The Second Book of Samuel

14 Now Jo′ab wey be the son of Ze·ru′iah come know say the king want make Ab′sa·lom come back. 2 So Jo′ab send person go Te·ko′a make e go call one woman for there wey get sense well-well, and tell-am say: “Abeg, do like say you de mourn and wear cloths wey show say you de mourn, and no rub oil for your body. Do like say you be woman wey don de mourn person wey don die for long time. 3 Then make you go inside go talk to the king, and this na wetin you go tell-am.” Jo′ab come tell the woman wetin e go talk.

4 So the Te·koʹa woman go meet the king and kneel down face ground, then e lie down for ground and talk say: “O my king! Help me!” 5 Then the king ask-am say: “Wetin be the problem?” So e talk say: “The truth be say, I be widow, my husband don die. 6 And me, your servant, be get two sons. The two of them fight with each other for bush, and nobody dey there to separate them, so one kill the other one. 7 Now, the whole family don de disturb me your servant and them de talk say, ‘Give us the one wey kill im brother, so that we go kill-am to pay for the life* of im brother wey e kill, even if na im suppose inherit im papa property, we go still kill-am!’ Them want quench the last charcoal fire wey I get wey still de burn,* and make my husband no get person wey go remain for-am, or wey go bear im name for this earth.”

8 So the king tell the woman say: “Make you go your house. I go handle the matter.” 9 The Te·koʹa woman come answer the king say: “O my lord the king, make me and my papa family* carry the blame, but the king and im throne dey innocent.” 10 Then the king talk say: “If anybody tell you anything again, make you bring-am come meet me, and e no go ever disturb you again.” 11 But the woman talk say: “Abeg my king, make you remember Jehovah your God, so that the person wey get the right to pay back* no go cause trouble and kill my pikin.” So e tell-am say: “As Jehovah dey alive, one hair from your son head no go fall for ground.” 12 Then the woman talk say: “Abeg, make your servant tell my lord the king something.” So e talk say: “Talk!”

13 Then the woman ask-am say: “So why you want do this kind thing to the people of God? When the king de talk like this, e de condemn imself because the king no want bring back im own son wey e don pursue comot. 14 The truth be say, all of us go die one day and be like water wey them pour for ground wey them no fit collect back again. But God no de take person life,* instead, e de find reason why person wey them pursue comot, no suppose continue to be person wey them pursue comot from im side. 15 I come tell my lord the king this thing because the people make me fear, so your servant talk say, ‘Abeg make I talk to the king, maybe the king go fit do wetin im slave de ask for. 16 And the king fit listen and save im slave from the hand of the man wey want kill me and my only son so that we no go inherit wetin God don give us.’ 17 Then your servant talk say, ‘Abeg make wetin my lord the king go talk make my mind come down,’ because my lord the king just be like angel of the true God as e know the difference between wetin good and wetin bad. Make Jehovah your God dey with you.”

18 So the king answer the woman say: “Abeg, I want ask you one question. Make you no hide anything from me.” So the woman talk say: “Abeg, make my lord the king ask.” 19 Then the king ask the woman say: “Na Jo′ab say make you talk all this things?” The woman answer-am say: “As you dey alive,* O my lord the king, na as my lord the king talk-am, na so e be. Because na your servant Jo′ab send me and tell me all this things wey your servant talk. 20 Your servant Jo′ab do this thing so that you go see the matter for different way, but my lord the king get sense like angel of the true God and e know everything wey de happen for the land.”

21 So the king tell Jo′ab say: “No problem, I go do wetin you talk. Make you go bring the young man Ab′sa·lom come back.” 22 As e talk this one, Jo′ab kneel down face ground, then e lie down for ground and praise the king. Jo′ab talk say: “O my lord the king, today, your servant don know say I de make you happy, because the king don do wetin im servant ask for.” 23 Then Jo′ab comot go Gesh′ur and bring Ab′sa·lom come Jerusalem. 24 But the king talk say: “Make e go back to im own house, but make e no come see me.” So Ab′sa·lom go back to im own house, e no go see the king.

25 That time, for the whole Israel, e no get any man wey people de praise pass Ab′sa·lom because say e fine well-well. From the under of im leg go reach the top of im head, e no get any comma for body. 26 When e shave im head, the hair wey dey im head de heavy reach 200 shekels* when them measure-am with the stone wey king de use measure something.* E de shave im hair for the end of every year because e too heavy for-am. 27 Ab′sa·lom get three sons and one daughter wey im name na Ta′mar. This im daughter fine well-well.*

28 And Ab′sa·lom continue to live for Jerusalem for two full years, but e no see the king. 29 So Ab′sa·lom send person make e go call Jo′ab come so that e go send-am go meet the king, but Jo′ab no gree come meet-am. Then e send person the second time say make e go call-am come, but e no still gree come. 30 At last, e tell im servants say: “Jo′ab plot of land near my own, and e plant barley for inside. Make una go burn the farm.” So Ab′sa·lom servants go burn the plot of land. 31 So Jo′ab stand up go Ab′sa·lom house and ask-am say: “Why your servants burn my plot of land?” 32 Ab′sa·lom come answer Jo′ab say: “See! I send you this message, ‘Come make I send you go meet the king make you ask-am say: “Why I come back from Gesh′ur? E for better for me to stay there. Now, make I see the king, and if e think say wetin I do bad, then make e kill me.”’”

33 So Jo′ab go meet the king and tell-am this thing. Then the king call Ab′sa·lom, and e come meet the king, and lie down face ground for front of the king. Then the king kiss Ab′sa·lom.