2 Samuel 14

1 Joab, hijo de Sarvia, se dio cuenta de que el corazón del rey estaba inclinado hacia Absalón.

Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the heart of the king had been turned toward Absalom,

2 Joab envió a Tecoa y trajo de allí a una mujer sabia, y le dijo: “Por favor, actúa como una mujer de luto, y ponte ropa de luto, por favor, y no te unjas con aceite, sino sé como una mujer que ha llorado mucho tiempo a un muerto.

so he sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her: “Feign that you are in mourning, and put on the clothing of one who mourns. And do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you may be like a woman who is still grieving for someone who died some time ago.

3 Entra al rey y háblale así”. Entonces Joab puso las palabras en su boca.

And you shall enter to the king, and you shall speak words to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 Cuando la mujer de Tecoa se dirigió al rey, se postró en el suelo, mostró respeto y dijo: “¡Ayuda, oh rey!”

And so, when the woman of Tekoa had entered to the king, she fell before him on the ground, and she reverenced, and she said, “Save me, O king.”

5 El rey le dijo: “¿Qué te pasa?” Ella respondió: “Verdaderamente soy viuda, y mi marido ha muerto.

And the king said to her, “What problem do you have?” And she responded: “Alas, I am a woman who is a widow. For my husband has died.

6 Tu siervo tenía dos hijos, y ambos peleaban juntos en el campo, y no había quien los separara, pero el uno hirió al otro y lo mató.

And your handmaid had two sons. And they quarreled against one another in the field. And there was no one there who would be able to stop them. And one struck the other, and killed him.

7 He aquí que toda la familia se ha levantado contra tu siervo, y dicen: “Entrega al que hirió a su hermano, para que lo matemos por la vida de su hermano al que mató, y así destruir también al heredero. Así apagarían mi carbón que queda, y no dejarían a mi marido ni nombre ni resto en la superficie de la tierra.”

And behold, the whole family, rising up against your handmaid, said: ‘Deliver him who struck down his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and so that we may do away with the heir.’ And they are seeking to extinguish my spark that is left, so that there may not survive a name for my husband, nor a remnant upon the earth.”

8 El rey dijo a la mujer: “Vete a tu casa, y yo daré una orden sobre ti”.

And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”

9 La mujer de Tecoa dijo al rey: “Rey, señor mío, que la iniquidad caiga sobre mí y sobre la casa de mi padre, y que el rey y su trono queden libres de culpa.”

And the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “May the iniquity be upon me, my lord, and upon the house of my father. But may the king and his throne be innocent.”

10 El rey dijo: “Quien te diga algo, tráemelo y no te molestará más”.

And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”

11 Entonces ella dijo: “Por favor, que el rey se acuerde de Yahvé, tu Dios, para que el vengador de la sangre no destruya más, para que no destruyan a mi hijo”. Dijo: “Vive Yahvé, que ni un pelo de tu hijo caerá a la tierra”.

And she said, “Let the king remember the Lord his God, so that close blood relatives may not be multiplied in order to take revenge, and so that they may by no means kill my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair from your son shall fall to the ground.”

12 Entonces la mujer dijo: “Por favor, deja que tu siervo hable una palabra a mi señor el rey”. Dijo: “Diga”.

Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

13 La mujer dijo: “¿Por qué, pues, has ideado tal cosa contra el pueblo de Dios? Porque al decir esta palabra el rey es como uno que es culpable, ya que el rey no hace volver a casa a su desterrado.

And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?

14 Porque es necesario que muramos, y somos como el agua derramada en la tierra, que no puede volver a recogerse; y Dios no quita la vida, sino que inventa medios para que el desterrado no sea desterrado de él.

We are all dying, and we are all like waters that flow into the ground and do not return. God does not will to lose a soul. Instead, he renews his efforts, thinking that what has been rejected might not perish altogether.

15 Ahora, pues, viendo que he venido a decir esta palabra a mi señor el rey, es porque el pueblo me ha hecho temer. Tu siervo dijo: ‘Ahora hablaré al rey; puede ser que el rey cumpla la petición de su siervo’.

Therefore, now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, in the presence of the people. And your handmaid said: I will speak to the king, for perhaps there may be some way for the king to accomplish the word of his handmaid.

16 Porque el rey escuchará, para librar a su siervo de la mano del hombre que quiere destruirnos a mí y a mi hijo juntos de la herencia de Dios.

And the king listened, and he freed his handmaid from the hand of all who were willing to take away me and my son together, from the inheritance of God.

17 Entonces su siervo dijo: ‘Por favor, que la palabra de mi señor el rey traiga descanso; porque como un ángel de Dios, así es mi señor el rey para discernir lo bueno y lo malo. Que Yahvé, tu Dios, esté contigo’”.

Therefore, let your handmaid speak, so that the word of my lord the king may be like a sacrifice. For even like an Angel of God, so is my lord the king, so that he is moved by neither a blessing, nor a curse. Then too, the Lord your God is with you.”

18 El rey respondió a la mujer: “Por favor, no me ocultes nada de lo que te pido”. La mujer dijo: “Que hable ahora mi señor el rey”.

And in response, the king said to the woman, “You shall not conceal from me a word of what I ask you.” And the woman said to him, “Speak, my lord the king.”

19 El rey dijo: “¿Está la mano de Joab contigo en todo esto?” La mujer respondió: “Vive tu alma, mi señor el rey, que nadie puede volverse a la derecha o a la izquierda de nada de lo que mi señor el rey ha dicho; porque tu siervo Joab me urgió, y puso todas estas palabras en boca de tu siervo.

And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “By the welfare of your soul, my lord the king, it is neither to the left, nor to the right, in all these things that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab himself instructed me, and he himself placed all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

20 Tu siervo Joab ha hecho esto para cambiar la cara del asunto. Mi señor es sabio, según la sabiduría de un ángel de Dios, para conocer todas las cosas que hay en la tierra.”

Thus did I turn to this figure of speech, because your servant Joab instructed it. But you, my lord the king, are wise, just as an Angel of God has wisdom, so that you understand all that is upon the earth.”

21 El rey dijo a Joab: “Mira ahora, he concedido esto. Ve, pues, y haz volver al joven Absalón”.

And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”

22 Joab se postró en el suelo sobre su rostro, mostró respeto y bendijo al rey. Joab dijo: “Hoy sabe tu siervo que he hallado gracia ante tus ojos, mi señor, oh rey, pues el rey ha cumplido la petición de su siervo”.

And falling to the ground upon his face, Joab reverenced, and he blessed the king. And Joab said: “Today your servant has understood that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king. For you have accomplished the word of your servant.”

23 Entonces Joab se levantó y fue a Gesur, y trajo a Absalón a Jerusalén.

Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.

24 El rey dijo: “Que vuelva a su casa, pero que no vea mi rostro”. Así que Absalón volvió a su casa y no vio el rostro del rey.

But the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” And so, Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

25 En todo Israel no había nadie que fuera tan alabado como Absalón por su belleza. Desde la planta de su pie hasta la coronilla de su cabeza no había en él ningún defecto.

Now in all of Israel, there was no man so handsome, and so very stately as Absalom. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there was no blemish in him.

26 Cuando se cortaba el pelo de la cabeza (ahora era al final de cada año que se lo cortaba; porque le pesaba, por eso se lo cortaba), pesaba el pelo de su cabeza en doscientos siclos, según el peso del rey.

And when he shaved off his hair, for he shaved it off once a year, because his long hair was burdensome to him, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, by the public weights.

27 A Absalón le nacieron tres hijos y una hija que se llamaba Tamar. Era una mujer de rostro hermoso.

Then three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, of elegant form, whose name was Tamar.

28 Absalón vivió dos años enteros en Jerusalén, y no vio el rostro del rey.

And Absalom remained for two years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the face of the king.

29 Entonces Absalón mandó llamar a Joab para que lo enviara al rey, pero éste no quiso acudir a él. Volvió a enviar por segunda vez, pero no quiso venir.

And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,

30 Entonces dijo a sus siervos: “He aquí que el campo de Joab está cerca del mío, y tiene allí cebada. Vayan y préndanle fuego”. Así que los siervos de Absalón prendieron fuego al campo.

he said to his servants: “You know that the field of Joab, the one that is near my field, has a harvest of barley. Therefore, go and set it on fire.” And so, the servants of Absalom set fire to the grain field. And the servants of Joab, arriving with their garments torn, said, “The servants of Absalom have set fire to part of the field!”

31 Entonces Joab se levantó y vino a Absalón a su casa y le dijo: “¿Por qué tus siervos han incendiado mi campo?”

And Joab rose up, and he went to Absalom at his house, and he said, “Why have your servants set fire to my grain field?”

32 Absalón respondió a Joab: “He aquí que yo te envié a decir: “Ven aquí, para que te envíe al rey a decir: “¿Por qué he venido de Guesur? Sería mejor para mí estar todavía allí. Ahora, pues, déjame ver la cara del rey; y si hay iniquidad en mí, que me mate””.

And Absalom responded to Joab: “I sent to you, begging that you might come to me, and that I might send you to the king, and that you might say to him: ‘Why was I brought from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there.’ I beg you, therefore, that I may see the face of the king. And if he is mindful of my iniquity, let him put me to death.”

33 Entonces Joab vino al rey y se lo comunicó; y cuando llamó a Absalón, éste vino al rey y se postró en tierra ante el rey; y el rey besó a Absalón.

And so, Joab, entering to the king, reported everything to him. And Absalom was summoned. And he entered to the king, and he reverenced on the face of the earth. And the king kissed Absalom.