2 Samuel, 14

1. Now, Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king was favourably inclined to Absalom.

1. Now Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah perceived that the king's heart went out to Ab'salom.

2. Joab therefore sent to Tekoa for a wise woman. 'Pretend to be in mourning,' he said. 'Dress yourself in mourning, do not perfume yourself; act like a woman who has long been mourning for the dead.

2. And Jo'ab sent to Teko'a, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments; do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead;

3. Then go to the king and say this to him.' And Joab put the words into her mouth which she was to say.

3. and go to the king, and speak thus to him." So Jo'ab put the words in her mouth.

4. So the woman of Tekoa went to the king and, falling on her face to the ground, prostrated herself. 'Help, my lord king!' she said.

4. When the woman of Teko'a came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, "Help, O king."

5. The king said, 'What is the matter?' 'As you see,' she replied, 'I am a widow; my husband is dead.

5. And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.

6. Your servant had two sons and out in the fields, where there was no one to intervene, they had a quarrel. And one of them struck the other one and killed him.

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

7. And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. "Give up the man who killed his brother," they say, "so that we can put him to death, to atone for the life of the brother whom he has murdered; and thus we shall destroy the heir as well." By this means, they will extinguish the ember still left to me, leaving my husband neither name nor survivor on the face of the earth,'

7. And now the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, `Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew'; and so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon the face of the earth."

8. Then the king said to the woman, 'Go home; I myself shall give orders about your case.'

8. Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."

9. The woman of Tekoa said to the king, 'My lord king! May the guilt be on me and on my family; the king and his throne are innocent of it.'

9. And the woman of Teko'a said to the king, "On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless."

10. 'Bring me the man who threatened you,' the king replied, 'and he shall never hurt you again.'

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

11. She then said, 'Let the king be pleased to pronounce the name of Yahweh your God, so that the avenger of blood may not do greater harm and destroy my son.' 'As Yahweh lives,' he said, 'not one of your son's hairs shall fall to the ground!'

11. Then she said, "Pray let the king invoke the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood slay no more, and my son be not destroyed." He said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."

12. Then the woman said, 'Permit your servant to say something else to my lord the king.' 'Go on,' he said.

12. Then the woman said, "Pray let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

13. The woman said, 'Why then has the king, who by giving this verdict has condemned himself, conceived the idea, against God's people's interests, of not bringing home the son whom he has banished?

13. And the woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.

14. We are all mortal; we are like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, nor does God raise up a corpse; let the king therefore make plans for his banished son not to remain far away from him in exile.

14. We must all die, we are like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; but God will not take away the life of him who devises means not to keep his banished one an outcast.

15. 'Now, the reason why I came to speak about this to my lord the king is that I was being intimidated, and your servant thought, "I shall speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his servant asks.

15. Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid; and your handmaid thought, `I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.

16. Surely the king will consent to save his servant from the clutches of the man who is trying to cut both me and my son off from God's heritage.

16. For the king will hear, and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.'

17. Let a word from my lord the king, restore the peace!" your servant thought, "for my lord the king is like the Angel of God in understanding good and evil." May Yahweh your God be with you!'

17. And your handmaid thought, `The word of my lord the king will set me at rest'; for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The LORD your God be with you!"

18. Replying to the woman, the king said, 'Now do not evade the question which I am going to ask you.' The woman said, 'Let my lord the king ask his question.'

18. Then the king answered the woman, "Do not hide from me anything I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."

19. 'Is not Joab's hand behind you in all this?' the king asked. The woman replied, 'As you live, my lord king, I cannot escape what my lord the king says, either to right or to left. Yes, it was your servant Joab who gave me my orders; he put all these words into your servant's mouth.

19. The king said, "Is the hand of Jo'ab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Jo'ab who bade me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

20. Your servant Joab did this to approach the matter indirectly, but my lord has the wisdom of the Angel of God; he knows everything that happens on earth!'

20. In order to change the course of affairs your servant Jo'ab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth."

21. The king then said to Joab, 'Very well, the suit is granted. Go and bring the young man Absalom back.'

21. Then the king said to Jo'ab, "Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Ab'salom."

22. Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king. 'My lord king,' Joab said, 'today your servant knows that he has won your favour, since the king has done what his servant asked.'

22. And Jo'ab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and blessed the king; and Jo'ab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."

23. Joab then set off, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

23. So Jo'ab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Ab'salom to Jerusalem.

24. The king, however, said, 'Let him retire to his own house; he is not to appear in my presence.' So Absalom retired to his own house and was not received by the king.

24. And the king said, "Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence." So Ab'salom dwelt apart in his own house, and did not come into the king's presence.

25. In all Israel there was no one more praised for his beauty than Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, he could not be faulted.

25. Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his beauty as Ab'salom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26. When he cut his hair -- he shaved it once a year because his hair got too heavy -- he would weigh the hair: two hundred shekels, king's weight.

26. And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king's weight.

27. To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter called Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

27. There were born to Ab'salom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

28. Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without being received by the king.

28. So Ab'salom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king's presence.

29. Absalom then summoned Joab, intending to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. He sent for him a second time, but still he would not come.

29. Then Ab'salom sent for Jo'ab, to send him to the king; but Jo'ab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Jo'ab would not come.

30. At this, Absalom said to his retainers, 'Look, Joab's field is next to mine and he has barley in it; go and set it on fire.' Absalom's retainers set fire to the field.

30. Then he said to his servants, "See, Jo'ab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Ab'salom's servants set the field on fire.

31. Joab then stirred himself, went to Absalom in his house and asked, 'Why have your retainers set my field on fire?'

31. Then Jo'ab arose and went to Ab'salom at his house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

32. Absalom replied to Joab, 'Look, I sent word to you: Come here, so that I can send you to the king to say, "Why come back from Geshur? Better for me to have been there still!" Now I want to be received by the king, and if I am guilty, let him put me to death!'

32. Ab'salom answered Jo'ab, "Behold, I sent word to you, `Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still." Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king; and if there is guilt in me, let him kill me.'"

33. Joab went to the king and told him this. He then summoned Absalom, who prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

33. Then Jo'ab went to the king, and told him; and he summoned Ab'salom. So he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Ab'salom.