Owesifazane waseThekhowa
1UJowabe indodana kaSeruya wayeseqonda ukuthi inhliziyo yenkosi ikuAbisalomu.
2UJowabe wayesethumela eThekhowa, walanda khona owesifazane ohlakaniphileyo, wathi kuye: Ake uzishaye olilayo, ugqoke izingubo zokulila, ungazigcobi ngamafutha, kepha ube-njengowesifazane oselilele ofileyo izinsuku eziningi,
3ungene enkosini, ukhulume kuyo ngalendlela. UJowabe wayesemfunza amazwi emlonyeni wakhe.
4Lapho owesifazane waseThekhowa ekhuluma enkosini, wawa ngobuso emhlabathini, wakhuleka, wathi: Siza, nkosi.
5Inkosi yathi kuye: Unani na? Wathi: Maye, ngingumfelokazi! Indoda yami seyafa.
6Incekukazi yakho yayinamadodana amabili; alwa odwa endle, akwabakho-muntu wokulamula, kepha enye yashaya enye yayibulala.
7Bheka, umndeni wonke usuvukele incekukazi yakho; bathi: Sinike yena owashaya umfowabo ukuba simbulale ngenxa yomphefumulo womfowabo, sichithe indlalifa; bayakucima kanjalo ilahle lami eliseleyo, bangabe besashiyela indoda yami igama nensali ebusweni bomhlaba.
8Inkosi yayisithi kowesifazane: Yiya endlini yakho; mina ngiyakuyaleza ngawe.
9Owesifazane waseThekhowa wathi enkosini: Nkosi yami, nkosi, icala malibephezu kwami naphezu kwendlu kababa, inkosi nesihlalo sayo sobukhosi kube-msulwa.
10Yathi inkosi: Oshoyo utho kuwe, mlethe kimi; akayikuphinda akuthinte.
11Wayesethi yena: Inkosi ake ikhumbule uJehova uNkulunkulu wayo ukuba umphindiseli wegazi angaqhubeki ukuchitha nokuba bangayibulali indodana yami. Yathi: Kuphila kukaJehova, akuyikuwela phansi nolulodwa unwele lwendodana yakho.
12Wayesethi owesifazane: Incekukazi yakho mayikhulume izwi enkosini yami, inkosi. Yathi: Khuluma.
13Wathi-ke owesifazane: Uqambeleni okunjalo ngabantu bakaNkulunkulu na? Ngokukhuluma lelizwi inkosi injengonecala, lokhu inkosi ingabuyisi oxoshiweyo wayo.
14Ngokuba simelwe ukufa, sinjengamanzi achithwa emhlabathini, angenakuqoqwa futhi; uNkulunkulu akasusi ukuphila, kepha uqamba amasu ukuba oxoshiweyo angabi-ngumxoshwa kuye.
15Ngalokho-ke lokhu ngizé ukukhuluma lelizwi enkosini yami, inkosi, kungokuba abantu bengesabisile; incekukazi yakho yayisithi: Mangikhulume enkosini; mhlawumbe inkosi iyakwenza izwi lencekukazi yayo.
16Ngokuba inkosi iyakuzwa, yophule incekukazi yayo esandleni somuntu oyakungichitha mina nendodana yami efeni likaNkulunkulu.
17Yayisithi incekukazi yakho: Izwi lenkosi yami, inkosi, malibe-ngelokuthula, ngokuba inkosi yami, inkosi, injengengelosi kaNkulunkulu ekuzweni okuhle nokubi; uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho makabe-nawe.
18Yayisiphendula inkosi, yathi kowesifazane: Ake ungafihli-lutho kimi engiyakulubuza mina kuwe. Wathi owesifazane: Mayikhulume inkosi yami, inkosi.
19Yathi-ke inkosi: Isandla sikaJowabe sinawe yini kukho konke lokhu na? Owesifazane waphendula wathi: Kuphila kwakho, nkosi yami, nkosi, akukho-muntu ongaphendukela ngakwesokunene nangakwesokhohlo kukho konke okukhulunywé yinkosi yami, inkosi, ngokuba inceku yakho uJowabe yangiyaleza, yafunza onke lawomazwi emlonyeni wencekukazi yakho;
20uJowabe inceku yakho wenzile lokho ukuba aphendukezele ubuso bendaba; inkosi yami ihlakaniphile njengokuhlakanipha kwengelosi kaNkulunkulu ukwazi konke okusemhlabeni.
Ukubuya kuka-Abisalomu nokuthethelelwa kwakhe
21Inkosi yayisithi kuJowabe: Bheka-ke, yenza lokhu: hamba ubuyise umfana uAbisalomu.
22UJowabe wawa phansi ngobuso, wakhuleka, wayibusisa inkosi; uJowabe wathi: Namuhla inceku yakho iyazi ukuthi ngifumene umusa emehlweni akho, nkosi yami, nkosi, lokhu inkosi ilenzile izwi lenceku yayo.
23Wayesesuka uJowabe wahamba, waya eGeshuri, wamletha uAbisalomu eJerusalema.
24Inkosi yathi: Makaye endlini yakhe, angaboni nokho ubuso bami. Wayeseya uAbisalomu endlini yakhe, akabubona ubuso benkosi.
25KwaIsrayeli wonke kwakungekhomuntu omuhle njengoAbisalomu owababazeka kakhulu, kungekho-sici kuye kusukela ematheni onyawo kuze kube-sokhakhayini.
26Nxa ephucula ikhanda lakhe — ngokuba wayelokhu eliphucula njalo ngasekupheleni komnyaka, lokhu izinwele zakhe zamsinda; ngalokho waziphucula — wazilinganisa izinwele zekhanda lakhe, zalingana namashekeli* angamakhulu amabili ngesisindo senkosi.
27UAbisalomu wazalelwa amadodana amathathu nendodakazi inye egama layo linguTamari; yayingowesifazane obukeka emuhle.
28UAbisalomu wahlala eJerusalema iminyaka emibili epheleleyo, engabuboni ubuso benkosi.
29UAbisalomu wayesethumela kuJowabe ukuba amthume enkosini, kepha akavumanga ukuza kuye; waphinda wathumela ngokwesibili, kepha akavumanga ukuza.
30Wayesethi ezincekwini zakhe: Bhekani, insimu kaJowabe iseduze neyami, unebhali* khona; hambani niyithungele ngomlilo. Izinceku zika-Abisalomu zayithungela-ke insimu ngomlilo.
31Wayesesuka uJowabe, waya kuAbisalomu endlini yakhe, wathi kuye: Izinceku zakho ziyithungeleleni insimu yami ngomlilo na?
32UAbisalomu wathi kuJowabe: Bheka, ngithumele kuwe, ngithi: Woza lapha ukuba ngikuthume enkosini ukuyothi: Ngisukeleni eGeshuri na? Ngabe kungcono kimi ukuba bengisekhona lapho; ngalokho mangibone ubuso benkosi; uma kukhona icala kimi, mayingibulale.
33Wayeseya uJowabe enkosini, wayitshela; isimbizile uAbisalomu, weza enkosini, wakhothamela kuyo, ubuso bakhe bubheké phansi, phambi kwenkosi; inkosi yamanga uAbisalomu.
