14:1 And Joab the son of Saruia knew that
the heart of the king was toward Abessalom.
14:2 And Joab sent to Thecoe, and took thence a cunning woman, and said to
her, Mourn, I pray thee, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint thee not
with oil, and thou shalt be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus
for many days.
14:3 And thou shalt go to the king, and speak to him according to this word.
And Joab put the words in her mouth.
14:4 So the woman of Thecoe went in to the king and fell upon her face to
the earth, and did him obeisance, and said, Help, O king, help.
14:5 And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee? And she said, I
am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.
14:6 And moreover thy handmaid had two sons, and they fought together in the
field, and there was no one to part them; and the one smote the other his
brother, and slew him.
14:7 And behold the whole family rose up against thine handmaid, and they
said, Give up the one that smote his brother, and we will put him to death
for the life of his brother, whom he slew, and we will take away even your
heir: so they will quench my coal that is left, so as not to leave my
husband remnant or name on the face of the earth.
14:8 And the king said to the woman, Go in peace to thy house, and I will
give commandment concerning thee.
14:9 And the woman of Thecoe said to the king, On me, my lord, O king, and
on my father's house [be] the iniquity, and the king and his throne [be]
guiltless.
14:10 And the king said, Who was it that spoke to thee? thou shalt even
bring him to me, and [one] shall not touch him any more.
14:11 And she said, Let now the king remember concerning his Lord Elohim in
that the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and let them not take
away my son. And he said, [As] the lord lives, not a hair of thy son shall
fall to the ground.
14:12 And the woman said, Let now thy servant speak a word to my lord the
king. And he said, Say on.
14:13 And the woman said, Why hast thou devised this thing against the
people of Elohim? or [is] this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression,
so that the king should not bring back his banished?
14:14 For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which
shall not be gathered up, and Elohim shall take the life, even as he devises to
thrust forth from him his outcast.
14:15 And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, [the
reason is] that the people will see me, and thy handmaid will say, Let one
now speak to my lord the king, if peradventure the king will perform the
request of his handmaid;
14:16 for the king will hear. Let him rescue his handmaid out of the hand of
the man that seeks to cast out me and my son from the inheritance of Elohim.
14:17 And the woman said, If now the word of my lord the king be gracious,--
[well]: for as an Messenger of Elohim, so [is] my lord the king, to hear good and
evil: and Yehovah thy Elohim shall be with thee.
14:18 And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray
thee, the matter which I ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king
by all means speak.
14:19 And the king said, [Is] not the hand of Joab in all this matter with
thee? and the woman said to the king, [As] thy soul lives, my lord, O king,
there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord
the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all
these words in the mouth of thine handmaid.
14:2 In order that this form of speech might come about [it was] that thy
servant Joab has framed this matter: and my lord is wise as [is] the wisdom
of an Messenger of Elohim, to know all things that are in the earth.
14:21 And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done to thee according
to this thy word: go, bring back the young man Abessalom.
14:22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and
blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knows that I have found
grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, for my lord the king has performed the
request of his servant.
14:23 And Joab arose, and went to Gedsur, and brought Abessalom to
Jerusalem.
14:24 And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face.
And Abessalom returned to his house, and saw not the king's face.
14:25 And there was not a man in Israel so very comely as Abessalom: from
the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in
him.
14:26 And when he polled his head, (and it was at the beginning of every
year that he polled it, because it grew, heavy upon him,) even when he
polled it, he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels according to
the royal shekel.
14:27 And there were born to Abessalom three sons and one daughter, and her
name was Themar: she was a very beautiful woman, and she becomes the wife of
Roboam son of Solomon, and she bears to him Abia.
14:28 And Abessalom remained in Jerusalem two full years, and he saw not the
king's face.
14:29 And Abessalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would
not come to him: and he sent to him the second time, and he would not come.
14:30 And Abessalom said to his servants, Behold, Joab's portion in the
field [is] next to mine, and he has in it barley; go and set it on fire. And
the servants of Abessalom set the field on fire: and the servants of Joab
come to him with their clothes rent, and they said to him, The servants of
Abessalom have set the field on fire.
14:31 And Joab arose, and came to Abessalom into the house, and said to him,
Why have thy servants set my field on fire?
14:32 And Abessalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come
hither, and I will send thee to the king, saying, Why did I come out of
Gedsur? it would have been better for me to have remained there: and now,
behold, I have not seen the face of the king; but if there is iniquity in
me, then put me to death.
14:33 And Joab went in to the king, and brought him word: and he called
Abessalom, and he went in to the king, and did him obeisance, and fell upon
his face to the ground, even in the presence of the king; and the king
kissed Abessalom. |
14:1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived
that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
14:2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto
her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning
apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long
time mourned for the dead:
14:3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put
the words in her mouth.
14:4 And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to
the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
14:5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am
indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
14:6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the
field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and
slew him.
14:7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they
said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life
of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they
shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband
neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
14:8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give
charge concerning thee.
14:9 And the woman of Tekoah said 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.
14:10 And the king said, Whoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and
he shall not touch thee any more.
14:11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Yehovah thy Elohim,
that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more,
lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Yehovah liveth, there shall not
one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
14:12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word
unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
14:13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing
against the people of Elohim? for the king doth speak this thing as one which
is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which
cannot be gathered up again; neither doth Elohim respect any person: yet doth
he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
14:15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the
king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I
will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the
request of his handmaid.
14:16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the
man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of Elohim.
14:17 Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be
comfortable: for as an Messenger of Elohim, so is my lord the king to discern good
and bad: therefore Yehovah thy Elohim will be with thee.
14:18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I
pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord
the king now speak.
14:19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And
the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can
turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath
spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the
mouth of thine handmaid:
14:20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this
thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an Messenger of Elohim, to
know all things that are in the earth.
14:21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go
therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
14:22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and
thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have
found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled
the request of his servant.
14:23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
14:24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see
my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
14:25 But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for
his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there
was no blemish in him.
14:26 And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he
polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he
weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
14:27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose
name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
14:28 So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's
face.
14:29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he
would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not
come.
14:30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine,
and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set
the field on fire.
14:31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto
him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
14:32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come
hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from
Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let
me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
14:33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for
Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground
before the king: and the king kissed Absalom. |