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| [1]And Joab son of Zeruial knoweth that the heart of the king [is] on Absalom, |
[1]NOW Joab the son of, Zoriah perceived that the kings heart was reconciled toward Absalom. |
| [2]and Joab sendeth to Tekoah, and taketh thence a wise woman, and saith unto her, `Feign thyself a mourner, I pray thee, and put on, I pray thee, garments of mourning, and anoint not thyself with oil, and thou hast been as a woman these many days mourning for the dead, |
[2]And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched from thence a wise woman and said to her, Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning apparel, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be as a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead; |
| [3]and thou hast gone unto the king, and spoken unto him, according to this word;' and Joab putteth the words into her mouth. |
[3]And come to the king and speak in this manner to him. So Joab prepared the words and put them in her mouth. |
| [4]And the woman of Tekoah speaketh unto the king, and falleth on her face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and saith, `Save, O king.' |
[4]And when the woman of Tekoah came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance and said, Deliver me, O my lord the king. |
| [5]And the king saith to her, `What -- to thee?' and she saith, `Truly a widow woman [am] I, and my husband dieth, |
[5]And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, I am indeed a widow, my husband is dead. |
| [6]and thy maid-servant hath two sons; and they strive both of them in a field, and there is no deliverer between them, and the one smiteth the other, and putteth him to death; |
[6]And your handmaid had two sons, and they two quarrelled together in the field, and there was none to part them, and one was stronger than the other and slew him. |
| [7]and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.' |
[7]And behold, the whole family is risen against your handmaid, and they say, Deliver to us the man who slew his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew; so they want to destroy the heir also; moreover they want to quench the spark of life which is left for me, that they may not leave to his father either name or family upon the earth. |
| [8]And the king saith unto the woman, `Go to thine house, and I give charge concerning thee.' |
[8]And the king said to her, Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you. |
| [9]And the woman of Tekoah saith unto the king, `On me, my lord, O king, [is] the iniquity, and on the house of my father; and the king and his throne [are] innocent.' |
[9]But the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My lord, O king, let this iniquity be on me and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless. |
| [10]And the king saith, `He who speaketh [aught] unto thee, and thou hast brought him unto me, then he doth not add any more to come against thee.' |
[10]And the king said to her, Whosoever says anything to you, bring him to me and he shall not touch you any more. |
| [11]And she saith, `Let, I pray thee, the king remember by Jehovah thy God, that the redeemer of blood add not to destroy, and they destroy not my son;' and he saith, `Jehovah liveth; if there doth fall of the hair of thy son to the earth.' |
[11]Then she said, Let my lord the king remember that the LORD your God would not suffer the avengers of blood to destroy any more, wherefore let them not destroy my son. And the king said to her, As the LORD God lives, there shall not one hair of your son fall to the earth. |
| [12]And the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, thy maid-servant speak unto my lord the king a word;' and he saith, `Speak.' |
[12]Then the woman said, Let your handmaid speak a word to the king, and he said to her, Speak. |
| [13]And the woman saith, `And why hast thou thought thus concerning the people of God? yea, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king hath not brought back his outcast; |
[13]And the woman said to him, Why then have you thought such a thing against the people of God? And why do you speak, O king, as one who is guilty, in that, O king, you do not bring back your lost one? |
| [14]for we do surely die, and [are] as water which is running down to the earth, which is not gathered, and God doth not accept a person, and hath devised devices in that the outcast is not outcast by Him. |
[14]For we will all surely die, and we are as water that is poured upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither does God destroy a soul, but devises means that no man should go astray from him. |
| [15]`And now that I have come to speak unto the king my lord this word, [it is] because the people made me afraid, and thy maid-servant saith, Let me speak, I pray thee, unto the king; it may be the king doth do the word of his handmaid, |
[15]Now therefore if I have spoken this thing to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and your handmaid said, I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will deliver his handmaid from the hand of men, |
| [16]for the king doth hearken to deliver his handmaid out of the paw of the man [seeking] to destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God, |
[16]That they may not destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God. |
| [17]and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so [is] my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.' |
[17]Then your handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be confirmed and shall be like an offering; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil; therefore the LORD your God will be with you. |
| [18]And the king answereth and saith unto the woman, `Do not, I pray thee, hide from me the thing that I am asking thee;' and the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, my lord the king speak.' |
[18]Then the king answered and said to the woman, Do not hide from me anything that I ask you. And the woman said to him, Let my lord the king now speak. |
| [19]And the king saith, `Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?' And the woman answereth and saith, `Thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, none [doth turn] to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of thy maid-servant all these words; |
[19]And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said to him, As your soul lives, my lord the king, I have not turned to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for it was your servant Joab who bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid, |
| [20]in order to bring round the appearance of the thing hath thy servant Joab done this thing, and my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of a messenger of God, to know all that [is] in the land.' |
[20]Because he wanted to do it through me, that is why your servant Joab has done this thing; and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are on the earth |
| [21]And the king saith unto Joab, `Lo, I pray thee, thou hast done this thing; and go, bring back the young man Absalom.' |
[21]And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done as you have said; go therefore, bring me the young man Absalom again. |
| [22]And Joab falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and blesseth the king, and Joab saith, `To-day hath thy servant known that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king hath done the word of his servant.' |
[22]And Joab fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance and blessed the king: and Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant. |
| [23]And Joab riseth and goeth to Geshur, and bringeth in Absalom to Jerusalem, |
[23]So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. |
| [24]and the king saith, `Let him turn round unto his house, and my face he doth not see.' And Absalom turneth round unto his house, and the face of the king he hath not seen. |
[24]And the king said, Let him go to his own house, but let him not be seen in my presence. So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the king's face. |
| [25]And like Absalom there was no man [so] fair in all Israel, to praise greatly; from the sole of his foot even unto his crown there was no blemish in him; |
[25]Now in all Israel there was no man so much praised for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. |
| [26]and in his polling his head -- and it hath been at the end of year by year that he polleth [it], for it [is] heavy on him, and he hath polled it -- he hath even weighed out the hair of his head -- two hundred shekels by the king's weight. |
[26]And when he had his hair shorn (he used to cut it once a year because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it), the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels by the king's weight. |
| [27]And there are born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter, and her name [is] Tamar; she was a woman of a fair appearance. |
[27]And there were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman |
| [28]And Absalom dwelleth in Jerusalem two years of days, and the face of the king he hath not seen; |
[28]So Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face. |
| [29]and Absalom sendeth unto Joab, to send him unto the king, and he hath not been willing to come unto him; and he sendeth again a second time, and he hath not been willing to come. |
[29]Therefore Absalom summoned Joab to send him to the king; but he would not come to him; and he sent a second time, but he would not come. |
| [30]And he saith unto his servants, `See, the portion of Joab [is] by the side of mine, and he hath barley there; go, and burn it with fire;' and the servants of Absalom burn the portion with fire. |
[30]Then Absalom said to his servants, See, there is a field belonging to Joab near mine; whether it be of wheat or barley, go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set Joab's field on fire. |
| [31]And Joab riseth and cometh unto Absalom in the house, and saith unto him, `Why have thy servants burned the portion that I have with fire?' |
[31]Then Joab arose and came to Absalom's house and said to Absalom, Why have your servants set my field on fire? |
| [32]And Absalom saith unto Joab, `Lo, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, and I send thee unto the king to say, Why have I come in from Geshur? -- good for me while I [am] there -- and now, let me see the king's face, and if there is in me iniquity then thou hast put me to death.' |
[32]And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask why I have come from Geshur. It was better for me while I was there; now I want to appear before the king and if there is any iniquity in me, let him kill me. |
| [33]And Joab cometh unto the king, and declareth [it] to him, and he calleth unto Absalom, and he cometh unto the king, and boweth himself to him, on his face, to the earth, before the king, and the king giveth a kiss to Absalom. |
[33]So Joab came to the king and told him the words of Absalom; and he called for Absalom, and Absalom came in before the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom |