2 Samuel 14

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

Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.

2 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;

So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

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

Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 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!

When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”

5 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.

“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.

6 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.

And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.

7 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.

Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”

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

“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”

9 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.

But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”

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

“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”

11 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.

“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

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

Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.

13 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?

The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

14 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.

For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.

15 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.

Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.

16 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.

For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’

17 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.

And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”

18 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.

Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

19 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:

So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.

20 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.

Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

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

Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

22 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.

Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”

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

So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 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.

But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.

25 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.

Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.

26 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.

And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard.

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

Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

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

Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.

29 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.

Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

30 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.

Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

31 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?

Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

32 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.

“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

33 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.

So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.