2 Samuel 14

1 Now it was clear to Joab, the son of Zeruiah, that the king's heart was turning to Absalom.

And Joab, son of Zeruiah, perceived that the heart of the king was towards Absolom.

2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and got from there a wise woman, and said to her, Now make yourself seem like one given up to grief, and put on the clothing of sorrow, not using any sweet oil for your body, but looking like one who for a long time has been weeping for the dead:

So Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched from thence, a wise woman, —and said unto her—I pray thee, feign thyself a mourner, and put on, I pray thee, mourning apparel, and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath, these many days, been mourning for the dead;

3 And come to the king and say these words to him. So Joab gave her words to say.

so shalt thou come in unto the king, and speak unto him, after this manner. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 And the woman of Tekoa came to the king, and falling on her face, gave him honour and said, Give me help, O king.

And, when the woman of Tekoa came in unto the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did homage, —and said—Save, O king!

5 And the king said to her, What is your trouble? And her answer was, Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

And the king said to her—What aileth thee? And she said—Of a truth, a widow woman, am I, for my husband is dead.

6 And I had two sons, and the two of them had a fight in the field, and there was no one to come between them, and one with a blow put the other to death.

Now, thy maidservant, had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, with none to tear them apart, —so the one smote the other, and slew him.

7 And now all the family is turned against me, your servant, saying, Give up him who was the cause of his brother's death, so that we may put him to death in payment for the life of his brother, whose life he took; and we will put an end to the one who will get the heritage: so they will put out my last burning coal, and my husband will have no name or offspring on the face of the earth.

Lo! therefore, all the family hath risen up against thy maidservant, and have said: Give up him that hath smitten his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother, whom he hath slain, that we may destroy, the heir also. So will they quench my ember that is left, and make my husband without name or remainder, on the face of the ground.

8 And the king said to the woman, Go to your house and I will give orders about this.

And the king said unto the woman—Go to thy house, and, I, will give command concerning thee.

9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, may the sin be on me and on my family, and may the king and the seat of his kingdom be clear of sin!

Then said the woman of Tekoa unto the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the iniquity, and upon the house of my father, —but, the king and his throne, be guiltless.

10 And the king said, If anyone says anything to you, make him come to me, and he will do you no more damage.

And the king said, —He that speaketh unto thee, bring him in unto me, and he shall, no more, annoy thee.

11 Then she said, Let the king keep in mind the Lord your God, so that he who gives punishment for blood may be kept back from further destruction and that no one may send death on my son. And he said, By the living Lord, not a hair of your son's head will come to the earth.

Then said she: Let the king, I pray thee, remember Yahweh thy God; so that the blood-redeemer may not make utter ruin, and that they destroy not my son. And he said—By the life of Yahweh, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

12 Then the woman said, Will the king let his servant say one word more? And he said, Say on.

Then said the woman, Pray let thy maidservant speak unto my lord the king, a word. And he said—Speak.

13 And the woman said, Why have you had such a thought about the people of God? (for in saying these very words the king has put himself in the wrong because he has not taken back the one whom he sent far away.)

And the woman said, Wherefore, then, hast thou devised the like of this, for the people of God; and yet the king, in speaking this word, is verily guilty, unless the king, bring back his fugitive?

14 For death comes to us all, and we are like water drained out on the earth, which it is not possible to take up again; and God will not take away the life of the man whose purpose is that he who has been sent away may not be completely cut off from him.

For, when we, die, we become as water poured on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, —therefore doth God not take away the life, but deviseth plans so as not to thrust out from him, a fugitive.

15 And now it is my fear of the people which has made me come to say these words to my lord the king: and your servant said, I will put my cause before the king, and it may be that he will give effect to my request.

Now, therefore, [is it] that I have come to speak unto the king my lord this word, because the people kept putting me in fear, —so thy maidservant said—Do let me, I pray you, speak unto the king! peradventure the king will fulfil the request of his handmaid.

16 For the king will give ear, and take his servant out of the power of the man whose purpose is the destruction of me and my son together from the heritage of God.

For the king can hearken, to rescue his handmaid out of the power of the man who would seek to destroy both me and my son together, out of the inheritance of God.

17 Then your servant said, May the word of my lord the king give me peace! for my lord the king is as the angel of God in his hearing of good and bad: and may the Lord your God be with you!

So thy maidservant said, Pray let the word of my lord the king be comforting, —for, as the messenger of God, so is my lord the king, in hearing the good and the bad, Yahweh thy God, then, be with thee.

18 Then the king said to the woman, Now give me an answer to the question I am going to put to you; keep nothing back. And the woman said, Let my lord the king say on.

Then responded the king, and said unto the woman, Nay, now! do not hide from me, the thing which I am about to ask thee. And the woman said, Pray let my lord the king speak.

19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman in answer said, By the life of your soul, my lord the king, it is not possible for anyone to go to the right hand or to the left from anything said by the king: your servant Joab gave me orders, and put all these words in my mouth:

Then said the king, Is, the hand of Joab, with thee, in all this? And the woman answered and said—By the life of thy soul, my lord, O king, there is no way to the right or to the left, of anything that my lord the king hath spoken, for, thy servant Joab himself, charged me, and, himself, put, in the mouth of thy maidservant, all these words:

20 This he did, hoping that the face of this business might be changed: and my lord is wise, with the wisdom of the angel of God, having knowledge of everything on earth.

for the purpose of turning round the face of the matter, hath thy servant Joab done this thing, —my lord being wise, as with the wisdom of a messenger of God, in knowing all that is [done] in the land.

21 And the king said to Joab, See now, I will do this thing: go then and Come back with the young man Absalom.

Then said the king unto Joab, See, I pray thee, I a have done this thing, —go then—bring back the young man, Absolom.

22 Then Joab, falling down on his face on the earth, gave the king honour and blessing; and Joab said, Today it is clear to your servant that I have grace in your eyes, my lord king, because the king has given effect to the request of his servant.

So Joab fell with his face to the earth, and did homage, and blessed the king, —and Joab said—To-day, doth thy servant know, that I have found favour in thine eyes, my lord O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of thy servant.

23 So Joab got up and went to Geshur and came back again to Jerusalem with Absalom.

And Joab arose, and went to Geshur, —and brought Absolom to Jerusalem.

24 And the king said, Let him go to his house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom went back to his house and did not see the face of the king.

And the king said—Let him go round to his own house, and, my face, let him not see. So Absolom went round, unto his own house, and, the face of the king, saw he not.

25 Now in all Israel there was no one so greatly to be praised for his beautiful form as Absalom: from his feet to the crown of his head he was completely beautiful.

Now, like unto Absolom, was there no man handsome in all Israel, to be greatly praised, —from the sole of his foot, even unto the crown of his head, there was not, in him, a blemish.

26 And when he had his hair cut, (which he did at the end of every year, because of the weight of his hair; ) the weight of the hair was two hundred shekels by the king's weight.

And when he polled his head—and it was at every year’s end that he used to poll it, because it was heavy upon him, therefore he used to poll it—he would weigh the hair of his head, two hundred shekels, by the royal standard.

27 And Absalom was the father of three sons and of one daughter named Tamar, who was very beautiful.

And there were born to Absolom three sons, and one daughter, whose name, was Tamar, —she, was a woman beautiful to look upon.

28 For two full years Absalom was living in Jerusalem without ever seeing the face of the king.

So Absolom dwelt in Jerusalem two years of days, —and, the face of the king, had he not seen.

29 Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

Then sent Absolom unto Joab, to send him unto the king, but he would not come to him, —so he sent yet a second time, but he would not come.

30 So he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley in it; go and put it on fire. And Absalom's servants put the field on fire.

Then said he unto his servants—See, the allotted portion of Joab, adjoineth me, and, he, hath barley there, go, and set it on fire. So the servants of Absolom set the portion on fire.

31 Then Joab came to Absalom in his house and said to him, Why have your servants put my field on fire?

Then rose Joab, and went unto Absolom, in his house, —and said unto him, Wherefore, have thy servants set the portion that pertaineth to me, on fire?

32 And Absalom's answer was, See, I sent to you saying, Come here, so that I may send you to the king to say, Why have I come back from Geshur? it would be better for me to be there still: let me now see the king's face, and if there is any sin in me, let him put me to death.

And Absolom said unto Joab—Lo! I sent unto thee, saying—Come hither, that I may send thee unto the king, saying—Wherefore, am I come from Geshur? I, might as well have yet been there. Now, therefore, let me see the face of the king, and, if there is in me iniquity, then let him put me to death.

33 So Joab went to the king and said these words to him: and when the king had sent for him, Absalom came, and went down on his face on the earth before the king: and the king gave him a kiss.

So Joab came unto the king, and told him, and the king called for Absolom, and he came in unto the king, and bowed himself down with his face to the ground, before the king, —and the king kissed Absolom.