2 Samuel 14
1 Yoab tahu bahwa Raja Daud sangat merindukan Absalom,
Joab, son of Zeruiah, knew that the king kept on thinking about Absalom.
2 sebab itu dia menyuruh jemput seorang wanita cerdik yang tinggal di Tekoa. Ketika wanita itu sampai, Yoab berkata kepadanya, "Ibu harus pura-pura berkabung; pakailah pakaian berkabung, dan jangan memakai minyak wangi. Buatlah seperti wanita yang sudah lama menangisi kematian orang yang tercinta.
So Joab sent a messenger to Tekoa to bring back a wise woman who lived there. He told her, “Pretend to be a mourner. Put on clothes for mourning, and don't use any scented oils. Be like a woman who has been in mourning for the dead a long time.
3 Kemudian pergilah kepada raja, katakanlah kepadanya begini." Lalu Yoab memberitahukan kepadanya apa yang harus dikatakannya.
Then go to the king and tell him this.” Joab told her what to say.
4 Lalu wanita itu pergi menghadap raja, dan sujud menyembah serta berkata, "Tuanku Yang Mulia, tolonglah hamba!"
When the woman from Tekoa went to see the king, she bowed facedown to the ground in respect, and said, “Please help me, Your Majesty!”
5 "Ada apa?" tanya raja kepadanya. Wanita itu menjawab, "Hamba ini seorang janda yang miskin. Suami hamba sudah mati.
“What's the matter?” the king asked her. “Sadly I'm a widow. My husband is dead,” she replied.
6 Hamba mempunyai dua orang anak laki-laki, dan pada suatu hari mereka bertengkar di padang. Karena tak ada orang yang melerai, maka seorang di antaranya mati dibunuh.
“Your Majesty, I had two sons. They had a fight outside, and there was nobody there to stop them. One of them hit the other, and killed him.
7 Dan sekarang, seluruh kaum keluarga hamba memusuhi hamba dan menuntut supaya hamba menyerahkan anak hamba yang membunuh itu kepada mereka, agar mereka menghukumnya dengan hukuman mati, sebab dia telah membunuh saudaranya. Jika hamba serahkan anak itu, tinggallah hamba sebatang kara. Mereka akan menghancurkan harapan hamba satu-satunya dan tidak meninggalkan seorang anak laki-laki bagi suami hamba untuk meneruskan keturunannya."
Now the whole family is against me. They're saying, ‘Hand over your son who killed his brother so we can put him to death for murdering his brother. That way he won't inherit anything either!’ By doing this they would snuff out the last ember of hope I have to carry on my husband's name and family in the world.”
8 "Pulanglah," jawab raja, "akan kuurus perkara itu."
“Go on home,” the king told the woman, “and I myself will make sure your case is dealt with for you.”
9 "Tuanku Yang Mulia," kata wanita itu, "apa pun yang akan Tuanku perbuat, hamba dan keluarga hambalah yang akan menanggung akibatnya; Tuanku dan keluarga Tuanku tidaklah bersalah."
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said the woman. “I and my family will take the blame, and may Your Majesty and your family be held to be innocent.”
10 Raja menjawab, "Jika ada orang yang mengancam engkau, bawalah dia kepadaku, maka selanjutnya pasti ia tak akan mengganggumu lagi."
“If anyone complains to you about it, bring him here to me, and he won't bother you again!” the king told her.
11 Kata wanita itu, "Kiranya berdoalah Tuanku kepada TUHAN Allah Tuanku, supaya orang yang hendak membalas kematian anak hamba itu jangan sampai melakukan kejahatan yang lebih besar lagi dengan membunuh anak hamba yang seorang lagi." Jawab Daud, "Demi TUHAN yang hidup, anakmu itu tidak akan diapa-apakan walau sedikit pun."
“Please, Your Majesty,” the woman continued, “swear by the Lord your God that you will stop the person wanting to avenge the murder from making it worse by killing my son!” “As the Lord lives,” he promised, “not a single hair from your son's head will fall to the ground.”
12 Lalu berkatalah wanita itu, "Tuanku Yang Mulia, izinkanlah kiranya hamba berbicara sedikit lagi." "Baiklah," jawab raja.
“Could I please ask for one other thing, Your Majesty?” the woman asked. “Go ahead,” he replied.
13 Kata wanita itu, "Dengan ucapan Tuanku itu, Tuanku telah mengaku bahwa Tuanku sendiri bersalah karena tidak mengizinkan putra Tuanku pulang dari pengasingan. Mengapa Tuanku melakukan kesalahan seperti itu terhadap umat Allah?
“So why have you schemed in a similar way against the people of God?” the woman asked. “Since Your Majesty just decided my case by what you said, haven't you convicted yourself because you refuse to bring back the son you banished?
14 Kita semua akan mati; kita ini seumpama air yang tumpah ke tanah dan tidak dapat dikumpulkan kembali. Allah pun tidak akan menghidupkan lagi orang yang sudah mati; sebab itu hendaklah kiranya Tuanku berusaha supaya orang buangan dapat pulang lagi.
Yes, we all have to die. We're like water spilled on the ground that can't be collected again. But that's not what God does. Instead he works out ways for anyone who is banished to come back home to him.
15 Hamba menghadap Tuanku karena hamba diancam orang. Lalu hamba berpikir sebaiknya hamba berbicara dengan Tuanku dengan harapan permintaan hamba ini akan Tuanku kabulkan.
That's why I've come to explain this to Your Majesty, because someone has frightened me. So I thought to myself, I will go and speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant my request.
16 Hamba pikir Tuanku akan mendengarkan dan menyelamatkan hamba dari orang yang berusaha hendak membunuh hamba dan anak hamba. Mereka bermaksud menyingkirkan kami dari tanah yang diberikan Allah kepada umat-Nya.
Perhaps the king will listen and save me from the man who would cut off both me and my son from God's chosen people.
17 Hamba yakin bahwa janji Tuanku itu akan menjamin keselamatan hamba sebab Tuanku adalah seperti malaikat Allah, yang dapat membedakan apa yang baik dan apa yang jahat. Semoga TUHAN Allah Tuanku menyertai Tuanku!"
I thought: May what Your Majesty says bring me peace, for Your Majesty is able to tell the difference between good and evil, just like an angel of God. May the Lord your God be with you!”
18 Raja menjawab, "Aku mau menanyakan sesuatu kepadamu, jawablah dengan jujur." "Silakan Tuanku berbicara," jawab wanita itu.
“Please don't refuse to answer the question I'm about to ask,” the king said to the woman. “Please ask your question, Your Majesty,” she replied.
19 Kata raja, "Yoabkah yang menyuruh engkau?" Jawab wanita itu, "Demi nyawa Tuanku, hamba tidak mungkin mengelak diri dari pertanyaan Tuanku. Memang benar Tuanku, Yoab telah memberitahukan kepada hamba apa yang harus hamba lakukan dan hamba katakan.
“Is all this Joab's doing?” the king asked. The woman replied, “As you live, Your Majesty, no one can hide anything from you. Yes, it was Joab, your officer, who ordered me to do this—he told me exactly what to say.
20 Tetapi ia berbuat begitu untuk menyelesaikan perkara itu dengan baik. Tuanku adalah bijaksana seperti malaikat Allah sehingga mengetahui segala sesuatu yang terjadi."
He did so to show the other side of the situation, but Your Majesty is as wise as an angel of God, and you know everything that happens in this country.”
21 Setelah itu raja memanggil Yoab dan berkata kepadanya, "Keinginanmu itu akan kupenuhi. Pergilah menjemput Absalom dan bawalah dia ke mari."
The king said to Joab, “Fine, I'll do it. Go and bring young Absalom back.”
22 Yoab sujud di hadapan Daud, lalu berkata, "Kiranya Allah memberkati Baginda! Sekarang hamba tahu bahwa Baginda menyukai hamba karena Baginda telah mengabulkan permohonan hamba."
Joab bowed down with his face to the ground in respect, and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “I, your servant, know that you approve of me, Your Majesty, because you have granted my request.”
23 Lalu berangkatlah Yoab ke Gesur untuk menjemput Absalom kembali ke Yerusalem.
Joab went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 Tetapi raja tidak mengizinkan Absalom tinggal di istana. "Aku tidak mau melihatnya," kata raja. Jadi Absalom langsung pulang ke rumahnya sendiri, dan tidak menghadap raja.
But the king gave this order, “He may return to his home, but he's not to come and see me.” So Absalom returned to his own home, but he didn't go and see the king.
25 Absalom dipuji sebagai orang yang paling tampan di seluruh Israel. Tidak ada orang yang lebih tampan dari dia. Dari telapak kaki sampai ke ujung rambut tak ada cacatnya.
Absalom was admired as the most handsome man in the whole of Israel. He didn't have a single blemish from head to toe.
26 Rambutnya sangat lebat, dan dia harus memotongnya sekali setahun sebab dirasanya terlalu berat. Rambut yang dipotongnya itu beratnya lebih dari dua kilogram menurut timbangan raja.
He cut his hair every year because it got so heavy—it weighed two hundred royal shekels.
27 Absalom mempunyai tiga orang putra dan seorang putri yang sangat cantik, bernama Tamar.
He had three sons, and a daughter named Tamar—a very beautiful woman.
28 Sudah dua tahun Absalom tinggal di Yerusalem, tetapi belum juga ia bertemu dengan raja.
Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years but was not permitted to see the king.
29 Maka pada suatu hari ia memanggil Yoab, untuk menyuruhnya menghadap raja, tetapi Yoab tidak mau datang, Absalom memanggilnya sekali lagi, tetapi Yoab tidak mau datang juga.
Absalom called Joab to arrange for him to see the king, for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come. Absalom called Joab again, but Joab still wouldn't come.
30 Kemudian berkatalah Absalom kepada budak-budaknya, "Kamu tahu ladang Yoab di sebelah ladangku yang ditanami jelai? Bakarlah ladang itu." Mereka pun pergi membakarnya.
So Absalom told his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley growing there. Go and set it on fire!” Absalom's servants went and set the field on fire.
31 Maka Yoab datang ke rumah Absalom dan bertanya, "Mengapa budak-budakmu membakar ladangku?"
Joab went to Absalom's house and asked “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 Jawab Absalom, "Sebab engkau tidak mau datang ketika kupanggil. Aku hendak mengutusmu menghadap raja dan menyampaikan pertanyaanku ini, 'Apa gunanya aku meninggalkan Gesur dan kembali ke mari? Lebih baik aku tinggal di sana saja.'" Dan kata Absalom lagi, "Usahakanlah supaya aku dapat menghadap raja, dan jika aku masih dianggap bersalah, aku bersedia dihukum mati."
“Look here,” said Absalom, “I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here. I want you to go to the king and ask: Why did I bother coming back from Geshur? It would have been better for me to stay there.’ So go and arrange for me to see the king, and if I'm guilty of anything, he can kill me.”
33 Kemudian pergilah Yoab menghadap Raja Daud dan menyampaikan permohonan Absalom. Lalu raja memanggil Absalom, dan Absalom datang bersujud di hadapan raja. Dan raja menyambutnya dengan ciuman.
So Joab went and told the king what Absalom had said. Then David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed down with his face to the ground before him in respect. Then the king kissed Absalom.
