1 UDavide wabala abantu ababe naye, wabeka phezu kwabo izinduna zezinkulungwane nezinduna zamakhulu.
2 UDavide wamukisa abantu, inxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sikaJowabe, nenxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sika-Abishayi indodana kaSeruya, umfowabo kaJowabe, nenxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sika-Ithayi umGiti. Inkosi yathi kubantu: “Nami ngiyakuphuma nokuphuma nani.”
3 Kepha abantu bathi: “Awuyikuphuma, ngokuba uma sibaleka, abayikusinakekela; noma kufa inxenye yethu, abayikusikhathalela, kepha wena unjengezinkulungwane eziyishumi zethu; ngalokho kuhle ukuba usisize usemzini.”
4 Yayisithi inkosi kubo: “Okuhle emehlweni enu ngiyakukwenza.” Inkosi yema ngaseceleni kwesango, bonke abantu baphuma ngamakhulu nangezinkulungwane.
5 Inkosi yabayaleza oJowabe no-Abishayi no-Ithayi, yathi: “Anoyiphatha kahle insizwa ngenxa yami, ngisho u-Abisalomu.” Bonke abantu bezwa, lapho inkosi iyaleza zonke izinduna ngo-Abisalomu.
6 Base bephumela endle ukulwa no-Israyeli, kwaliwa ehlathini lakwa-Efrayimi.
7 Abantu bakwa-Israyeli banqotshwa lapho phambi kwezinceku zikaDavide, kwakukhona ukubulalana okukhulu ngalolo suku, abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amabili.
8 Ngokuba impi yahlakazeka khona ezweni lonke, ihlathi laqeda abantu abaningi ngalolo suku kunabadliwa yinkemba.
9 U-Abisalomu wasuka wahlangana nezinceku zikaDavide. U-Abisalomu wayekhwele umnyuzi* wakhe, umnyuzi wangena phansi kwehlozi le-oki,* ikhanda lakhe labambelela e-okini, waphakanyiselwa emkhathini wezulu nomhlaba; umnyuzi obuphansi kwakhe wadlula.
10 Umuntu othile wakubona, wamtshela uJowabe, wathi: “Bheka, ngibone u-Abisalomu ephanyekekile e-okini.”*
11 UJowabe wathi kumuntu omtshelileyo: “Bheka, ukubonile, awumjuqanga ngani khona, awele phansi, na? Nga ngikunikile izinhlamvu eziyishumi zesiliva nebhande.”*
12 Wathi-ke umuntu kuJowabe: “Noma bengiyakukhokhelwa izinhlamvu eziyinkulungwane zesiliva esandleni sami, nokho bengingayikuselulela isandla sami endodaneni yenkosi, ngokuba ezindlebeni zethu inkosi yakuyala wena no-Abishayi no-Ithayi ukuthi: ‘Yilondeni insizwa u-Abisalomu.’
13 Uma bengisebenzile inkohliso ngokuphila kwakhe, njengokuba kungekho nto efihlwa enkosini, nawe uqobo ngabe umelene nami.”
14 Wayesethi uJowabe: “Anginakulibala kanje nawe.” Wathatha imikhonto emithathu ngesandla sakhe, wambhokoda u-Abisalomu enhliziyweni esezwa, ephakathi kwe-oki.*
15 Izinsizwa eziyishumi ezaziphethe izikhali zikaJowabe zamzungeza, zamshaya u-Abisalomu, zambulala.
16 UJowabe wayesebetha icilongo, abantu babuya ekumxosheni u-Israyeli, ngokuba uJowabe wabagodla abantu.
17 Bamthatha u-Abisalomu, bamlahla emgodini omkhulu ehlathini, babeka phezu kwakhe inqwaba enkulu kakhulu yamatshe; bonke abakwa-Israyeli, kwaba yilowo nalowo, babalekela ematendeni abo.
18 U-Abisalomu esekhona wayethathe insika, wazimisela yona esiGodini seNkosi, ngokuba wathi: “Anginandodana yokukhumbuzela igama lami.” Wayiqamba insika ngegama lakhe; ithiwa isikhumbuzo sika-Abisalomu kuze kube namuhla.
19 U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki wayesethi: “Ake ngigijime, ngiyibikele inkosi ukuthi uJehova uyiphindisele ezitheni zayo.”
20 UJowabe wathi kuye: “Awuyikuba ngumbiki wendaba namuhla, kepha uyakubika ngolunye usuku; namuhla awuyikubika lutho, ngokuba indodana yenkosi ifile.”
21 Wayesethi uJowabe kumKushe: “Hamba, uyitshele inkosi okubonileyo.” UmKushe wamkhothamela uJowabe, wagijima.
22 U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki wabuye wathi kuJowabe: “Noma kanjani, ake ngigijime nami, ngimlandele umKushe.”Kepha uJowabe wathi: “Uyakugijimelani wena mntanami, lokhu kungekho mvuzo wombiko kuwe, na?”
23 Wathi: “Noma kanjani, ake ngigijime.”Wathi kuye: “Gijima.” Wayesegijima u-Ahimahasi ngendlela yasethafeni, wamdlula umKushe.
24 UDavide wayehlezi emkhathini wamasango omabili; umlindi wakhuphukela ophahleni lwesango ngasogangeni, waphakamisa amehlo akhe, wabheka, nanguya umuntu egijima eyedwa.
25 Umlindi wamemeza, wayitshela inkosi. Yathi inkosi: “Uma eyedwa, unombiko emlonyeni wakhe.” Wayelokhu esondela njalo.
26 Umlindi wayesebona omunye umuntu egijima; umlindi wabiza umlindisango, wathi: “Bheka, omunye umuntu ugijima eyedwa.”Inkosi yathi: “Naye uletha umbiko.”
27 Umlindi wayesethi: “Ngibona kungathi ukugijima kowokuqala kunjengokugijima kuka-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki.”Yathi inkosi: “Ngumuntu omuhle yena; uletha umbiko omuhle.”
28 Wayesememeza u-Ahimahasi, wathi enkosini: “Bayede!” Wakhothama phambi kwenkosi ebhekise phansi ubuso bakhe, wathi: “Makabongwe uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, onikele abantu abaphakamisela isandla sabo enkosini yami, inkosi.”
29 Inkosi yathi: “Isahlezi kahle insizwa u-Abisalomu na?”U-Ahimahasi wathi: “Ngabona isixuku sabantu, lapho uJowabe inceku yenkosi ethuma inceku yakho, kepha angazanga ukuthi kuyini.”
30 Inkosi yathi: “Gudluka, ume lapho.” Wagudluka, wema.
31 Bheka, wayesefika umKushe; umKushe wathi: “Ngumbiko, nkosi yami, nkosi, ngokuba uJehova ukuphindisele namuhla kubo bonke abakuvukelayo.”
32 Inkosi yathi kumKushe: “Isahlezi kahle insizwa u-Abisalomu na?”UmKushe wathi: “Izitha zenkosi yami, inkosi, nabo bonke abakuvukelayo ukukulimaza mababe njengaleyo nsizwa.”
33 Yayisidabuka kakhulu inkosi, yakhuphukela ekamelweni elingaphezu kwesango, yakhala; isahamba yathi: “Hhawu, ndodana yami Abisalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami Abisalomu! Sengathi nga ngifile esikhundleni sakho, Abisalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami!”