The Second Book of Samuel

15 After all this things don happen, Ab′sa·lom make chariot for imself and get horse them and 50 men wey go dey im front de run. 2 For early morning, Ab′sa·lom go get up and stand for the side of the road wey people de pass go the city gate. Anytime wey any man get case wey e want make the king judge, Ab′sa·lom go call-am and ask-am say: “Na which city you come from?” Then the person go answer-am say: “Your servant come from one of the tribes for Israel.” 3 Ab′sa·lom go tell the person say: “See, wetin you want na the correct thing and e good, but the king no get anybody wey go hear your case.” 4 Then Ab′sa·lom go tell-am say: “I wish say them make me judge for the land! Then anybody wey get case, or e need person to judge im matter fit come meet me, and I go make sure say I judge im matter well.”

5 And when person come near-am to bow to-am, Ab′sa·lom go stretch im hand, hold the person and kiss-am. 6 Na this thing Ab′sa·lom de do to all Israel people wey go come meet the king make e judge their matter, na so Ab′sa·lom come de make the men of Israel de like-am.*

7 When e don complete four years,* Ab′sa·lom come tell the king say: “Abeg, make I go Heb′ron go do wetin I promise Jehovah say I go do. 8 Because when your servant de stay for Gesh′ur for Syria, I make one serious promise say: ‘If Jehovah bring me come back to Jerusalem, I go do offering to* Jehovah.’” 9 So the king tell-am say: “Make you go well.” So e comot go Heb′ron.

10 Then Ab′sa·lom send some people make them hide go all the tribes of Israel, and e tell them say: “Once una hear the sound of the horn, make una announce say, ‘Ab′sa·lom don be king for Heb′ron!’” 11 Na 200 men from Jerusalem follow Ab′sa·lom go Heb′ron. Ab′sa·lom invite them. Them no suspect anything as them follow-am go and them no know wetin de happen. 12 Another thing be say, when Ab′sa·lom de do the sacrifice them, e talk say make them go call the person wey de give David advice, wey im name na A·hith′o·phel, wey be Gi′loh person and them go call-am from im city Gi′loh. The wicked plan continue to work well and the number of people wey de support Ab′sa·lom continue to plenty.

13 After some time, somebody come meet David and tell-am say: “The men of Israel don de support* Ab′sa·lom now.” 14 Quick-quick, David tell all im servants wey dey with-am for Jerusalem say: “Make una get up, make we run comot, because e no get any of us wey go survive for Ab′sa·lom hand! Make una no waste time, so that e no go catch us, and destroy us and kill everybody for the city with sword!” 15 The servants of the king answer the king say: “Your servants ready to do anything wey my lord the king say make we do.” 16 So the king comot, and everybody for im house follow-am, but the king leave ten concubines* so that them go take care of the house.* 17 And the king continue to waka comot with all the people wey de follow-am, and them stop for Beth-merʹhak.

18 All im servants wey de follow-am comot,* and all the Cher′e·thite people, Pel′e·thite people, and Gath people, wey be 600 men wey follow-am* come from Gath, de pass, and the king de check them as them de pass.* 19 Then the king tell It′tai wey come from Gath say: “Why you want follow us go too? Go back go stay with the new king, because you be stranger and person wey them don still pursue comot from im place. 20 You wey just come, why I go tell you today say make you join us de waka-waka, de follow me go anywhere, for anytime wey I want go? Go back and carry your brothers follow you. Make Jehovah show you love wey no de fail and make e no ever leave you!” 21 But It′tai answer the king say: “As Jehovah dey alive, and as my lord the king dey alive, anywhere wey my lord the king dey, whether e dey alive or e die, na there your servant go dey!” 22 So David tell It′tai say: “Go, make you cross go the other side.” So It′tai wey come from Gath cross go the other side, together with all im men and pikin them.

23 Everybody for the land de raise their voice de cry as all this people de cross go the other side, and the king stand near the Lowland* of Kid′ron. All the people de cross go the road wey person fit pass go the wilderness. 24 Za′dok be dey there too, and all the Levites dey there with-am and them carry the ark of the agreement of the true God. Them come put the Ark of the true God down; A·bi′a·thar too be dey there, until all the people cross finish from the city. 25 But the king tell Za′dok say: “Carry the Ark of the true God go back go the city. If Jehovah de happy with me, e go bring me come back and make me see the Ark and the place wey them keep-am. 26 But if e talk say, ‘I no de happy with you,’ then make e do me anything wey good for im eye.” 27 The king tell Za′dok wey be priest say: “You be person wey de see vision, no be so? Make you and A·bi′a·thar go back to the city, and make you take A·him′a·az your son, and Jon′a·than, the son of A·bi′a·thar. And make things go well for una.” 28 See, I go still dey for the place wey them fit use leg cross the water wey dey near the wilderness, until una send message to tell me how things be.” 29 So Za′dok and A·bi′a·thar carry the Ark of the true God go back to Jerusalem, and them stay for there.

30 As David de go up for the Mount of Olives, e de cry as e de go up. E cover im head,* and e no wear anything for im leg. All the people wey de follow-am cover their head too and them de cry as them de go up. 31 Them come tell David say: “A·hith′o·phel dey among the people wey de support the wicked plan of Ab′sa·lom.” As David hear this one, e talk say: “O Jehovah, abeg, make A·hith′o·phel advice be like advice of person wey no get sense!”

32 When David reach up-up for the place wey people de go bow to God before, Hu′shai wey be Ar′chite person be dey there to come meet-am. Im cloth don tear and dust dey im head.* 33 But David tell-am say: “If you cross with me, you go be load for me. 34 But if you go back to the city and you tell Ab′sa·lom say, ‘O King, I be your servant. Before-before, I be your papa servant, but now I be your servant.’ If you do like that, you go fit spoil the advice of A·hith′o·phel for me. 35 Za′dok and A·bi′a·thar wey be priests dey there with you, no be so? You must tell Za′dok and A·bi′a·thar wey be priests everything wey you hear from the house of the king. 36 See! Their two sons, A·him′a·az the son of Za′dok, and Jon′a·than the son of A·bi′a·thar dey there with them. Send them to come tell me everything wey you hear.” 37 So Hu′shai wey be David friend,* go inside the city as Ab′sa·lom de enter Jerusalem.