2 Samuel 14

1 And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

Forsothe Joab, the sone of Saruye, vndirstood, that the herte of the kyng was turned to Absolon;

2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments, I pray, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead;

and he sente to Thecua, and took fro thennus a wise womman, and he seide to hir, Feyne thee to morene, and be thou clothid with clooth of duyl, and be thou anoyntid with oile, that thou be as a womman by morenynge `now in ful myche tyme a deed man.

3 and come to the king, and speak after this manner to him. And Joab put the words into her mouth.

And thou schalt entre to the kyng, and thou schalt speke to hym siche wordis. Sotheli Joab puttide the wordis in hir mouth.

4 And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Save, O king!

Therfor whanne the womman of Thecua hadde entrid to the kyng, sche felde bifor hym on the erthe, and worschipide, and seide, A! kyng, kepe me.

5 And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

And the kyng seide to hir, What hast thou of cause? And sche answeride, Alas! Y am a womman widewe, for myn hosebonde is deed;

6 And thy bondmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.

and tweyne sones weren of thin handmayde, whiche debatiden ayens hem silf in the feeld, and `noon was that myyte forbede hem, and oon smoot `the tother, and killide hym.

7 And behold, the whole family is risen against thy bondmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also: so they will quench my coal which is left, and will not leave to my husband a name or remnant on the earth.

And lo! al the kynrede risith ayens thin handmayde, and seith, Yyue thou hym that killide his brothir, that we sle hym for the lijf of his brother whom he killide, and that we do awei the eir; and thei seken to quenche my sparcle whych is lefte, that name dwelle not to myn hosebonde, and relikis, `ethir remenauntis, be not to him on erthe.

8 And the king said to the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

And the kyng seide to the womman, Go in to thin hows, and Y schal comaunde for thee.

9 And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the iniquity, and upon my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.

And the womman of Thecua seide to the kyng, My lord the kyng, this wickidnesse be on me, and on the hows of my fadir; forsothe the kyng and his trone be innocent.

10 And the king said, Whoever speaks to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

And the kyng seide, Brynge thou hym to me, that ayenseith thee, and he schal no more adde that he touche thee.

11 Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they cut off my son. And he said, [As] Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

And sche seide, The kyng haue mynde on his Lord God, and the nexte men of blood to take veniaunce be not multiplied, and `thei schulen not sle my sone. And the kyng seide, The Lord lyueth, for noon of the heeris of thi sone schal falle on the erthe.

12 And the woman said, Let thy bondmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.

Therfor the womman seide, Thin handmayde speke a word to my lord the kyng. And the kyng seide, Speke thou.

13 And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against God's people? and the king in saying this thing, is as one guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

And the womman seide, Whi `thouytist thou sich a thing ayens the puple of God? and the kyng spak this word, that he do synne, and brynge not ayen his sone cast out?

14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God has not taken away his life, but devises means that the banished one be not expelled from him.

Alle we dyen, and as watris that schulen not turne ayen, we sliden in to erthe; and God nyl that a soule perische, but he withdrawith, and thenkith lest he perische outirly, which is cast awey.

15 And now that I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy bondmaid said, I will now speak to the king; perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

Now therfor come thou, that Y speke to my lord the kyng this word, while the puple is present; and thin handmaide seide, Y schal speke to the kyng, if in ony maner the kyng do the word of his handmayde.

16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

And the kyng herde the wordis, that he schulde delyuere his handmayde fro the hondis of alle men, that wolden do awei me, and my sone to gidere, fro the eritage of the Lord.

17 And thy bondmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king now be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and Jehovah thy God will be with thee.

Therfor thin hand mayde seie, that the word of my lord the kyng be maad as sacrifice, `that is, that the sentence youun of hym be plesaunt to God, as sacrifice plesith God; for as an aungel of the Lord, so is my lord the kyng, that he be not mouyd bi blessyng nether bi cursyng. Wherfor and thi Lord God is with thee.

18 And the king answered and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

And the kyng answeride, and seide to the womman, Hide thou not fro me the word which Y axe thee. And the womman seide to hym, Speke thou, my lord the kyng.

19 And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid:

And the kyng seide, Whether the hond of Joab is with thee in alle these thingis? The womman answeride, and seide, Bi the helthe of thi soule, my lord the kyng, nether to the left side nether to the riyt side is ony thing of alle these thingis, whiche my lord the kyng spak. For thi seruaunt Joab hym silf comaundide to me, and he puttide alle these wordis in to the mouth of thin handmaide,

20 in order to turn the appearance of the thing has thy servant Joab done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.

that Y schulde turne the figure of this word; for thi seruaunt Joab comaundide this thing. Forsothe thou, my lord the kyng, art wijs, as an aungel of God hath wisdom, that thou vnderstonde alle thingis on erthe.

21 And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: so go, bring back the young man Absalom.

And the kyng seide to Joab, Lo! Y am plesid, and Y haue do thi word; therfor go thou, and ayen clepe thou the child Absolon.

22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said, To-day thy servant knows that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.

And Joab felde on his face to erthe, and worschipide, and blesside the kyng; and Joab seide, Thi seruaunt hath vndirstonde to dai, that Y foond grace in thin iyen, my lord the kyng, for thou hast do the word of thi seruaunt.

23 And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

Therfor Joab roos, and yede in to Gessur, and brouyte Absolon in to Jerusalem.

24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. And Absalom withdrew to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

Forsothe the kyng seide, Turne he ayen in to his hows, and se not he my face.

25 But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

Therfor Absolon turnede ayen in to his hows, and siy not the face of the kyng. Sotheli no man in al Israel was so fair as Absolon, and ful comeli; fro the step of the foot `til to the top, `no wem was in hym;

26 And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year's end that he shaved it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he shaved it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

and in as myche as `he clippide more the heeris, bi so myche thei wexiden more; forsothe he was clippid onys in the yeer, for the heer greuede him. And whanne he clippide the heeris, he weiyide `the heeris of his heed bi twei hundrid siclis with comyn weiyte.

27 And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a beautiful countenance.

Forsothe thre sones, and a douyter, Thamar bi name, of `excellent forme weren borun to Absolon.

28 So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face.

And Absolon dwellide in Jerusalem twei yeer, and he siy not the face of the kyng.

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

Therfor he sente to Joab, that he schulde sende hym to the kyng; which Joab nolde come to hym. And whanne he hadde sent the secounde tyme, and Joab nolde come,

30 Then he said to his servants, See, Joab's allotment is near mine and he has barley there: go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the allotment on fire.

Absolon seide to hise seruauntis, Ye knowen the feeld of Joab bisidis my feeld hauynge ripe barli; therfor go ye, and brenne ye it with fier. Therfor the seruauntis of Absolon brenten the corn with fier. And the seruauntis of Joab camen with her clothis to-rent, and seiden, The seruauntis

31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to [his] house, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my allotment on fire?

of Absolon han brent the part of feeld bi fier. And Joab roos, and cam to Absolon in to his hows, and seide, Whi

32 And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it would have been better for me to be there still. And now let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him slay me.

han thi seruauntis brent my corn bi fier? And Absolon answeride to Joab, Y sente to thee, and bisouyte that thou schuldist come to me, and that Y schulde sende thee to the kyng, that thou schuldist seie to hym, Whi cam Y fro Gessur? It was betere to me to be there; therfor Y biseche, that Y se the face of the kyng, that if he is myndeful of my wickidnesse, sle he me.

33 And Joab came to the king, and told him. And he called Absalom, and he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

Joab entride to the kyng, and telde to hym. And Absolon was clepid, and entryde to the kyng, and worschipide on the face of erthe bifor hym, and the kyng kisside Absolon.