Absalom Returns to Jerusalem
1Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king longed to see Absalom. 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to have a wise woman brought back from there. Joab said to her, “Pretend you are filled with sadness. Put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Don’t use any makeup. Act like a woman who has spent many days mourning for someone who has died. 3Then go to the king. Give him the message I’m about to give you.” And Joab told her what to say.
4The woman from Tekoa went to the king. She bowed down with her face toward the ground. She did it to show him respect. She said, “Your Majesty, please help me!”
5The king asked her, “What’s bothering you?”
She said, “I’m a widow. My husband is dead. 6I had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in a field. No one was there to separate them. One of my sons struck down the other one and killed him. 7Now my whole family group has risen up against me. They say, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother. Then we can put him to death for killing his brother. That will also get rid of the one who will receive the family property.’ They want to kill the only living son I have left, just as someone would put out a burning coal. That would leave my husband without any son on the face of the earth to carry on the family name.”
8The king said to the woman, “Go home. I’ll give an order to make sure you are taken care of.”
9But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “You are my king and master. Please pardon me and my family. You and your royal family won’t be guilty of doing anything wrong.”
10The king replied, “If people give you any trouble, bring them to me. They won’t bother you again.”
11She said, “Please pray to the Lord your God. Pray that he will keep our nearest male relative from killing my other son. Then my son won’t be destroyed.”
“You can be sure that the Lord lives,” the king said. “And you can be just as sure that not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12Then the woman said, “King David, please let me say something else to you.”
“Go ahead,” he replied.
13The woman said, “You are the king. So why have you done something that brings so much harm on God’s people? When you do that, you hand down a sentence against yourself. You won’t let the son you drove away come back. 14All of us must die. We are like water spilled on the ground. It can’t be put back into the jar. But that is not what God desires. Instead, he finds a way to bring back anyone who was driven away from him.
15“King David, I’ve come here to say this to you now. I’ve done it because people have made me afraid. I thought, ‘I’ll go and speak to the king. Perhaps he’ll do what I’m asking. 16A man is trying to separate me and my son from the property God gave us. Perhaps the king will agree to save me from that man.’
17“So now I’m saying, ‘May what you have told me prevent that man from doing what he wants. You are like an angel of God. You know what is good and what is evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
18Then the king said to the woman, “I’m going to ask you a question. I want you to tell me the truth.”
“Please ask me anything you want to,” the woman said.
19The king asked, “Joab told you to say all of this, didn’t he?”
The woman answered, “What you have told me is exactly right. And that’s just as sure as you are alive. It’s true that Joab directed me to do this. He told me everything he wanted me to say. 20He did it to change the way things now are. You are as wise as an angel of God. You know everything that happens in the land.”
21Later the king said to Joab, “All right. I’ll do what you want. Go. Bring back the young man Absalom.”
22Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground. He did it to honor the king. And he asked God to bless the king. He said, “You are my king and master. Today I know that you are pleased with me. You have given me what I asked for.”
23Then Joab went to Geshur. He brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24But the king said, “He must go to his own house. I don’t want him to come and see me.” So Absalom went to his own house. He didn’t go to see the king.
25In the whole land of Israel there wasn’t any man as handsome as Absalom was. That’s why everyone praised him. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet he didn’t have any flaws. 26He used to cut his hair once a year when it became too heavy for him. Then he would weigh it. It weighed five pounds in keeping with the standard weights used in the palace.
27Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar. She became a beautiful woman.
28Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without going to see the king. 29Then Absalom sent for Joab. He wanted to send Joab to the king. But Joab refused to come to Absalom. So Absalom sent for him a second time. But Joab still refused to come. 30Then Absalom said to his servants, “Joab’s field is next to mine. He has barley growing there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31Joab finally went to Absalom’s house. He said to Absalom, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32Absalom said to Joab, “I sent a message to you. I said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king. I want you to ask him for me, “Why did you bring me back from Geshur? I would be better off if I were still there!” ’ Now then, I want to go and see the king. If I’m guilty of doing anything wrong, let him put me to death.”
33So Joab went to the king and told him that. Then the king sent for Absalom. He came in and bowed down to the king with his face toward the ground. And the king kissed Absalom.
1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2And 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: 3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
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.14.4 Help: Heb. Save 5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. 6And 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.14.6 none…: Heb. no deliverer between them 7And, 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.14.7 upon…: Heb. upon the face of the earth 8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. 9And 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. 10And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. 11Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.14.11 that…: Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy 12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. 13And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. 14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.14.14 neither…: or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, etc 15Now 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. 16For 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 God. 17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.14.17 comfortable: Heb. for rest14.17 to discern: Heb. to hear 18Then 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. 19And 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: 20To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21¶ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. 22And 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.14.22 thanked: Heb. blessed14.22 his servant: or, thy servant 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24And 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.
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.14.25 But…: Heb. And as Absalom there was not a beautiful man in all Israel to praise greatly 26And 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. 27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face. 29Therefore 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. 30Therefore 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.14.30 near…: Heb. near my place 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? 32And 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. 33So 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.
