2 USamuweli 18

18 ¹UDavide wabutha amabutho akhe, wabeka izinduna zezinkulungwane nezinduna zamakhulu phezu kwawo. ²UDavide wawakhipha amabutho: ingxenye yesithathu ngaphansi kukaJowabe, ingxenye yesithathu ngaphansi kuka-Abishayi indodana kaSeruya, umfowabo kaJowabe, nengxenye yesithathu ngaphansi kuka-Itayi umGiti. Inkosi yathi emabuthweni: “Nami ngempela ngizophuma nani.”

³Kodwa amabutho athi: “Ungaphumi. Uma sibaleka, ngeke bakhathale ngathi; uma kufa uhhafu wethu, ngeke bakhathale. Wena ulingana nezinkulungwane ezingu-10 000 zethu. Kungcono uhlale emzini, ulungele ukusithumela usizo.”

⁴Inkosi yathi kubo: “Ngizokwenza noma yini ebonakala ingcono kini.” Yase ima esangweni, kuyilapho onke amabutho ephuma ngamakhulu nangezinkulungwane.

⁵Inkosi yayala uJowabe, u-Abishayi, no-Itayi, yathi: “Mphatheni kahle insizwa u-Absalomu, ngenxa yami.” Onke amabutho ezwa inkosi iyala izinduna ngo-Absalomu.

⁶Amabutho aphumela endle ukulwa no-Israyeli, impi yenzeka eHlathini lakwa-Efrayimi. ⁷Lapho ibutho lakwa-Israyeli lehlulwa ngamadoda kaDavide, nokubulawa kwangalolo suku kwaba kukhulu: amadoda angu-20 000. ⁸Impi yasabalala kulo lonke lelo zwe, ihlathi ladla amabutho amaningi ngalolo suku kunalawo adliwa yinkemba.

⁹U-Absalomu wahlangabezana namadoda kaDavide. Egibele umnyuzi wakhe, wadlula ngaphansi kwamagatsha aminyene om-oki omkhulu, ikhanda lakhe labambeka laqina emuthini. Walenga phakathi kwezulu nomhlaba, kuyilapho umnyuzi uqhubeka ngaphansi kwakhe. ¹⁰Enye indoda yakubona, yabikela uJowabe, yathi: “Ngibone u-Absalomu elenga em-okini.”

¹¹UJowabe wathi kuleyo ndoda eyamtshela: “Ngakho umbonile! Pho kungani ungamshayelanga phansi khona lapho? Bengizobe ngikukweleta iholo lezinsuku eziyishumi ngesiliva nebhande.”

¹²Kodwa indoda yathi kuJowabe: “Noma ngabe iholo lezinsuku eziyinkulungwane ngesiliva belikaliwe lafakwa esandleni sami, bengingeke ngiphakamise isandla sami ngimelane nendodana yenkosi. Ngokuba sonke sezwa inkosi ikuyala wena, no-Abishayi, no-Itayi, yathi: ‘Vikelani insizwa u-Absalomu ngenxa yami.’ ¹³Ngaphandle kwalokho bengizobe ngilahle ukuphila kwami, ngokuba akukho lutho olufihlakele enkosini, futhi wena ubuzobe ume kude nami.”

¹⁴UJowabe wathi: “Ngeke ngichithe isikhathi kanjena nawe.” Wathatha imikhonto emithathu ngesandla sakhe, wayigwaza enhliziyweni ka-Absalomu esaphila, enhliziyweni yom-oki. ¹⁵Izinsizwa eziyishumi, abathwali bezikhali zikaJowabe, bamzungeza u-Absalomu, bamshaya, bambulala. ¹⁶UJowabe wavuthela uphondo lwenqama, amabutho ayeka ukuxosha u-Israyeli, ngokuba uJowabe wawabamba. ¹⁷Bamthatha u-Absalomu, bamphonsa emgodini omkhulu ehlathini, babekelela inqwaba enkulu yamatshe phezu kwakhe. Wonke u-Israyeli wabaleka, kwaba yilowo nalowo waya ekhaya lakhe.

¹⁸Ngesikhathi esaphila, u-Absalomu wayemise insika eSigodini seNkosi, ngokuba wathi: “Anginayo indodana ezogcina igama lami likhunjulwa.” Waqamba insika ngegama lakhe, ibizwa ngokuthi isiKhumbuzo sika-Absalomu kuze kube namuhla. ^a a v18 U-Absalomu wayezalelwe amadodana (2 Samuweli 14:27), kodwa kubonakala sengathi afa ngaphambi kwakhe, emshiya engenandlalifa ezoqhubeka negama lakhe.

UDavide Ukhalela iNdodana yakhe u-Absalomu

¹⁹U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki wathi: “Ake ngigijime ngiyobikela inkosi ukuthi uBaba wethu uyiphindiselele ezitheni zayo.”

²⁰UJowabe wathi: “Awuyena umuntu ozothwala izindaba namuhla. Ungathwala izindaba ngolunye usuku, kodwa namuhla ngeke uthwale lutho, ngokuba indodana yenkosi ifile.”

²¹UJowabe wathi kumKushi: “Hamba, uyotshela inkosi okubonile.” UmKushi wakhothamela uJowabe, wagijima.

²²U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki waphinda wathi kuJowabe: “Kungakhathaleki ukuthi kwenzekani, ngicela nami ngigijime ngilandele umKushi.” UJowabe waphendula: “Ugijimelani, ndodana yami? Awunazo izindaba ezifanele umvuzo.”

²³“Noma kwenzekani,” washo, “ngizogijima.” “Gijima,” kwasho uJowabe. Ngakho u-Ahimahasi wagijima ngendlela yasethafeni, wamdlula umKushi.

²⁴UDavide wayehlezi phakathi kwamasango amabili. Umlindi wenyukela ophahleni lwesango odongeni, waphakamisa amehlo akhe, wabona indoda igijima yodwa. ²⁵Umlindi wamemeza, wabikela inkosi. Inkosi yathi: “Uma eyedwa, uphethe izindaba.” Umgijimi waqhubeka esondela.

²⁶Umlindi wabona enye indoda igijima, wamemeza umgcini wesango, wathi: “Bheka, enye indoda igijima yodwa!” Inkosi yathi: “Naye uphethe izindaba.”

²⁷Umlindi wathi: “Owokuqala ugijima njengo-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki.” Inkosi yathi: “Uyindoda elungileyo; uza nezindaba ezinhle.”

²⁸U-Ahimahasi wamemeza inkosi, wathi: “Konke kuhle!” Wakhothama phambi kwenkosi, ubuso bakhe buphansi, wathi: “Makabusiswe uBaba wakho, owanikela ngalabo abavukela inkosi yami.”

²⁹Inkosi yabuza: “Uphephile yini insizwa u-Absalomu?” U-Ahimahasi waphendula: “Lapho uJowabe ethuma inceku yenkosi kanye nami, inceku yakho, ngabona isiphithiphithi esikhulu, kodwa angazanga ukuthi siyini.”

³⁰Inkosi yathi: “Buyela eceleni, ume lapha.” Ngakho waya eceleni, wama wathula.

³¹UmKushi wafika wathi: “Izindaba ezinhle, nkosi yami! Namuhla uSimakade ukukhulule esandleni sabo bonke abakuvukele.”

³²Inkosi yabuza umKushi: “Uphephile yini insizwa u-Absalomu?” UmKushi waphendula: “Sengathi izitha zenkosi yami, nabo bonke abakuvukela ukuba bakulimaze, bangaba njengaleyo nsizwa.”

³³Inkosi yaqhaqhazela. Yenyukela ekamelweni eliphezulu lesango, ikhala, ithi ngenkathi ihamba: “Ndodana yami Absalomu! Ndodana yami, ndodana yami, Absalomu! Sengathi ngabe yimi engafa esikhundleni sakho, Absalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami!”