¹Zvino Joabhu mwanakomana waZeruya, wakaona kuti moyo

¹And 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 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;

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

³and come to the king, and speak after this manner to him. And Joab put 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 spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Save, O king!

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

⁸And the king said to the woman, Go to thy 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 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.

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

¹⁰And the king said, Whoever speaks to 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 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.

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

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

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; and God has not taken away his life, but devises means that the banished one 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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:

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

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.

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

²¹And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: so 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 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.

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

²³And 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. And Absalom withdrew 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 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.

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

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

²⁸Zvino Abhusaromu akagara makore maviri paJerusaremu asingaoni chiso chamambo.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.