2 Samuel 14
1 Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the heart of the king had been turned toward Absalom,
Advirtiendo Joab, hijo de Sarvia, que el corazón del rey estaba inclinado hacia Absalón,
2 so he sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her: “Feign that you are in mourning, and put on the clothing of one who mourns. And do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you may be like a woman who is still grieving for someone who died some time ago.
envió (mensajeros) a Tecoa e hizo venir de allí una mujer sabia, a la cual dijo: “Finge que estás de duelo, ponte un vestido de luto, y no te unjas con óleo, a fin de que parezcas ser una mujer que de tiempo atrás está de duelo por un muerto.
3 And you shall enter to the king, and you shall speak words to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.
Irás al rey y le hablarás de esta manera.” Y Joab le puso las palabras en la boca.
4 And so, when the woman of Tekoa had entered to the king, she fell before him on the ground, and she reverenced, and she said, “Save me, O king.”
Fue, pues, aquella mujer de Tecoa a hablar con el rey. Cayendo en tierra sobre su rostro hizo reverencia, y dijo: “¡Sálvame, oh rey!”
5 And the king said to her, “What problem do you have?” And she responded: “Alas, I am a woman who is a widow. For my husband has died.
El rey le dijo: “¿Qué tienes?” Ella respondió: “Soy una mujer viuda, pues se me murió mi marido.
6 And your handmaid had two sons. And they quarreled against one another in the field. And there was no one there who would be able to stop them. And one struck the other, and killed him.
Tenía tu sierva dos hijos, que riñeron en el campo, sin que hubiera quien los separase, de manera que el uno hirió al otro y le mató.
7 And behold, the whole family, rising up against your handmaid, said: ‘Deliver him who struck down his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and so that we may do away with the heir.’ And they are seeking to extinguish my spark that is left, so that there may not survive a name for my husband, nor a remnant upon the earth.”
Y he aquí que toda la parentela se ha levantado contra tu sierva, diciendo: ‘Entréganos al que mató a su hermano, para hacerle morir en venganza de la vida de su hermano a quien mató; y extirparemos también al heredero’. Así extinguirán la centella que me queda aún, sin dejar a mi marido ni nombre ni heredero sobre la faz de la tierra.”
8 And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”
El rey respondió a la mujer: “Vete a tu casa, que yo daré órdenes en tu caso.”
9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “May the iniquity be upon me, my lord, and upon the house of my father. But may the king and his throne be innocent.”
Luego dijo la mujer de Tecoa al rey: “¡Recaiga la culpa, oh rey y señor mío, sobre mí y sobre la casa de mi padre; mas el rey y su trono queden sin culpa!”
10 And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”
Y dijo el rey: “A cualquiera que te moleste, tráele a mí, y no te incomodará más.”
11 And she said, “Let the king remember the Lord his God, so that close blood relatives may not be multiplied in order to take revenge, and so that they may by no means kill my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair from your son shall fall to the ground.”
A lo que replicó ella: “Acuérdese el rey de Yahvé, tu Dios, para que el vengador de la sangre no aumente el estrago matando a mi hijo.” Respondió él: “¡Vive Yahvé, que ni un cabello de tu hijo caerá en tierra!”
12 Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
Dijo entonces la mujer: “Permite que tu sierva diga una palabra a mi señor el rey.” Respondió el rey: “Habla.”
13 And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?
Y dijo la mujer: “¿Por qué has pensado tú esto mismo contra el pueblo de Dios? Pues pronunciando el rey este juicio se hace culpable, por cuanto el rey no hace volver a su (hijo) desterrado.
14 We are all dying, and we are all like waters that flow into the ground and do not return. God does not will to lose a soul. Instead, he renews his efforts, thinking that what has been rejected might not perish altogether.
Que sin duda nos consume la muerte; somos como agua derramada sobre la tierra, la cual no puede ser recogida; pero Dios no quiere quitar la vida, sino que busca medios para que el desterrado no permanezca arrojado de su presencia.
15 Therefore, now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, in the presence of the people. And your handmaid said: I will speak to the king, for perhaps there may be some way for the king to accomplish the word of his handmaid.
Si yo ahora me he presentado para hablar al rey mi señor estas cosas, es porque el pueblo me ha atemorizado. Dijo, pues, tu sierva: «Voy a hablar con el rey; quizás accederá el rey a la palabra de su sierva.
16 And the king listened, and he freed his handmaid from the hand of all who were willing to take away me and my son together, from the inheritance of God.
Seguramente el rey escuchará y librará a su sierva de la mano del hombre que quiere exterminarme, juntamente con mi hijo, de la herencia de Dios.»
17 Therefore, let your handmaid speak, so that the word of my lord the king may be like a sacrifice. For even like an Angel of God, so is my lord the king, so that he is moved by neither a blessing, nor a curse. Then too, the Lord your God is with you.”
Pensó, pues, tu sierva: ¡Que la respuesta de mi señor el rey me dé tranquilidad! Pues como un ángel de Dios, así es mi señor el rey para entender lo bueno y lo malo. ¡Yahvé, tu Dios, sea contigo!”
18 And in response, the king said to the woman, “You shall not conceal from me a word of what I ask you.” And the woman said to him, “Speak, my lord the king.”
Respondió el rey, y dijo a la mujer: “No me encubras nada de lo que voy a preguntarte.” A lo que dijo la mujer: “Hable mi señor el rey.”
19 And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “By the welfare of your soul, my lord the king, it is neither to the left, nor to the right, in all these things that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab himself instructed me, and he himself placed all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.
Preguntó entonces el rey: “¿No está contigo en todo este asunto la mano de Joab?” La mujer respondió y dijo: “Por la vida de tu alma, oh rey, señor mío, que es plena verdad todo lo que dice mi señor el rey; porque tu siervo Joab es el que me lo ha mandado, y él mismo puso en boca de tu sierva todas estas palabras.
20 Thus did I turn to this figure of speech, because your servant Joab instructed it. But you, my lord the king, are wise, just as an Angel of God has wisdom, so that you understand all that is upon the earth.”
Tu siervo Joab hizo esto para disfrazar este asunto, pero mi señor es sabio como un ángel de Dios para conocer todo cuanto pasa en la tierra.”
21 And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”
Dijo entonces el rey a Joab: “He aquí, ya que lo tengo resuelto, ve y haz que vuelva el joven Absalón.”
22 And falling to the ground upon his face, Joab reverenced, and he blessed the king. And Joab said: “Today your servant has understood that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king. For you have accomplished the word of your servant.”
Joab cayó en tierra sobre su rostro, postrándose, y bendijo al rey, diciendo: “Hoy sabe tu siervo que ha hallado gracia a tus ojos, oh rey señor mío, por haber otorgado el rey lo que ha pedido su siervo.”
23 Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.
Y se levantó Joab y fue a Gesur, de donde trajo a Absalón a Jerusalén.
24 But the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” And so, Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.
Pero el rey dijo: “¡Retírese él a su casa y que no venga a ver mi rostro!” Se retiró, pues, Absalón a su casa, sin ver la cara del rey.
25 Now in all of Israel, there was no man so handsome, and so very stately as Absalom. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there was no blemish in him.
En todo Israel no había hombre tan hermoso como Absalón. Desde la planta de su pie hasta la coronilla de su cabeza no había en él defecto alguno.
26 And when he shaved off his hair, for he shaved it off once a year, because his long hair was burdensome to him, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, by the public weights.
Cuando se cortaba el pelo —lo hacía cada año, porque le era muy pesado, por eso lo cortaba— pesaba el cabello de su cabeza doscientos siclos, según el peso del rey.
27 Then three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, of elegant form, whose name was Tamar.
Le nacieron a Absalón tres hijos y una hija, la cual se llamaba Tamar, que era mujer muy hermosa.
28 And Absalom remained for two years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the face of the king.
Absalón estuvo en Jerusalén dos años sin ver la cara del rey.
29 And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,
Por lo cual mandó llamar a Joab para enviarlo al rey; pero Joab no quiso ir a verlo. Mandó, pues, llamarlo por segunda vez; mas no quiso ir.
30 he said to his servants: “You know that the field of Joab, the one that is near my field, has a harvest of barley. Therefore, go and set it on fire.” And so, the servants of Absalom set fire to the grain field. And the servants of Joab, arriving with their garments torn, said, “The servants of Absalom have set fire to part of the field!”
Dijo entonces a sus siervos: “Ved, el campo de Joab está junto al mío, y tiene allí cebada. Id y pegadle fuego.” Y los siervos de Absalón pegaron fuego a (las mieses) del campo.
31 And Joab rose up, and he went to Absalom at his house, and he said, “Why have your servants set fire to my grain field?”
Con lo cual Joab se levantó, y llegado a Absalón, a su casa, le dijo: “¿Por qué tus siervos han pegado fuego a mi campo?”
32 And Absalom responded to Joab: “I sent to you, begging that you might come to me, and that I might send you to the king, and that you might say to him: ‘Why was I brought from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there.’ I beg you, therefore, that I may see the face of the king. And if he is mindful of my iniquity, let him put me to death.”
Contestó Absalón a Joab: “Mira, he enviado por ti para decirte: Ven aquí para que te envíe al rey y le digas: ¿A qué propósito he venido de Gesur? Mejor sería para mí estar todavía allí. Quiero ver ahora el rostro del rey; y si hay en mí culpa quíteme él la vida.”
33 And so, Joab, entering to the king, reported everything to him. And Absalom was summoned. And he entered to the king, and he reverenced on the face of the earth. And the king kissed Absalom.
Fue, pues, Joab al rey y le contó estas cosas; y este llamó a Absalón, el cual vino y se prosternó ante el rey con el rostro en tierra; y el rey besó a Absalón.
