Ii Samuelis 14
1 intellegens autem Ioab filius Sarviae quod cor regis versum esset ad Absalom
Joab realized that the king yearned [IDM] to see Absalom.
2 misit Thecuam et tulit inde mulierem sapientem dixitque ad eam lugere te simula et induere veste lugubri et ne unguaris oleo ut sis quasi mulier plurimo iam tempore lugens mortuum
So Joab sent someone to Tekoa [town] to bring back a woman who was very clever. [When she arrived, ] Joab said to her, “Pretend that you are grieving because someone has died. Put on clothes that show that you are mourning. Do not put any lotion/ointment on your body. Act as if you are a woman who has been mourning for a long time.
3 et ingredieris ad regem et loqueris ad eum sermones huiuscemodi posuit autem Ioab verba in ore eius
And go to the king, and tell him what I tell you to say.” Then Joab told her what to say [MTY] [to the king].
4 itaque cum ingressa fuisset mulier thecuites ad regem cecidit coram eo super terram et adoravit et dixit serva me rex
So the woman from Tekoa went to the king. She prostrated herself in front of him and then bowed down to him, and said, “Your Majesty, help me!”
5 et ait ad eam rex quid causae habes quae respondit heu mulier vidua ego sum mortuus est enim vir meus
The king replied, “What is your problem?” She replied, “Please, sir, I am a widow. My husband died [some time ago].
6 et ancillae tuae erant duo filii qui rixati sunt adversum se in agro nullusque erat qui eos prohibere posset et percussit alter alterum et interfecit eum
I had two sons. But one day they quarreled with each other out in the fields. There was no one to separate them, and one of them struck the other one and killed him.
7 et ecce consurgens universa cognatio adversum ancillam tuam dicit trade eum qui percussit fratrem suum ut occidamus eum pro anima fratris sui quem interfecit et deleamus heredem et quaerunt extinguere scintillam meam quae relicta est ut non supersit viro meo nomen et reliquiae super terram
Now, all my family oppose me. They are insisting that I allow them to kill my son who is still alive [MTY], in order that they may get revenge for his killing his brother. But if they do that, I will not have any son to inherit [my husband’s possessions]. That would be like [MET] extinguishing the last coals of a fire, and my husband would not have a son to preserve our family’s name. [DOU]”
8 et ait rex ad mulierem vade in domum tuam et ego iubebo pro te
Then the king said to the woman, “Go back home; I will take care of this matter for you.”
9 dixitque mulier thecuites ad regem in me domine mi rex iniquitas et in domum patris mei rex autem et thronus eius sit innocens
The woman from Tekoa replied to the king, “Your Majesty, if you are criticized [for helping me], my family and I will accept the blame. You and the royal family will (be innocent/not have done what is wrong).”
10 et ait rex qui contradixerit tibi adduc eum ad me et ultra non addet ut tangat te
The king said to her, “If anyone says anything [to threaten you/cause you trouble] you, bring that person to me, and [I will make sure that] he will never cause you trouble again.”
11 quae ait recordetur rex Domini Dei sui ut non multiplicentur proximi sanguinis ad ulciscendum et nequaquam interficient filium meum qui ait vivit Dominus quia non cadet de capillis filii tui super terram
Then the woman said, “Your Majesty, please pray that Yahweh your God will not allow my relative, who [wants to get] revenge on my son for killing [MTY] his brother, to be able to do that.” David replied, “As surely as Yahweh lives, your son will not be harmed at all. [IDM]”
12 dixit ergo mulier loquatur ancilla tua ad dominum meum regem verbum et ait loquere
Then the woman said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to say one more thing to you.” He replied, “Speak!”
13 dixitque mulier quare cogitasti istiusmodi rem contra populum Dei et locutus est rex verbum istud ut peccet et non reducat eiectum suum
The woman said, “Why have you done this bad thing to God’s people? You have not allowed your son Absalom to return home. By saying what you have just said, you have certainly declared [RHQ] that what you have done is wrong.
14 omnes morimur et quasi aquae delabimur in terram quae non revertuntur nec vult perire Deus animam sed retractat cogitans ne penitus pereat qui abiectus est
We all die; we are like [SIM] water that cannot be picked up after it is spilled on the ground. But God does not just cause us to die; he creates ways to bring us back when we become separated from him.
15 nunc igitur veni ut loquar ad regem dominum meum verbum hoc praesente populo et dixit ancilla tua loquar ad regem si quo modo faciat rex verbum ancillae suae
“Now, Your Majesty, I have come to you because others have threatened me. So I said to myself, ‘I will go and talk to the king, and perhaps he will do what I request him to do.
16 et audivit rex ut liberaret ancillam suam de manu omnium qui volebant delere me et filium meum simul de hereditate Dei
Perhaps he will listen to me, and save me from the man who is trying to kill my son. If my son is killed, it would result in us disappearing from the land that God gave to us.’
17 dicat ergo ancilla tua ut fiat verbum domini mei regis quasi sacrificium sicut enim angelus Dei sic est dominus meus rex ut nec benedictione nec maledictione moveatur unde et Dominus Deus tuus est tecum
“And I thought, ‘What the king says will comfort/encourage me, because the king is like [SIM] an angel of God. He knows what is good and what is evil.’ I pray/desire that Yahweh our God will (be with/direct) you.”
18 et respondens rex dixit ad mulierem ne abscondas a me verbum quod te interrogo dixitque mulier loquere domine mi rex
Then the king said to the woman, “I will now ask you a question. Answer it, and tell me the truth. [LIT]” The woman replied, “Your majesty, ask your question.”
19 et ait rex numquid manus Ioab tecum est in omnibus istis respondit mulier et ait per salutem animae tuae domine mi rex nec ad dextram nec ad sinistram est ex omnibus his quae locutus est dominus meus rex servus enim tuus Ioab ipse praecepit mihi et ipse posuit in os ancillae tuae omnia verba haec
The king said, “Was Joab the one who told you to do this?” She replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I cannot avoid telling you what is true. Yes, indeed, it was Joab who told me to come here, and who told me what to say.
20 ut verterem figuram sermonis huius servus tuus Ioab praecepit istud tu autem domine mi sapiens es sicut habet sapientiam angelus Dei ut intellegas omnia super terram
He did it in order to cause you to think differently about this matter. Your Majesty, you are as wise as God’s angels, and [it seems that] you know everything [that happens] on the earth, [so you know why Joab sent me here].”
21 et ait rex ad Ioab ecce placatus feci verbum tuum vade igitur et revoca puerum Absalom
Then the king [summoned] Joab [and] said to him, “Listen! I have decided to do [what you want]. So go and get that young man Absalom and bring him back [to Jerusalem].”
22 cadensque Ioab super faciem suam in terram adoravit et benedixit regi et dixit Ioab hodie intellexit servus tuus quia inveni gratiam in oculis tuis domine mi rex fecisti enim sermonem servi tui
Joab prostrated himself on the ground, and then he bowed down before the king, and [asked God to] bless him. Then Joab said, “Your Majesty, today I know that you are pleased with me, because you have agreed to do what I requested.”
23 surrexit ergo Ioab et abiit in Gessur et adduxit Absalom in Hierusalem
Then Joab got up and went to Geshur, and got Absalom and brought him back to Jerusalem.
24 dixit autem rex revertatur in domum suam et faciem meam non videat reversus est itaque Absalom in domum suam et faciem regis non vidit
But the king said/commanded that Absalom would not be permitted to live in the palace. He said, “I do not want him to come to see me.” So Absalom lived in his own house, and did not go to [talk to] the king.
25 porro sicut Absalom vir non erat pulcher in omni Israhel et decorus nimis a vestigio pedis usque ad verticem non erat in eo ulla macula
Absalom was very handsome. He looked perfect, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. In all of Israel there was no one whom people admired more than Absalom.
26 et quando tondebatur capillum semel autem in anno tondebatur quia gravabat eum caesaries ponderabat capillos capitis sui ducentis siclis pondere publico
His hair was very thick, and he cut it only once each year, when it became too heavy for him. Using the standard weights, he would weigh the hair [that he cut off], and it always weighed about five pounds.
27 nati sunt autem Absalom filii tres et filia una nomine Thamar eleganti forma
Absalom had three sons and one daughter named Tamar. She was a very beautiful woman.
28 mansitque Absalom Hierusalem duobus annis et faciem regis non vidit
[After] Absalom [returned to] Jerusalem, he lived there two years, and during that time he never [was allowed to] see the king.
29 misit itaque ad Ioab ut mitteret eum ad regem qui noluit venire ad eum cumque secundo misisset et ille noluisset venire
So he sent [a messenger] to Joab to ask him to come [and talk to him], but Joab refused to come. So Absalom sent [a message to him] a second time, but he still would not come.
30 dixit servis suis scitis agrum Ioab iuxta agrum meum habentem messem hordei ite igitur et succendite eum igni succenderunt ergo servi Absalom segetem igni
Then Absalom said to his servants, “You know that Joab’s field is next to mine, and that he has barley [growing] there. Go and light a fire there [to burn his barley].” So Absalom’s servants [went there and] lit a fire, [and all his barley burned].
31 surrexitque Ioab et venit ad Absalom in domum eius et dixit quare succenderunt servi tui segetem meam igni
Joab [knew who had done it, so he] went to Absalom’s house and said to him, “Why have your servants burned [the barley in] my field?”
32 et respondit Absalom ad Ioab misi ad te obsecrans ut venires ad me et mitterem te ad regem ut diceres ei quare veni de Gessur melius mihi erat ibi esse obsecro ergo ut videam faciem regis quod si memor est iniquitatis meae interficiat me
Absalom replied, “Because [you did not come to me when] I sent messages to you [requesting that you come]. I wanted to request that you go to the king to say to him, ‘Absalom (wants to know what good it did/says that is was useless) [RHQ] for him [RHQ] to leave Geshur and come here. [He thinks that] it would have been better for him to have stayed there. [He wants you to] allow him to talk to you. And if you think that he has done something that is wrong, you can [command that] he be executed.’”
33 ingressus Ioab ad regem nuntiavit ei vocatusque Absalom intravit ad regem et adoravit super faciem terrae coram eo osculatusque est rex Absalom
So Joab went to the king, and told him [what Absalom had said]. Then the king [summoned Absalom], and he came to the king and knelt down in front of him with his face touching the ground. Then the king kissed Absalom [to show that he was pleased to see him].
