2 Samuel 14

1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was towards Absalom.

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

2 Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please, and don’t anoint yourself with oil; but be as a woman who has mourned a long time 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 Go in to the king and speak like this to him.” So Joab put the words in 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 When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, 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 The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, 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 Your servant had two sons; and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed 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 Behold, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of 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 The king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.”

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

9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, may the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and may 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 The king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you 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, “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 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 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”

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

13 The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again 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 die, and are like water spilled on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast 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 Now therefore, seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. Your servant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’

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 servant out of the hand of the man who 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 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.’”

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 Then the king answered the woman, “Please don’t hide anything from me that I ask you.” 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 The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in 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 spoken; for your servant Joab urged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.

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 Your servant Joab has done this thing to change the face of the matter. My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are 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 The king said to Joab, “Behold now, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, and bring the young man Absalom back.”

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 Joab fell to the ground on his face, showed respect, and blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favour in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has performed 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 So 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 The king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, and didn’t see the king’s face.

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

25 Now in all Israel there was no one 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 defect 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 When he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year’s end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut 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 Three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a woman with a beautiful face.

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

28 Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and he didn’t 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. Then he sent again a 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 Therefore he said to his servants, “Behold, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field 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 your servants set my field 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 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, 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 to be there still. Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill 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 So Joab came to the king and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, 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.