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

¹A Joab, sin Sarvijin, opazi da se kraljevo srce okreće k Abšalomu.

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.

²Zato Joab pošalje u Tekou po jednu pametnu ženu i reče joj: "Učini se kao da si u žalosti za mrtvim, obuci žalobne haljine, nemoj se mazati uljem, nego budi kao žena koja je već dugo vremena u žalosti za mrtvim.

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

³Otići ćeš kralju i govorit ćeš mu ovako." I Joab je nauči što će govoriti.

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

⁴Žena iz Tekoe ode kralju, pade ničice na zemlju i pokloni se, zatim reče: "Pomozi, kralju!"

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

⁵Kralj je upita: "Što ti je?" A ona odgovori: "Ah, ja sam udovica. Muž mi je umro,

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.

⁶a tvoja je službenica imala dva sina. Oni se posvadiše u polju, a nije bilo nikoga da ih razdvoji te je jedan od njih udario svoga brata i ubio ga.

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.”

⁷I sad se podiže sav rod na tvoju službenicu i reče: 'Predaj nam toga što je ubio svoga brata: mi ćemo ga pogubiti za život njegova brata koga je ubio, a time ćemo zatrti i baštinika.' Tako hoće da ugase žeravicu koja mi je ostala, da ne ostave mome mužu ni imena ni potomstva na zemlji."

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

⁸A kralj reče ženi: "Idi svojoj kući, ja ću odrediti što treba za te."

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.”

⁹A žena iz Tekoe reče kralju: "Gospodaru kralju! Neka na me i na moj očinski dom padne krivica; kralj i njegovo prijestolje nedužni su u tome!"

¹⁰The king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more.”

¹⁰A kralj nastavi: "Onoga koji ti se zaprijetio dovedi k meni! Taj te neće više dirnuti!"

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.”

¹¹A ona reče: "Neka se kralj udostoji spomenuti ime Jahve, svoga Boga, da krvni osvetnik neće umnožiti zator i da neće pogubiti moga sina!" A on obeća: "Tako mi živog Jahve, nijedna vlas neće pasti s glave tvome sinu!"

¹²Then the woman said, “Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”

¹²A žena nastavi: "Dopusti da tvoja službenica kaže jednu riječ svome gospodaru kralju." A on odvrati: "Govori!"

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.

¹³A žena reče: "Dakle, zašto je kralj - jer se izričući ovakvu presudu sam priznao krivim - donio protiv naroda Božjega odluku da ne pušta kući onoga koga je prognao?

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.

¹⁴Mi smo svi osuđeni na smrt, slični smo vodi koja se prolije na zemlju i više se ne može skupiti, i Bog ne podiže mrtvaca: neka, dakle, kralj misli na to da prognanik ne ostane izagnan daleko od njega.

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.’

¹⁵A razlog zašto sam došla da iznesem pred svoga gospodara kralja ovu stvar bio je taj što su me zaplašili ljudi, pa je mislila tvoja službenica: moram govoriti s kraljem, možda će kralj učiniti ono što mu njegova službenica kaže.

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.

¹⁶Jer će kralj poslušati svoju službenicu i izbaviti je iz ruku čovjeka koji hoće da me istrijebi zajedno s mojim sinom iz Božje baštine.

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.’”

¹⁷Zato je tvoja službenica pomislila: neka mi riječ moga gospodara i kralja bude na umirenje. Jer moj je gospodar i kralj kao Božji anđeo koji sluša dobro i zlo. Jahve, tvoj Bog, neka bude s tobom!"

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.”

¹⁸Tada progovori kralj i reče ženi: "Nemoj mi sada zatajiti ono što ću te pitati!" A žena odgovori: "Neka govori moj gospodar kralj!"

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;

¹⁹Tada kralj upita: "Nisu li Joabovi prsti s tobom u svemu tome?" A žena odgovori: "Tako bio živ, gospodaru kralju, zaista se ne može ni desno ni lijevo od svega što je kazao moj gospodar i kralj! Jest, tvoj mi je sluga Joab zapovjedio, on je naučio tvoju službenicu sve ove riječi.

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.”

²⁰Tvoj je sluga Joab to učinio da bi svemu dao drugo lice, ali je moj gospodar mudar kao Božji anđeo, on zna sve što se zbiva na zemlji."

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

²¹Tada se kralj okrenu Joabu i reče mu: "Dobro, učinit ću to. Idi i dovedi natrag mladića Abšaloma!"

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.”

²²A Joab pade licem na zemlju, pokloni se i zahvali kralju; zatim reče Joab: "Danas vidi tvoj sluga da je našao milost u tvojim očima, gospodaru kralju, kad je kralj ispunio molbu svoga sluge."

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

²³Potom se diže Joab, ode u Gešur i dovede Abšaloma natrag u Jeruzalem.

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.

²⁴Ali kralj reče: "Neka ide u svoju kuću, a meni neka ne dolazi na oči!" I Abšalom se povuče u svoju kuću i ne dođe kralju na oči.

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.

²⁵U svemu Izraelu ne bijaše čovjeka tako lijepa kao Abšalom komu bi se mogle izreći tolike pohvale: od pete do glave nije bilo na njemu mane.

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.

²⁶A kad bi šišao kosu - a šišao ju je na koncu svake godine, jer mu je bila preteška pa ju je morao šišati - mjerio bi svoju kosu: bila bi teška dvije stotine šekela, po kraljevskoj mjeri.

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

²⁷Abšalomu se rodiše tri sina i jedna kći po imenu Tamara; bila je to vrlo lijepa žena.

²⁸Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he didn’t see the king’s face.

²⁸Abšalom provede dvije godine u Jeruzalemu a da nije došao kralju na oči.

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.

²⁹Tada Abšalom pozva Joaba k sebi da bi ga poslao kralju, ali Joab ne htjede doći k njemu; i posla drugi put po njega, ali on opet ne htjede doći.

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.

³⁰Tada Abšalom zapovjedi slugama: "Znate Joabovo polje koje je pokraj mojega i na kojem raste ječam: idite i zapalite ga!" I Abšalomove sluge zapališe ono polje.

³¹Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”

³¹Tada se diže Joab, dođe k Abšalomu u kuću i upita ga: "Zašto su tvoje sluge zapalile moje polje?"

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.”’”

³²A Abšalom odgovori Joabu: "Ja sam poslao k tebi i poručio ti: 'Dođi ovamo, želio bih te poslati kralju s ovom porukom: Zašto sam se vratio iz Gešura?' Bolje bi bilo za mene da sam još ondje. Zato sad hoću da dođem kralju na oči, pa ako ima na meni kakva krivica, neka me pogubi!"

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.

³³Joab ode kralju i javi mu te riječi. Zatim kralj pozva Abšaloma. Dođe on pred kralja, pokloni mu se i pade ničice pred kralja. I kralj poljubi Abšaloma.