1
Now Joab[H3097] the son[H1121] of Zeruiah[H6870]perceived[H3045] that the king's heart[H3820] was toward Absalom[H53].
2
And Joab[H3097]sent[H7971] to Tekoah[H8620], and fetched[H3947] thence a wise[H2450]woman[H802], and said[H559] unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner[H56], and put on[H3847] now mourning[H60]apparel[H899], and anoint[H5480] not thyself with oil[H8081], but be as a woman[H802] that had a long[H7227]time[H3117]mourned[H56] for the dead[H4191]:
3
And come[H935] to the king[H4428], and speak[H1696] on this manner[H1697] unto him. So Joab[H3097]put[H7760] the words[H1697] in her mouth[H6310].
4
And when the woman[H802] of Tekoah[H8621]spake[H559] to the king[H4428], she fell[H5307] on her face[H639] to the ground[H776], and did obeisance[H7812], and said[H559], Help[H3467], O king[H4428].
5
And the king[H4428]said[H559] unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered[H559], I am indeed[H61] a widow[H490]woman[H802], and mine husband[H376] is dead[H4191].
6
And thy handmaid[H8198] had two[H8147]sons[H1121], and they two[H8147] strove together[H5327] in the field[H7704], and there was none to part[H5337] them, but the one[H259]smote[H5221] the other[H259], and slew[H4191] him.
7
And, behold, the whole family[H4940] is risen[H6965] against thine handmaid[H8198], and they said[H559], Deliver[H5414] him that smote[H5221] his brother[H251], that we may kill[H4191] him, for the life[H5315] of his brother[H251] whom he slew[H2026]; and we will destroy[H8045] the heir[H3423] also: and so they shall quench[H3518] my coal[H1513] which is left[H7760], and shall not leave[H7604] to my husband[H376] neither name[H8034] nor remainder[H7611]upon[H6440] the earth[H127].
8
And the king[H4428]said[H559] unto the woman[H802], Go[H3212] to thine house[H1004], and I will give charge[H6680] concerning thee.
9
And the woman[H802] of Tekoah[H8621]said[H559] unto the king[H4428], My lord[H113], O king[H4428], the iniquity[H5771] be on me, and on my father's house[H1004]: and the king[H4428] and his throne[H3678] be guiltless[H5355].
10
And the king[H4428]said[H559], Whosoever saith[H1696] ought unto thee, bring[H935] him to me, and he shall not touch[H5060] thee any more[H3254].
11
Then said[H559] she, I pray thee, let the king[H4428]remember[H2142] the LORD[H3068] thy God[H430], that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers[H1350] of blood[H1818] to destroy[H7843] any more[H7235], lest they destroy[H8045] my son[H1121]. And he said[H559], As the LORD[H3068]liveth[H2416], there shall not one hair[H8185] of thy son[H1121]fall[H5307] to the earth[H776].
12
Then the woman[H802]said[H559], Let thine handmaid[H8198], I pray thee, speak[H1696] one word[H1697] unto my lord[H113] the king[H4428]. And he said[H559], Say on[H1696].
13
And the woman[H802]said[H559], Wherefore then hast thou thought[H2803] such a thing[H1697] against the people[H5971] of God?[H430] for the king[H4428] doth speak[H1696] this thing[H1697] as one which is faulty[H818], in that the king[H4428] doth not fetch home again[H7725] his banished[H5080].
14
For we must needs[H4191]die[H4191], and are as water[H4325]spilt[H5064] on the ground[H776], which cannot be gathered up again[H622]; neither doth God[H430]respect[H5375] any person[H5315]: yet doth he devise[H2803]means[H4284], that his banished[H5080] be not expelled[H5080] from him.
15
Now therefore that I am come[H935] to speak[H1696] of this thing[H1697] unto my lord[H113] the king[H4428], it is because the people[H5971] have made me afraid[H3372]: and thy handmaid[H8198]said[H559], I will now speak[H1696] unto the king[H4428]; it may be that the king[H4428] will perform[H6213] the request[H1697] of his handmaid[H519].
16
For the king[H4428] will hear[H8085], to deliver[H5337] his handmaid[H519] out of the hand[H3709] of the man[H376] that would destroy[H8045] me and my son[H1121]together[H3162] out of the inheritance[H5159] of God[H430].
17
Then thine handmaid[H8198]said[H559], The word[H1697] of my lord[H113] the king[H4428] shall now be comfortable[H4496]: for as an angel[H4397] of God[H430], so is my lord[H3068] the king[H4428] to discern[H8085]good[H2896] and bad[H7451]: therefore the LORD[H3068] thy God[H430] will be with thee.
18
Then the king[H4428]answered[H6030] and said[H559] unto the woman[H802], Hide[H3582] not from me, I pray thee, the thing[H1697] that I shall ask[H7592] thee. And the woman[H802]said[H559], Let my lord[H113] the king[H4428] now speak[H1696].
19
And the king[H4428]said[H559], Is not the hand[H3027] of Joab[H3097] with thee in all this? And the woman[H802]answered[H6030] and said[H559], As thy soul[H5315]liveth[H2416], my lord[H113] the king[H4428], none[H376]can[H786] turn to the right hand[H3231] or to the left[H8041] from ought that my lord[H113] the king[H4428] hath spoken[H1696]: for thy servant[H5650]Joab[H3097], he bade[H6680] me, and he put[H7760] all these words[H1697] in the mouth[H6310] of thine handmaid[H8198]:
20To[H5668] fetch about[H5437] this form[H6440] of speech[H1697] hath thy servant[H5650]Joab[H3097]done[H6213] this thing[H1697]: and my lord[H113] is wise[H2450], according to[H5668] the wisdom[H2451] of an angel[H4397] of God[H430], to[H5668]know[H3045] all things that are in the earth[H776].
21
And the king[H4428]said[H559] unto Joab[H3097], Behold now, I have done[H6213] this thing[H1697]: go[H3212] therefore, bring[H7725] the young man[H5288]Absalom[H53]again[H7725].
22
And Joab[H3097]fell[H5307] to the ground[H776] on his face[H6440], and bowed[H7812] himself, and thanked[H1288] the king[H4428]: and Joab[H3097]said[H559], To day[H3117] thy servant[H5650]knoweth[H3045] that I have found[H4672]grace[H2580] in thy sight[H5869], my lord[H113], O king[H4428], in that the king[H4428] hath fulfilled[H6213] the request[H1697] of his servant[H5650].
23
So Joab[H3097]arose[H6965] and went[H3212] to Geshur[H1650], and brought[H935]Absalom[H53] to Jerusalem[H3389].
24
And the king[H4428]said[H559], Let him turn[H5437] to his own house[H1004], and let him not see[H7200] my face[H6440]. So Absalom[H53]returned[H5437] to his own house[H1004], and saw[H7200] not the king[H4428]'s face[H6440].
25
But in all Israel[H3478] there was none[H376] to be so much[H3966]praised[H1984] as Absalom[H53] for his beauty[H3303]: from the sole[H3709] of his foot[H7272] even to the crown of his head[H6936] there was no blemish[H3971] in him.
26
And when he polled[H1548] his head[H7218],(for it was at every year's end[H7093] that he polled[H1548] it: because the hair[H8181] was heavy[H3513] on him, therefore he polled[H1548] it:) he weighed[H8254] the hair[H8181] of his head[H7218] at two hundred[H3967]shekels[H8255] after the king's weight[H68].
27
And unto Absalom[H53] there were born[H3205]three[H7969]sons[H1121], and one[H259]daughter[H1323], whose name[H8034] was Tamar[H8559]: she was a woman[H802] of a fair[H3303]countenance[H4758].
28
So Absalom[H53]dwelt[H3427] two full[H3117]years[H8141] in Jerusalem[H3389], and saw[H7200] not the king's face[H6440].
29
Therefore Absalom[H53]sent[H7971] for Joab[H3097], to have sent[H7971] him to the king[H4428]; but he would[H14] not come[H935] to him: and when he sent[H7971]again[H7971] the second time[H8145], he would[H14] not come[H935].
30
Therefore he said[H559] unto his servants[H5650], See[H7200], Joab's field[H2513] is near[H413]mine[H3027], and he hath barley[H8184] there; go[H3212] and set[H3341] it on fire[H784]. And Absalom's servants[H5650]set[H3341] the field[H2513] on fire[H784].
31
Then Joab[H3097]arose[H6965], and came[H935] to Absalom[H53] unto his house[H1004], and said[H559] unto him, Wherefore have thy servants[H5650]set[H3341] my field[H2513] on fire?[H784]
32
And Absalom[H53]answered[H559]Joab[H3097], Behold, I sent[H7971] unto thee, saying[H559], Come[H935] hither, that I may send[H7971] thee to the king[H4428], to say[H559], Wherefore am I come[H935] from Geshur?[H1650] it had been good[H2896] for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see[H7200] the king[H4428]'s face[H6440]; and if there be[H3426] any iniquity[H5771] in me, let him kill[H4191] me.
33
So Joab[H3097]came[H935] to the king[H4428], and told[H5046] him: and when he had called[H7121] for Absalom[H53], he came[H935] to the king[H4428], and bowed[H7812] himself on his face[H639] to the ground[H776]before[H6440] the king[H4428]: and the king[H4428]kissed[H5401]Absalom[H53].