Chapter 14

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived⁴ that the king's heart [was] toward Absalom.

And Joab sent⁴ to Tekoah, and fetched⁴ thence a wise woman, and said⁴ unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner,¹⁰⁰ and put on³ now mourning apparel, and anoint⁴ not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned¹⁰² for the dead:⁵

And come¹ to the king, and speak¹⁴ on this manner unto him. So Joab put⁴ the words in her mouth.

And when the woman of Tekoah spake⁴ to the king, she fell⁴ on her face to the ground, and did obeisance,¹⁰¹ and said,⁴ Help,⁵⁴ O king.

And the king said⁴ unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered,⁴ I [am] indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.⁴

And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove¹¹ together in the field, and [there was] none to part⁵⁶ them, but the one smote⁵⁵ the other, and slew⁵⁵ him.

And, behold, the whole family is risen¹ against thine handmaid, and they said,⁴ Deliver³ him that smote⁵⁶ his brother, that we may kill⁵⁵ him, for the life of his brother whom he slew;¹ and we will destroy⁵⁵ the heir⁶ also: and so they shall quench¹⁴ my coal which is left,⁸ and shall not leave² to my husband [neither] name nor remainder upon the earth.

And the king said⁴ unto the woman, Go³ to thine house, and I will give charge¹⁷ concerning thee.

And the woman of Tekoah said⁴ 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.

And the king said,⁴ Whosoever saith¹⁸ [ought] unto thee, bring⁵² him to me, and he shall not touch² thee any more.⁵⁵

Then said⁴ she, I pray thee, let the king remember⁴ the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers⁶ of blood to destroy¹⁵ any more,⁵³ lest they destroy⁵⁵ my son. And he said,⁴ [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall⁴ to the earth.

Then the woman said,⁴ Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak¹⁷ [one] word unto my lord the king. And he said,⁴ Say on.¹⁶

And the woman said,⁴ Wherefore then hast thou thought¹ such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak¹⁰² this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again⁵³ his banished.¹²

For we must needs² die,⁴ and [are] as water spilt¹² on the ground, which cannot be gathered¹¹ up again; neither doth God respect⁴ [any] person: yet doth he devise¹ means, that his banished¹² be not expelled⁴ from him.

Now therefore that I am come¹ to speak¹⁵ of this thing unto my lord the king, [it is] because the people have made me afraid:¹⁴ and thy handmaid said,⁴ I will now speak¹⁷ unto the king; it may be that the king will perform⁴ the request of his handmaid.

For the king will hear,⁴ to deliver⁵³ his handmaid out of the hand of the man [that would] destroy⁵³ me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

Then thine handmaid said,⁴ The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king to discern² good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

Then the king answered⁴ and said⁴ unto the woman, Hide¹⁷ not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask⁶ thee. And the woman said,⁴ Let my lord the king now speak.¹⁷

And the king said,⁴ [Is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered⁴ and said,⁴ [As] thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand⁵³ or to the left⁵³ from ought that my lord the king hath spoken:¹⁴ for thy servant Joab, he bade¹⁴ me, and he put¹ all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

To fetch about¹⁵ this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done¹ this thing: and my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know² all [things] that [are] in the earth.

And the king said⁴ unto Joab, Behold now, I have done¹ this thing: go³ therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.⁵⁴

And Joab fell⁴ to the ground on his face, and bowed¹⁰¹ himself, and thanked¹⁷ the king: and Joab said,⁴ To day thy servant knoweth¹ that I have found¹ grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled¹ the request of his servant.

So Joab arose⁴ and went⁴ to Geshur, and brought⁵⁵ Absalom to Jerusalem.

And the king said,⁴ Let him turn¹¹ to his own house, and let him not see⁴ my face. So Absalom returned¹¹ to his own house, and saw¹ not the king's face.

But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised¹⁵ as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And when he polled¹⁵ his head, (for it was at every year's ³¹¹⁷ end that he polled¹⁷ [it]: because [the hair] was heavy¹ on him, therefore he polled¹⁴ it:) he weighed¹ the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

And unto Absalom there were born¹¹ three sons, and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

So Absalom dwelt⁴ two full years in Jerusalem, and saw¹ not the king's face.

Therefore Absalom sent⁴ for Joab, to have sent² him to the king; but he would¹ not come² to him: and when he sent⁴ again the second time, he would¹ not come.²

Therefore he said⁴ unto his servants, See,³ Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go³ and set it⁵⁴ on fire. And Absalom's servants set⁵⁵ the field on fire.

Then Joab arose,⁴ and came⁴ to Absalom unto [his] house, and said⁴ unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set⁵² my field on fire?

And Absalom answered⁴ Joab, Behold, I sent¹ unto thee, saying,² Come³ hither, that I may send⁴ thee to the king, to say,² Wherefore am I come¹ from Geshur? [it had been] good for me [to have been] there still: now therefore let me see⁴ the king's face; and if there be [any] iniquity in me, let him kill⁵² me.

So Joab came⁴ to the king, and told⁵⁵ him: and when he had called⁴ for Absalom, he came⁴ to the king, and bowed¹⁰¹ himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed⁴ Absalom.