撒母耳记下 14
1 洗鲁雅的儿子约押，知道王心里想念押沙龙，
Joab, son of Zeruiah, knew that the king kept on thinking about Absalom.
2 就打发人往提哥亚去，从那里叫了一个聪明的妇人来，对她说：“请你假装居丧的，穿上孝衣，不要用膏抹身，要装作为死者许久悲哀的妇人；
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 进去见王，对王如此如此说。”于是约押将当说的话教导了妇人。
Then go to the king and tell him this.” Joab told her what to say.
4 提哥亚妇人到王面前，伏地叩拜，说：“王啊，求你拯救！”
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 王问她说：“你有什么事呢？”回答说：“婢女实在是寡妇，我丈夫死了。
“What's the matter?” the king asked her. “Sadly I'm a widow. My husband is dead,” she replied.
6 我有两个儿子，一日在田间争斗，没有人解劝，这个就打死那个。
“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 现在全家的人都起来攻击婢女，说：‘你将那打死兄弟的交出来，我们好治死他，偿他打死兄弟的命，灭绝那承受家业的。’这样，他们要将我剩下的炭火灭尽，不与我丈夫留名留后在世上。”
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 王对妇人说：“你回家去吧！我必为你下令。”
“Go on home,” the king told the woman, “and I myself will make sure your case is dealt with for you.”
9 提哥亚妇人又对王说：“我主我王，愿这罪归我和我父家，与王和王的位无干。”
“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 王说：“凡难为你的，你就带他到我这里来，他必不再搅扰你。”
“If anyone complains to you about it, bring him here to me, and he won't bother you again!” the king told her.
11 妇人说：“愿王记念耶和华—你的 神，不许报血仇的人施行灭绝，恐怕他们灭绝我的儿子。”王说：“我指着永生的耶和华起誓：你的儿子连一根头发也不致落在地上。”
“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 妇人说：“求我主我王容婢女再说一句话。”王说：“你说吧！”
“Could I please ask for one other thing, Your Majesty?” the woman asked. “Go ahead,” he replied.
13 妇人说：“王为何也起意要害 神的民呢？王不使那逃亡的人回来，王的这话就是自证己错了！
“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 我们都是必死的，如同水泼在地上，不能收回。 神并不夺取人的性命，乃设法使逃亡的人不致成为赶出、回不来的。
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 我来将这话告诉我主我王，是因百姓使我惧怕。婢女想，不如将这话告诉王，或者王成就婢女所求的。
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 人要将我和我儿子从 神的地业上一同除灭，王必应允救我脱离他的手。
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 婢女又想，我主我王的话必安慰我；因为我主我王能辨别是非，如同 神的使者一样。惟愿耶和华—你的 神与你同在！”
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 王对妇人说：“我要问你一句话，你一点不要瞒我。”妇人说：“愿我主我王说。”
“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 王说：“你这些话莫非是约押的主意吗？”妇人说：“我敢在我主我王面前起誓：王的话正对，不偏左右，是王的仆人约押吩咐我的，这些话是他教导我的。
“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 王的仆人约押如此行，为要挽回这事。我主的智慧却如 神使者的智慧，能知世上一切事。”
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 王对约押说：“我应允你这事。你可以去，把那少年人押沙龙带回来。”
The king said to Joab, “Fine, I'll do it. Go and bring young Absalom back.”
22 约押就面伏于地叩拜，祝谢于王，又说：“王既应允仆人所求的，仆人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩了。”
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 于是约押起身往基述去，将押沙龙带回耶路撒冷。
Joab went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 王说：“使他回自己家里去，不要见我的面。”押沙龙就回自己家里去，没有见王的面。
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 以色列全地之中，无人像押沙龙那样俊美，得人的称赞，从脚底到头顶毫无瑕疵。
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 他的头发甚重，每到年底剪发一次；所剪下来的，按王的平称一称，重二百舍客勒。
He cut his hair every year because it got so heavy—it weighed two hundred royal shekels.
27 押沙龙生了三个儿子，一个女儿。女儿名叫她玛，是个容貌俊美的女子。
He had three sons, and a daughter named Tamar—a very beautiful woman.
28 押沙龙住在耶路撒冷足有二年，没有见王的面。
Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years but was not permitted to see the king.
29 押沙龙打发人去叫约押来，要托他去见王，约押却不肯来。第二次打发人去叫他，他仍不肯来。
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 所以押沙龙对仆人说：“你们看，约押有一块田，与我的田相近，其中有大麦，你们去放火烧了。”押沙龙的仆人就去放火烧了那田。
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 于是约押起来，到了押沙龙家里，问他说：“你的仆人为何放火烧了我的田呢？”
Joab went to Absalom's house and asked “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 押沙龙回答约押说：“我打发人去请你来，好托你去见王，替我说：‘我为何从基述回来呢？不如仍在那里。’现在要许我见王的面；我若有罪，任凭王杀我就是了。”
“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 于是约押去见王，将这话奏告王，王便叫押沙龙来。押沙龙来见王，在王面前俯伏于地，王就与押沙龙亲嘴。
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.
