2 Samuel 14
1 When Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart longed for Absalom,
洗魯雅的兒子約押，知道王心裏想念押沙龍，
2 he sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave as a woman who has been mourning for the dead a long time.
就打發人往提哥亞去，從那裏叫了一個聰明的婦人來，對她說：「請你假裝居喪的，穿上孝衣，不要用膏抹身，要裝作為死者許久悲哀的婦人；
3 Go in to the king and say this to him." Then Joab told her what to say.
進去見王，對王如此如此說。」於是約押將當說的話教導了婦人。
4 And the woman of Tekoa went to the king, and she bowed down with her face to the ground and showed respect, and said, "Help, O king."
提哥亞婦人到王面前，伏地叩拜，說：「王啊，求你拯救！」
5 And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" And she replied, "Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
王問她說：「你有甚麼事呢？」回答說：「婢女實在是寡婦，我丈夫死了。
6 And your servant had two sons, and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
我有兩個兒子，一日在田間爭鬥，沒有人解勸，這個就打死那個。
7 Look, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, 'Give us the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed.' Thus they would eliminate also the heir and the one ember I have left will be extinguished, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.
現在全家的人都起來攻擊婢女，說：『你將那打死兄弟的交出來，我們好治死他，償他打死兄弟的命，滅絕那承受家業的。』這樣，他們要將我剩下的炭火滅盡，不與我丈夫留名留後在世上。」
8 Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to the king, my lord, it is because the people have made me afraid: and your servant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.'
王對婦人說：「你回家去吧！我必為你下令。」
9 For the king will hear and deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who is seeking to destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of the LORD.
提哥亞婦人又對王說：「我主我王，願這罪歸我和我父家，與王和王的位無干。」
10 Then your servant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. May the LORD, your God, be with you.'"
王說：「凡難為你的，你就帶他到我這裏來，他必不再攪擾你。」
11 Then the king said, "Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you."
婦人說：「願王記念耶和華－你的上帝，不許報血仇的人施行滅絕，恐怕他們滅絕我的兒子。」王說：「我指着永生的耶和華起誓：你的兒子連一根頭髮也不致落在地上。」
12 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless."
婦人說：「求我主我王容婢女再說一句話。」王說：「你說吧！」
13 The king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more."
婦人說：「王為何也起意要害上帝的民呢？王不使那逃亡的人回來，王的這話就是自證己錯了！
14 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son." He said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."
我們都是必死的，如同水潑在地上，不能收回。上帝並不奪取人的性命，乃設法使逃亡的人不致成為趕出、回不來的。
15 Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Say on."
我來將這話告訴我主我王，是因百姓使我懼怕。婢女想，不如將這話告訴王，或者王成就婢女所求的。
16 The woman said, "Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of the LORD? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his exiled one.
人要將我和我兒子從上帝的地業上一同除滅，王必應允救我脫離他的手。
17 For your son is dead, and as water spilled on the ground can't be gathered up again, so he can't bring his life back again. But it seems sensible to the king to keep his exiled one away from him."
婢女又想，我主我王的話必安慰我；因為我主我王能辨別是非，如同上帝的使者一樣。惟願耶和華－你的上帝與你同在！」
18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."
王對婦人說：「我要問你一句話，你一點不要瞞我。」婦人說：「願我主我王說。」
19 So the king said, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who had me do this, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
王說：「你這些話莫非是約押的主意嗎？」婦人說：「我敢在我主我王面前起誓：王的話正對，不偏左右，是王的僕人約押吩咐我的，這些話是他教導我的。
20 Your servant Joab did this in order to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of an angel of God for knowing things in the land."
王的僕人約押如此行，為要挽回這事。我主的智慧卻如上帝使者的智慧，能知世上一切事。」
21 Then the king said to Joab, "Look now, I have done according to your word. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."
王對約押說：「我應允你這事。你可以去，把那少年人押沙龍帶回來。」
22 Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground, and blessed the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."
約押就面伏於地叩拜，祝謝於王，又說：「王既應允僕人所求的，僕人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩了。」
23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
於是約押起身往基述去，將押沙龍帶回耶路撒冷。
24 The king said, "He must return to his own house, but he must not see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king's face.
王說：「使他回自己家裏去，不要見我的面。」押沙龍就回自己家裏去，沒有見王的面。
25 Moreover, Absalom – in Israel no one was so much admired as he for his fine appearance. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
以色列全地之中，無人像押沙龍那樣俊美，得人的稱讚，從腳底到頭頂毫無瑕疵。
26 When he cut the hair of his head – now it was at the end of every year that he cut it, because it became too heavy, therefore he cut it – he weighed the hair of his head at one hundred shekels by the king's weight.
他的頭髮甚重，每到年底剪髮一次；所剪下來的，按王的平稱一稱，重二百舍客勒。
27 To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
押沙龍生了三個兒子，一個女兒。女兒名叫她瑪，是個容貌俊美的女子。
28 Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he did not see the king's face.
押沙龍住在耶路撒冷足有二年，沒有見王的面。
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.
押沙龍打發人去叫約押來，要託他去見王，約押卻不肯來。第二次打發人去叫他，他仍不肯來。
30 Therefore he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." Absalom's servants set the field on fire. And the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes rent, and they said to him, "The servants of Absalom have set the field on fire."
所以押沙龍對僕人說：「你們看，約押有一塊田，與我的田相近，其中有大麥，你們去放火燒了。」押沙龍的僕人就去放火燒了那田。
31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"
於是約押起來，到了押沙龍家裏，問他說：「你的僕人為何放火燒了我的田呢？」
32 And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there. Now therefore let me appear before the king. If I am guilty, put me to death.'"
押沙龍回答約押說：「我打發人去請你來，好託你去見王，替我說：『我為何從基述回來呢？不如仍在那裏。』現在要許我見王的面；我若有罪，任憑王殺我就是了。」
33 So Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. And he came to the king and bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
於是約押去見王，將這話奏告王，王便叫押沙龍來。押沙龍來見王，在王面前俯伏於地，王就與押沙龍親嘴。
