2 Samyèl 14

1 Joab, pitit Sewouya a, te konnen wa David te anvi wè Absalon anpil.

Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.

2 Sa li fè, li voye lavil Tekoa al chache yon fanm ki te gen anpil ladrès. Lè fanm lan rive, li di l' konsa: -Ou pral pran pòz ou nan gwo lapenn. W'ap mete rad dèy sou ou, lèfini pa mete ankenn odè sou ou. Se pou yo ka pran ou pou yon moun ki gen yon moun mouri depi lontan.

So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

3 Lèfini, ou pral bò kote wa a, w'a di l' tou sa m'a di ou di li. Apre sa, Joab fè bouch li.

Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 Fanm lan ale vre bò kot wa a, li tonbe ajenou devan wa a, li bese tèt li jouk atè, epi li di: -Tanpri, monwa, fe kichòy pou mwen!

When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”

5 Wa a mande l': -Kisa ou genyen? Fanm lan reponn li: -Adje, monwa! Se yon pòv vèv mwen ye. Mari m' mouri.

“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.

6 Li kite m' ak de pitit gason. Yon jou, yo te nan jaden, yonn gen kont ak lòt, yo goumen. Pa t' gen pesonn la pou separe yo. Yonn ladan yo touye lòt la.

And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.

7 Koulye a menm, tout fanmi m' yo leve dèyè m', y'ap mande m' pou m' lage sa ki te touye lòt la nan men yo pou yo touye l' tou, paske li te touye frè l' la. Si yo fè sa, m'ap rete san pitit gason. Y'ap wete dènye ti espwa ki te rete m' lan. Lèfini, mari m' p'ap gen yon pitit gason pou leve non l' sou tè a.

Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”

8 Wa a di madanm lan: -Ou mèt al lakay ou. M'ap okipe sa pou ou.

“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”

9 Fanm lavil Tekoa a di wa a konsa: -Monwa, nenpòt kisa w'a deside fè, si pou gen repwòch, y'a repwoche mwen menm ansanm ak fanmi pa m'. Men, ou menm ak gouvènman ou, nou pa reskonsab anyen.

But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”

10 Wa a reponn li: -Si yon moun konprann pou li kraponnen ou, mennen l' ban mwen. Li p'ap janm chache ou kont ankò.

“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”

11 Fanm lan di ankò: -Tanpri, monwa! Lapriyè Seyè a, Bondye ou la, pou moun nan fanmi an ki reskonsab pou tire revanj lanmò pitit gason m' lan pa fè plis dega toujou, pou l' pa touye lòt pitit gason ki rete m' lan. David reponn li: -Mwen fè sèman nan non Seyè ki vivan an, mwen p'ap kite yo manyen yon grenn cheve nan tèt pitit gason ou lan!

“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

12 Lè sa a, fanm lan di ankò: -Tanpri, monwa! Kite m' di ou yon dènye pawòl. Wa a reponn li: -Pale non.

Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.

13 Fanm lan di l' konsa: -Poukisa ou fè move lide sa a sou pèp Bondye a? Ou pa vle kite pwòp pitit gason ou lan tounen nan peyi a. Jan ou sot pale a, ou kondannen pwòp tèt ou.

The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

14 Nou tout gen pou mouri. Nou tankou dlo. Depi ou lage dlo atè, ou pa ka ranmase l' ankò. Lè yon moun fin mouri, li mouri nèt. Men, Bondye ta vle pou moun ki te kouri al chache pwoteksyon nan peyi etranje a tounen nan peyi l'.

For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.

15 Monwa, rezon ki fè mwen te vin pale avè ou la, se paske moun yo t'ap fè m' pè. Mwen di nan kè m' mwen pral pale ak wa a. Wa a ka fè sa m'ap mande l' la.

Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.

16 Mwen t'ap di wa a ka koute m', li ka delivre m' anba men moun ki soti pou yo touye pitit gason m' lan ansanm avè m', anba men moun ki soti pou wete moso tè ki vin pou nou nan peyi Bondye bay pèp li a.

For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’

17 Mwen di ankò pawòl monwa va ban m' kouraj paske wa a se tankou yon zanj Bondye li ye. Li konn rekonèt sa ki byen ak sa ki mal. Mwen mande pou Seyè a, Bondye ou la, toujou kanpe la avè ou!

And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”

18 Wa a di l' konsa: -Mwen pral mande ou kichòy, pa kache m' anyen. Fanm lan reponn: -Monwa, mande m' sa ou vle?

Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

19 Wa a mande l': -Eske Joab pa nan plan sa a avè ou? Fanm lan reponn li: -Menm jan ou vivan an, monwa, pa gen anyen ki pi sèten pase sa ou di la a. Wi, monwa. Se Joab, chèf lame ou la, ki di m' tou sa pou m' fè ak tou sa pou m' di.

So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.

20 Men, si li fè l' se paske li vle pou tout bagay sa a regle. Monwa, ou gen bon konprann tankou yon zanj Bondye, ou konnen tou sa ki ap pase nan peyi a.

Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

21 Pita, wa a di Joab konsa: -Mwen pral fè sa ou vle m' fè a. Ale chache jennonm yo rele Absalon an, mennen l' tounen isit la.

Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

22 Joab tonbe ajenou devan David, li bese tèt li jouk atè. Li di: -Se pou Bondye beni ou, monwa! Jòdi a mwen konnen ou kontan avè m' vre, paske ou ban mwen sa m' mande ou la.

Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”

23 Joab leve, li ale lavil Gechou, li mennen Absalon tounen lavil Jerizalèm.

So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 Men, wa a bay lòd pou Absalon pa vin rete nan palè a, paske li pa vle pou l' parèt devan li. Se konsa Absalon al rete lakay li, li pa janm parèt devan wa a.

But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.

25 Pa t' gen pi bèl gason nan tout peyi Izrayèl la pase Absalon. Tout moun t'ap di sa. Pran depi nan cheve l' rive nan pwent zòtèy li, li pa t' gen ankenn defo.

Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.

26 Li te gen anpil cheve. Li te blije koupe yo chak lanne paske, lè yo te lonje yo te vin twò lou pou li. Lè yo peze cheve yo, yo ka rive peze senk liv dapre sistèm pèz yo sèvi kay wa a.

And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard.

27 Absalon te gen twa pitit gason ak yon pitit fi ki te rele Tama. Tama te bèl anpil.

Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

28 Absalon pase dezan lavil Jerizalèm san li pa janm parèt devan wa a.

Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.

29 Apre sa, li voye chache Joab pou mande l' al kote wa a pou li. Men, Joab pa vini. Yon lòt fwa ankò, Absalon voye chache l'. Fwa sa a tou Joab refize vini.

Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

30 Lè sa a, Absalon di domestik li yo: -Gade! Nou wè jaden Joab ki toupre jaden pa m' lan. Li plante lòj. Enben, al met dife ladan l'. Y' ale, yo mete dife nan jaden Joab la.

Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

31 Joab al lakay Absalon, li mande l': -Poukisa moun pa ou yo mete dife nan jaden m' lan?

Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

32 Absalon reponn li: -Paske ou pa t' vle vini lè mwen te voye chache ou la. Mwen te bezwen ou ale bò kote wa a pou mwen pou ou mande l' sa m' te bezwen kite lavil Gechou a vin isit la fè. Pito m' te rete laba a. Koulye a, mwen ta renmen ou jwenn yon jan pou m' parèt devan wa a. Si m' antò, li mèt touye m'!

“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

33 Se konsa Joab al bò kote wa David, li rapòte l' sa Absalon te di l' la. Wa a voye chache Absalon. Absalon vini, li tonbe ajenou devan wa a, li bese tèt li jouk atè. Wa resevwa l', li bo l'.

So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.