirwa pasi, isingagoni kuworerwazve; Mwari haatoreri munhu upenyu, asi unofunga mano kuti wakadzingwa arege kurashwa chose naye.

¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

¹⁵Naizvozvo zvino, ndauya ini kuzotaura shoko iri kunashe wangu mambo, nekuti vanhu vakandityisa; murandakadzi wenyu akati, Ndichataura zvino namambo; zvimwe mambo uchatenda zvinokumbirwa nomura-ndakadzi wake.

¹⁵Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing 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 handmaid.

¹⁶nekuti mambo uchateerera hake, akarwira murandakadzi wake paruoko rwomunhu unoda kundiparadza ini pamwechete nomwanakomana wangu, tirege kudya nhaka yaMwari.

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.

¹⁷Zvino murandakadzi wenyu akati, Ndinokumbira kuti shoko rashe wangu mambo rive rokunyaradza; nekuti ishe wangu mambo wakafanana nomutumwa waMwari pakuziva zvakanaka nezvakaipa; Jehovha Mwari wenyu ngaave nemi.

¹⁷Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

¹⁸Ipapo mambo akapindura, akati kumukadzi, Usavanzira hako shoko randinokubvunza. Mukadzi akati, Ishe wangu ngaataure hake zvino.

¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto 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.

¹⁹Mambo akati, Joabhu wakabatsirana newe pazvinhu izvi zvose here? Mukadzi akapindura, akati, Noupenyu hwomweya wangu, ishe wangu mambo, hakuna munhu ungatsauka kurudyi kana kuruboshwe pashoko rimwe rakataurwa nashe wangu mambo; nekuti muranda wenyu Joabhu ndiye wakandiraira, ndiye wakaisa mashoko awa ose mumuromo womurandakadzi wenyu.

¹⁹And the king said, Is not 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 ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

²⁰Muranda wenyu Joabhu wakandiraira kushandura shoko iri kudai; asi ishe wangu wakangwara, nokungwara kwakafanana nokomutumwa waMwari, nekuti munoziva zvose zviri panyika.

²⁰To fetch about this form of speech 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.

²¹Ipapo mambo akati kuna Joabhu, Tarira zvino, ndatenda hangu chinhu ichi, naizvozvo chienda undotora jaya Abhusaromu.

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

²²Joabhu akawira pasi nechiso chake, akakotama, akavonga mambo. Joabhu akati, Nhasi muranda wenyu unoziva kuti ndanzwirwa nyasha nemi, ishe wangu mambo; nekuti mambo wakaita zvakumbirwa nomuranda wake.

²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.

²³Naizvozvo Joabhu akasimuka, akaenda Geshuri, akadzosera Abhusaromu Jerusaremu.

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

²⁴Mambo akati, Ngaatsaukire kumba kwake, asi ngaarege kuona chiso changu. Naizvozvo Abhusaromu akatsaukira kumba kwake, akasaona chiso chamambo.

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

²⁵Zvino pakati pavaIsiraeri vose kwakanga kusino munhu wairumbidzwa kwazvo saAbhusaromu pamusoro pokunaka kwake; kubva patsoka dzake kusvikira kumusoro wake kwakanga kusine chinhu chakaremara kwaari.

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.

²⁶Nguva yaaigurira vhudzi rake (zvino wairigurira pakupera kwegore rimwe nerimwe, nekuti vhudzi rake raimuremera, naizvozvo wairigurira), waiyera vhudzi romusoro wake, rikasvika mashekeri ana mazana maviri, achienzanisa nechiyero chamambo.

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

²⁷Abhusaromu akaberekerwa vanakomana vatatu nomwanasikana mu mwe, wainzi Tamari; iye waiva mukadzi wakange ane chiso chakanaka.

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

²⁸Zvino Abhusaromu akagara makore maviri paJerusaremu asingaoni chiso chamambo.

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

²⁹Ipapo Abhusaromu akadana Joabhu, kuti amutumire kuna mambo; asi wakaramba kuuya kwaari; akatumazve rwechipiri, asi wakarambazve kuuya.

²⁹Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

³⁰Zvino akati kuvaranda vake, Tarirai munda waJoabhu uri pedo nowangu, uye ane bhari; endai mundoupisa. Varanda vaAbhusaromu vakandopisa munda.

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.

³¹Joabhu akasimuka, akaenda kuna Abhusaromu kumba kwake, akati kwaari, Varanda vako vapisireiko munda wangu?

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

³²Abhusaromu akapindura Joabhu akati, Tarira, ndakatuma shoko kwauri, ndichiti, Uya pano, ndikutume kuna mambo, undoti Ndakabvireiko Geshuri? Zvaiva zviri nani kuti ndivepo nazvino; naizvozvo zvino nditendere ndiwone chiso chamambo; kana ndine mhosva, ngaandiuraya hake.

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 had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.

³³Naizvozvo Joabhu akaenda kuna mambo, akamuudza; ivo vakadana Abhusaromu, akasvika kuna mambo, akakotamira pasi nechiso chake pamberi pamambo, mambo akatsvoda Abhusaromu.

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.