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;

²Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please, and don’t anoint yourself with oil, but be as a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead.

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

³Go in to the king, and speak like this to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.

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

⁴When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, O king!”

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

⁵The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

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

⁶Your handmaid had two sons, and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other, and killed 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.

⁷Behold, the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of the earth.”

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

⁸The king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.”

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

⁹The woman of Tekoa said to 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.

¹⁰The king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you 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, “Please let the king remember Yahweh your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.” He said, “As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son shall 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, “Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” 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.

¹³The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again 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 die, and are as water split on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast 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 seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and your handmaid said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’

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 servant out of the hand of the man who 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 your handmaid said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. May Yahweh, your God, be with you.’”

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

¹⁸Then the king answered the woman, “Please don’t hide anything from me that I ask you.” 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.

¹⁹The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab, he urged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid;

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

²⁰to change the face of the matter has your servant Joab done this thing. 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.

²¹The king said to Joab, “Behold now, I have done this thing. Go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.”

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.

²²Joab fell to the ground on his face, showed respect, and blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, king, in that the king has performed 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.

²⁴The king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, and didn’t see 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.

²⁵Now 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.

²⁶When he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year’s end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut 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.

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

²⁸Zvino Abhusaromu akagara makore maviri paJerusaremu asingaoni chiso chamambo.

²⁸Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he didn’t 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 a 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.

³⁰Therefore he said to his servants, “Behold, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” 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 to his house, and said to him, “Why have your 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.

³²Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there is 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.