Now Joab the son
of Zeruiah
perceived
that athe king's
heart
was inclined toward
Absalom
.
So Joab sent
to aTekoa
and 1brought
a wise
woman
from there
and said
to her, "Please
pretend
to be a mourner
, and put
on mourning
garments
now
, and do not banoint
yourself with oil
, but be like a woman
who has been mourning
for the dead
many
days
;
then go to the king
and speak
to him in this
manner
." So Joab
put
athe words
in her mouth
.
Now when the woman of Tekoa
1spoke
to the king
, she fell
on her face
to the ground
and aprostrated
herself and said
, " bHelp
, O king
."
The king said
to her, "What
is your trouble?" And she 1answered
, "Truly
I am a widow
, for my husband
is dead
.
"Your maidservant had two
sons
, but the two
of them struggled
together
in the field
, and there
was no
1one
to separate
them, so one
struck
the other
and killed
him.
"Now behold, athe whole
family
has risen
against
your maidservant
, and they say
, `Hand
over
the one who struck
his brother
, that we may put
him to death
for the life
of his brother
whom
he killed
, band destroy
the heir
also
.' Thus they will extinguish
my coal
which
is left
, so as to 1leave
my husband
neither
name
nor
remnant
on the face
of the earth
."
Then the king said
to the woman
, "Go
to your house
, and I will give
orders
concerning
you."
The woman of Tekoa
said
to the king
, "O my lord
, the king
, athe iniquity
is on me and my father's
house
, but bthe king
and his throne
are guiltless
."
So the king said
, "Whoever speaks
to you, bring
him to me, and he will not touch
you anymore
."
Then she said, "Please
let the king
remember
the LORD
your God
, aso that the avenger
of blood
will not continue
to destroy
, otherwise
they will destroy
my son
." And he said
, " bAs the LORD
lives
, not one hair
of your son
shall fall
to the ground
."
Then the woman said
, "Please
let your maidservant
speak
a word
to my lord
the king
." And he said
, "Speak
."
The woman said
, " aWhy
then have you planned
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
back
bhis banished
one
.
"For awe will surely die
and are blike water
spilled
on the ground
which
cannot
be gathered
up again. Yet God
does not take
away life
, but plans
1ways
so that cthe banished
one
will not be cast
out from him.
"Now 1the reason
I have come
to speak
this
word
to my lord
the king
is that the people
have made
me afraid
; so your maidservant
said
, `Let me now
speak
to the king
, perhaps
the king
will perform
the 2request
of his maidservant
.
`For the king will hear
1and deliver
his maidservant
from the 2hand
of the man
who would destroy
3both
me and my son
from athe inheritance
of God
.'
"Then your maidservant said
, `Please
let the word
of my lord
the king
be 1comforting
, for as athe angel
of God
, so
is my lord
the king
to discern
good
and evil
. And may the LORD
your God
be with you.' "
Then the king answered
and said
to the woman
, "Please
do not hide
anything
from me that I am about to ask
you." And the woman
said
, "Let my lord
the king
please
speak
."
So the king said
, "Is the hand
of Joab
with you in all
this
?" And the woman
replied
, "As your soul
lives
, my lord
the king
, no
one can turn
to the right
or to the left
from anything
that my lord
the king
has spoken
. Indeed
, it was ayour servant
Joab
who
commanded
me, and it was he who put
all
these
words
in the mouth
of your maidservant
;
in order to change
the appearance
of things
your servant
Joab
has done
this
thing
. But my lord
is wise
, alike the wisdom
of the angel
of God
, to know
all
that is in the earth
."
Then the king said
to Joab
, "Behold
now
, aI will surely do
this
thing
; go
therefore, bring
back
the young
man
Absalom
."
Joab fell
on his face
to the ground
, prostrated
himself and blessed
the king
; then Joab
said
, "Today
your servant
knows
that I have found
favor
in your sight
, O my lord
, the king
, in that the king
has performed
the 1request
of his servant
."
So Joab arose
and went
to aGeshur
and brought
Absalom
to Jerusalem
.
However the king said
, "Let him turn
to ahis own house
, and let him not see
my face
." So Absalom
turned
to his own house
and did not see
the king's
face
.
Now in all Israel
was no
one
as handsome
as Absalom
, so highly
praised
; afrom the sole
of his foot
to the crown
of his head
there was no
defect
in him.
When he acut the hair of his head
(and it was at the end
of every year
that he cut
it, for it was heavy
on him so he cut
it), he weighed
the hair
of his head
at 200
shekels
by the king's
weight
.
aTo Absalom there were born
three
sons
, and one
daughter
whose name
was bTamar
; she was a woman
of beautiful
appearance
.
Now Absalom lived
two full
years
in Jerusalem
, aand did not see
the king's
face
.
Then Absalom sent
for Joab
, to send
him to the king
, but he would
not come
to him. So he sent
again
a second
time
, but he would
not come
.
Therefore he said to his servants
, "See
, aJoab's
1field
is next
to mine, and he has barley
there
; go
and set
it on fire
." So Absalom's
servants
set
the 1field
on fire
.
Then Joab arose
, came
to Absalom
at his house
and said
to him, "Why
have your servants
set
my 1field
on fire
?"
Absalom 1answered
Joab
, "Behold
, I sent
for 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 still
to be there
."' Now
therefore, let me see
the king's
face
, aand if
there
is iniquity
in me, let him put
me to death
."
So when Joab came
to the king
and told
him, he called
for Absalom
. Thus he came
to the king
and prostrated
himself on his face
to the ground
before
the king
, and athe king
kissed
Absalom
.