2 Samuel, 14

1. Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart [was] toward Absalom.

1. Now Joab son of Zeruiah saw that the king was yearning for Absalom.

2. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:

2. So he sent a messenger to Tekoa to fetch a wise woman and he told her this, "Please pretend to be a mourner. Put on mourning garments and do not perfume yourself with oil that you may look like a woman who has been mourning for several days for the dead

3. And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

3. and go to the king with this message." And Joab told her what to say.

4. And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.

4. When the woman of Tekoa appeared before the king, she fell on her face in homage and said, "Help me, O king!"

5. And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I [am] indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.

5. The king asked her, "What is wrong?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.

6. And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and [there was] none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.

6. I, your handmaid, had two sons who quarreled with one another in the field. Since there was no one to part them, one struck the other and killed him.

7. And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband [neither] name nor remainder upon the earth.

7. Now the entire family demand that I give up the one who struck his brother. And they say: 'We will kill him and avenge his brother's death.' So they want to quench my remaining hope; with this they will leave my husband without name or posterity on the earth."

8. And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

8. Then the king said to the woman, "Go home and I will give orders on your behalf."

9. And the woman of Tekoah said unto 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.

9. But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "Let me and my family be blamed, my lord the king, and let the king and his throne not be criticized for this."

10. And the king said, Whosoever saith [ought] unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

10. The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me and he shall never bother you again."

11. Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

11. Then she said, "Please let the king swear by Yahweh, his God, that the avenger of blood may not deepen my disgrace by killing my son." The king replied, "As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son shall perish."

12. Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak [one] word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

12. Then the woman said, "Please allow me to say something to my lord the king." The king told her, "Speak."

13. And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.

13. And she went on, "Why do you yourself act against the people of God? In giving this decision, the king condemns himself for not having brought his banished son back home.

14. For we must needs die, and [are] as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect [any] person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

14. We are all mortals and as water spilt on the ground cannot be gathered up again, so God does not make the soul return. So let the king find a way to bring back his banished son.

15. Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, [it is] because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

15. Now, if I have come to talk about this to my lord the king, it is because the people scared me and I thought, 'I will speak to the king; perhaps he will listen to me.

16. For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man [that would] destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

16. If he agrees to help me when I tell him about the man who seeks to cut off both me and my son from the inheritance God gave us,

17. Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

17. he will surely give the decision which will bring us peace. For my lord the king is like an angel of God in understanding everything. Yahweh your God be with you!"

18. Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

18. Then the king said to the woman, "Do not hide anything from me when I question you." The woman replied, "Let my lord the king speak."

19. And the king said, [Is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

19. The king asked, "Is Joab behind you in all this?" The woman answered, "As you surely live, my lord the king, all is as my lord the king says. It was your servant Joab who ordered me and taught me everything I had to say.

20. To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all [things] that [are] in the earth.

20. Joab did this to disguise the purpose. But my lord is as wise as an angel of God, knowing all things that happen on earth."

21. And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

21. Then the king told Joab, "Well, I shall do it. Go, fetch the young man Absalom."

22. And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.

22. Joab fell on his face to the ground in homage and blessed the king, saying, "Today I know that you look kindly on me, my lord the king, because you have granted this my request."

23. So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

23. Joab went on his way to Geshur to fetch Absalom and bring him to Jerusalem.

24. And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

24. The king, however, told him, "Let him stay in his own house for I shall not receive him." So Absalom stayed in his own house and was not received by the king.

25. But in all Israel there was none 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 blemish in him.

25. In all Israel, there was no one as praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom, from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head he was without defect.

26. And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled [it]: because [the hair] was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

26. When he cut his hair (every year he cut his hair when it became too heavy for him), he weighed it, and it weighed two hundred shekels by the king's weight.

27. And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

27. There were born to Absalom three sons and a daughter named Tamar, a beautiful woman.

28. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.

28. For two years Absalom stayed in Jerusalem but the king did not receive him.

29. Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

29. Absalom called for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to see him. He called for him a second time but Joab would not come.

30. Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

30. So Absalom said to his servants, "You know Joab's field which is next to mine, planted with barley. Go set it on fire." And so they did. Then the servants of Joab came to him to tell him, "The servants of Absalom set your field on fire."

31. Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto [his] house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?

31. Then Joab went to Absalom's house and asked him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

32. And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? [it had been] good for me [to have been] there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be [any] iniquity in me, let him kill me.

32. Absalom replied, "Come over, for I want to send you to the king with this message, 'Why did you let me return from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there yet.' Now I want to be received by the king. If I am guilty, let him send me to death!"

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.

33. Joab went to the king and brought him the message. So the king called for Absalom who appeared before the king, bowing low with his face to the ground. And the king embraced Absalom.