2 USamuyeli 17

1 UAhithofeli wasesithi kuAbisalomu: Ake ngikhethe amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili, ngisukume ngixotshane loDavida ngalobubusuku.

Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

2 Ngizamehlela esakhathele ebuthakathaka ezandleni, ngimethuse; labo bonke abantu abalaye bazabaleka; ngizatshaya inkosi kuphela.

And I will come upon him while he [is] weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that [are] with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

3 Ngizabuyisela abantu bonke kuwe. Umuntu omdingayo ufanana lokubuya kwabo bonke. Bonke abantu bazakuba sekuthuleni.

And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest [is] as if all returned: [so] all the people shall be in peace.

4 Lalelilizwi lalilungile emehlweni kaAbisalomu lemehlweni abo bonke abadala bakoIsrayeli.

And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

5 UAbisalomu wasesithi: Bizani-ke loHushayi umArki, sizwe ukuthi laye uthini ngomlomo.

Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.

6 UHushayi esefikile kuAbisalomu, uAbisalomu wakhuluma kuye esithi: UAhithofeli ukhulume ngalindlela: Senze ilizwi lakhe yini? Uba kungenjalo, khuluma wena.

And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do [after] his saying? if not; speak thou.

7 UHushayi wasesithi kuAbisalomu: Iseluleko uAhithofeli aselulekileyo ngalesisikhathi kasisihle.

And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given [is] not good at this time.

8 UHushayi wathi futhi: Wena uyamazi uyihlo labantu bakhe ukuthi bangamaqhawe, ukuthi bathukuthele enhliziyweni, njengebhere elithathelwe imidlwane egangeni. Futhi uyihlo yindoda yempi; kayikulala labantu ebusuku.

For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father [is] a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

9 Khangela, khathesinje ucatshile komunye wemigodi, loba kwenye yezindawo. Kuzakuthi lapho abanye babo bewile ekuqaleni, kuthi loba ngubani ozwayo athi: Bekulokubulawa ebantwini abalandela uAbisalomu.

Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some [other] place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

10 Kuthi laye olobuqhawe, onhliziyo yakhe injengenhliziyo yesilwane, ancibilike lokuncibilika; ngoba uIsrayeli wonke uyazi ukuthi uyihlo uliqhawe, lalabo abalaye balobuqhawe.

And he also [that is] valiant, whose heart [is] as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father [is] a mighty man, and [they] which [be] with him [are] valiant men.

11 Ngakho ngiyeluleka ukuthi uIsrayeli wonke abuthane, abuthane kuwe kusukela koDani kuze kufike eBherishebha, ngangetshebetshebe eliselwandle ngobunengi, wena ngokwakho ubususiya empini.

Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

12 Ngakho sizamehlela kwenye yezindawo lapho angatholakala khona, simehlele njengamazolo ewela emhlabathini; njalo kungasali kuye lebantwini bonke abalaye loyedwa.

So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that [are] with him there shall not be left so much as one.

13 Uba-ke engena emzini, uIsrayeli wonke uzaletha amagoda kulowomuzi, siwuhudulele esifuleni, kungabe kusatholwa lalitshana khona.

Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

14 UAbisalomu lawo wonke amadoda akoIsrayeli basebesithi: Iseluleko sikaHushayi umArki singcono kuleseluleko sikaAhithofeli. Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu yayilayile ukuthi kufutshiswe iseluleko esihle sikaAhithofeli ukuze iNkosi imehlisele okubi uAbisalomu.

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite [is] better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

15 UHushayi wasesithi kuZadoki lakuAbhiyatha abapristi: UAhithofeli weluleke uAbisalomu labadala bakoIsrayeli kanje lakanje; mina-ke ngeluleka kanje lakanje.

Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.

16 Ngakho-ke thumani masinyane litshele uDavida lithi: Ungalali emagcekeni enkangala kulobubusuku, futhi chapha lokuchapha, hlezi inkosi iginywe labantu bonke abalayo.

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that [are] with him.

17 OJonathani loAhimahazi babemile-ke eEnirogeli; incekukazi yeza yabatshela, bona-ke bahamba babikela inkosi uDavida; ngoba babengelakubonwa bengena emzini.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.

18 Kodwa umfana othile wababona, wabikela uAbisalomu; kodwa bahamba masinyane bobabili, bayafika endlini yomuntu eBahurimi, owayelomthombo egumeni lakhe; behlela khona.

Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

19 Owesifazana wasethatha wendlala isimbombozo phezu komlomo womthombo, wachaya amabele agigiweyo phezu kwaso; ngakho linto kayaziwanga.

And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

20 Lapho zifika izinceku zikaAbisalomu kowesifazana endlini, zathi: Bangaphi oAhimahazi loJonathani? Owesifazana wasesithi kizo: Bachaphe isifula samanzi. Sezidingile, zingabatholanga, zabuyela eJerusalema.

And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find [them], they returned to Jerusalem.

21 Kwasekusithi sezihambile, benyuka emthonjeni baya bayitshela inkosi uDavida, bathi kuDavida: Sukani lichaphe amanzi masinyane, ngoba uAhithofeli weluleke njalo emelene lani.

And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.

22 UDavida wasesuka, labo bonke abantu ababelaye, bachapha iJordani; kuze kube sekukhanyeni kokusa kwakungasalanga loyedwa, ongayichaphanga iJordani.

Then David arose, and all the people that [were] with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

23 Lapho uAhithofeli ebona ukuthi iseluleko sakhe asilandelwanga, wabophela isihlalo kubabhemi, wasuka waya endlini yakhe emzini wakhe, walaya indlu yakhe, waziphanyeka, wafa, wangcwatshelwa engcwabeni likayise.

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled [his] ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

24 UDavida wasefika eMahanayimi; uAbisalomu wasechapha iJordani, yena lamadoda wonke akoIsrayeli kanye laye.

Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 UAbisalomu wayebeke-ke uAmasa phezu kwebutho esikhundleni sikaJowabi. Njalo uAmasa wayeyindodana yomuntu obizo lakhe lalinguIthira umIsrayeli, owangena kuAbigali indodakazi kaNahashi, udadewabo kaZeruya, unakaJowabi.

And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man’s son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.

26 Ngakho uIsrayeli loAbisalomu bamisa inkamba elizweni leGileyadi.

So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

27 Kwasekusithi uDavida esefikile eMahanayimi, uShobi indodana kaNahashi weRaba yabantwana bakoAmoni, loMakiri indodana kaAmiyeli weLodebari, loBarizilayi umGileyadi weRogelimi,

And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

28 baletha amacansi, lemiganu, lendiwo zebumba, lengqoloyi, lebhali, lempuphu, lamabele akhanzingiweyo, lendumba, lamalentili, lokunye okukhanzingiweyo,

Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans, and lentiles, and parched [pulse],

29 lenyosi, lamasi, lezimvu, letshizi yenkomo, kusenzelwa uDavida labantu ababelaye ukuze badle; ngoba bathi: Abantu balambile badiniwe bomile enkangala.

And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that [were] with him, to eat: for they said, The people [is] hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.