¹Zvino Joabhu mwanakomana waZeruya, wakaona kuti moyo

¹And Joab son of Zeruial knoweth that the heart of the king [is] on 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 sendeth to Tekoah, and taketh thence a wise woman, and saith unto her, `Feign thyself a mourner, I pray thee, and put on, I pray thee, garments of mourning, and anoint not thyself with oil, and thou hast been as a woman these many days mourning for the dead,

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

³and thou hast gone unto the king, and spoken unto him, according to this word;` and Joab putteth the words into her mouth.

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

⁴And the woman of Tekoah speaketh unto the king, and falleth on her face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and saith, `Save, O king.`

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

⁵And the king saith to her, `What — to thee?` and she saith, `Truly a widow woman [am] I, and my husband dieth,

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

⁶and thy maid-servant hath two sons; and they strive both of them in a field, and there is no deliverer between them, and the one smiteth the other, and putteth him to death;

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 lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left — so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.`

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

⁸And the king saith unto the woman, `Go to thine house, and I 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 saith unto the king, `On me, my lord, O king, [is] the iniquity, and on the house of my father; and the king and his throne [are] innocent.`

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

¹⁰And the king saith, `He who speaketh [aught] unto thee, and thou hast brought him unto me, then he doth not add any more to come against thee.`

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.

¹¹And she saith, `Let, I pray thee, the king remember by Jehovah thy God, that the redeemer of blood add not to destroy, and they destroy not my son;` and he saith, `Jehovah liveth; if there doth fall of the hair of thy son to the earth.`

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

¹²And the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, thy maid-servant speak unto my lord the king a word;` and he saith, `Speak.`

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 saith, `And why hast thou thought thus concerning the people of God? yea, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king hath not brought back his outcast;

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

¹⁴for we do surely die, and [are] as water which is running down to the earth, which is not gathered, and God doth not accept a person, and hath devised devices in that the outcast is not outcast by 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.

¹⁵`And now that I have come to speak unto the king my lord this word, [it is] because the people made me afraid, and thy maid-servant saith, Let me speak, I pray thee, unto the king; it may be the king doth do the word 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 doth hearken to deliver his handmaid out of the paw of the man [seeking] to 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.

¹⁷and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so [is] my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.`

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

¹⁸And the king answereth and saith unto the woman, `Do not, I pray thee, hide from me the thing that I am asking thee;` and the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, my lord the king 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 saith, `Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?` And the woman answereth and saith, `Thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, none [doth turn] to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of thy maid-servant all these words;

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

²⁰in order to bring round the appearance of the thing hath thy servant Joab done this thing, and my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of a messenger of God, to know all that [is] in the land.`

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

²¹And the king saith unto Joab, `Lo, I pray thee, thou hast done this thing; and go, bring back the young man Absalom.`

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 falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and blesseth the king, and Joab saith, `To-day hath thy servant known that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king hath done the word of his servant.`

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

²³And Joab riseth and goeth to Geshur, and bringeth in Absalom to Jerusalem,

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

²⁴and the king saith, `Let him turn round unto his house, and my face he doth not see.` And Absalom turneth round unto his house, and the face of the king he hath not seen.

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

²⁵And like Absalom there was no man [so] fair in all Israel, to praise greatly; from the sole of his foot even unto his crown 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 in his polling his head — and it hath been at the end of year by year that he polleth [it], for it [is] heavy on him, and he hath polled it — he hath even weighed out the hair of his head — two hundred shekels by the king`s weight.

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

²⁷And there are born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter, and her name [is] Tamar; she was a woman of a fair appearance.

²⁸Zvino Abhusaromu akagara makore maviri paJerusaremu asingaoni chiso chamambo.

²⁸And Absalom dwelleth in Jerusalem two years of days, and the face of the king he hath not seen;

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

²⁹and Absalom sendeth unto Joab, to send him unto the king, and he hath not been willing to come unto him; and he sendeth again a second time, and he hath not been willing to come.

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

³⁰And he saith unto his servants, `See, the portion of Joab [is] by the side of mine, and he hath barley there; go, and burn it with fire;` and the servants of Absalom burn the portion with fire.

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

³¹And Joab riseth and cometh unto Absalom in the house, and saith unto him, `Why have thy servants burned the portion that I have with 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 saith unto Joab, `Lo, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, and I send thee unto the king to say, Why have I come in from Geshur? — good for me while I [am] there — and now, let me see the king`s face, and if there is in me iniquity then thou hast put me to death.`

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

³³And Joab cometh unto the king, and declareth [it] to him, and he calleth unto Absalom, and he cometh unto the king, and boweth himself to him, on his face, to the earth, before the king, and the king giveth a kiss to Absalom.