2 Samuel 14

Modern

Literal

Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem

¹Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.

¹And Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king was on Absalom.

²So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

²And Joab sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner, please, and put on now mourning apparel, and do not anoint yourself with oil, and act like a woman these many days mourning for the dead.

³Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

³And go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”

⁴And the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, and she fell on her nose to the ground, and bowed low, and said, “Save me, O king.”

⁵“What troubles you?” the king asked her.

“Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.

⁵And the king said to her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Truly I am a woman, a widow, and my husband is dead.

⁶And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.

⁶And your maidservant had two sons, and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, and the one struck the one and killed him.

⁷Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”

⁷And behold, the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Give up him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he has slain. And we will destroy also the heir.’ And they would extinguish my ember that is left, and not leave to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the earth.”

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

⁸And the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”

⁹But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”

⁹And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me, My lord the king, is the iniquity, and on the house of my father. And the king and his throne be guiltless.”

¹⁰“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”

¹⁰And the king said, “He who speaks to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.”

¹¹“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!”

“As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

¹¹And she said, “Please let the king remember YHWH your God, and do not let add the avenger of blood to destroy. And they do not destroy my son.” And he said, “As YHWH lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹²Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?”

“Speak,” he replied.

¹²And the woman said, “Please let your maidservant speak to my lord the king a word.” And he said, “Speak.”

¹³The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

¹³And the woman said, “And why have you schemed such as this against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one.

¹⁴For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.

¹⁴For we will surely die and be like the water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. And God does not take away a life, and He devises means that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.

¹⁵Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.

¹⁵And now that I have come to speak to the king my lord of this thing, because the people have made me afraid, and your maidservant said, ‘I will speak now to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his maidservant.

¹⁶For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’

¹⁶For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man destroying me and my son together from the inheritance of God.’

¹⁷And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel^a of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”

¹⁷And Your maidservant said, ‘Now the word of my lord the king will be comforting, for like the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may YHWH your God be with you.’”

¹⁸Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!”

“Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

¹⁸And the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I am asking you.” And the woman said, “Please let my lord the king speak.”

¹⁹So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?”

The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.

¹⁹And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As you live, my lord the king, there is no one turning to the right or turning to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of your maidservant all these words.

²⁰Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

²⁰In order to bring about the change of this thing, your servant Joab has done this thing. And my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the land.”

²¹Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

²¹And the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I have granted this thing. Go and bring back the young man Absalom.”

²²Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”

²²And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and bowed low, and blessed the king, and Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.”

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

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

²⁴But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

²⁴And the king said, “Let him return to his own house, and do not let him see my face.” And Absalom returned to his own house, and the face of the king he did not see.

²⁵Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.

²⁵And there was no handsome man in all Israel who was praised as much as Absalom. From the sole of his foot and to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

²⁶And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels,^a according to the royal standard.

²⁶And he cut the hair of his head, and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, because it was heavy on him; and he cut it, and he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, according to the standard of the king.

²⁷Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

²⁷And were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.

Absalom Reconciled to David

²⁸Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.

²⁸And Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem two full years, and the face of the king he did not see.

²⁹Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him.

So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

²⁹And Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king. And he would not come to him. And he sent again the second time, and he would not come.

³⁰Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!”

And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.^a

³⁰And he said to his servants, “See, the portion of Joab is near mine, and he has barley there; go and burn it with the fire.” And the servants of Absalom burned the portion with the fire.

³¹Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

³¹And Joab arose and came to Absalom’s house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants burned the portion that is to me with the fire?”

³²“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

³²And Absalom answered unto Joab, “Behold, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king to say: Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ And now let me see the face of the king. But if there is in me iniquity, let him kill me.”

³³So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.

³³And Joab went to the king and told him, and he called for Absalom, and he came to the king and bowed himself on his nose to the ground before the face of the king. And the king kissed Absalom.