Absalom Returns to Jerusalem
1Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4When the woman from Tekoa went14:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts spoke to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”
5The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”
She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. 7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”
8The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.”
9But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt.”
10The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”
11She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.”
“As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.”
“Speak,” he replied.
13The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
15“And now I have come to say this 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 his servant’s request. 16Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
17“And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
18Then the king said to the woman, “Don’t keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.”
“Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said.
19The king asked, “Isn’t the hand of Joab with you in 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 my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. 20Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.”
21The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant’s request.”
23Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
25In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels14:26 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms by the royal standard.
27Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.
28Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face. 29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. 30Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!” ’ Now then, I want to see the king’s face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
33So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
押沙龙回耶路撒冷
1洗鲁雅的儿子约押知道王想念押沙龙， 2就派人到提哥亚去召来一个聪明的妇人，对她说：“你假扮哀悼的人，穿上丧服，不要用油抹身，要装成为死者哀悼很久的妇人， 3然后到王那里，对他这样这样说。”约押把应该说的话都告诉妇人。
4提哥亚妇人来到王面前，俯伏在地上说：“王啊，求你救救我吧！” 5王问她：“你有什么事？”妇人说：“婢女是个寡妇，丈夫死了。 6我本来有两个儿子，有一次他们在田间发生争执，当时没有人劝解，其中一个儿子被打死了。 7现在整个家族都起来反对婢女，说，‘把那打死亲兄弟的凶手交出来，我们要他以命偿命，除掉这个继承人。’他们要让我家断子绝孙，使婢女的丈夫既不能留名，也不能留后。” 8王说：“你回家去吧！我会为你作主。” 9提哥亚妇人说：“我主我王，愿罪过14:9 “罪过”可能指违背摩西律法杀人偿命的规定。都落在婢女和婢女家族，跟王和王位无关。” 10王说：“若有人为难你，你就把他带来，他必不敢再找你的麻烦。” 11妇人说：“求王凭你的上帝耶和华起誓，不许报血仇者杀人，留我儿一命。”王说：“我凭永活的耶和华起誓，你的儿子必毫发无损。”
12妇人说：“求我主我王再容婢女说一句。”王说：“说吧！” 13妇人说：“王怎么想出这样的事来针对上帝的子民呢？王刚才所说的话正表明王的不是了，因为王不让被流放的儿子回来。 14人都难免一死，就像覆水难收。然而，上帝不是要夺取人的性命，而是要设法使流亡的人重新回来。 15我向我主我王说出这番话，是因为人们恐吓我。我想，不如向王请命，也许王会成全婢女的心愿。 16有人要害我和我儿子的性命，叫我们不得承受上帝所赐的产业，也许王能从这人手中救我们。 17婢女想，我主我王的话必能安慰我，因为我主我王就像上帝的天使一样能明辨是非。愿王的上帝耶和华常与王同在！”
18王对妇人说：“我有一件事要问你，你要实实在在地回答我。”妇人说：“我主我王请说。” 19王说：“这是不是约押的主意？”妇人说：“我凭我主我王的性命起誓，王所说的一点不错，这些话是你臣仆约押吩咐婢女说的。 20他这样做是希望扭转局面。我主如上帝的天使一样有智慧，洞悉天下之事。”
21于是，王对约押说：“我答应你的请求，你去把年轻的押沙龙带回来吧。” 22约押俯伏在地，叩谢王恩，说：“今天仆人在我主我王面前蒙了恩，因为王应允了仆人的请求。” 23约押便到基述把押沙龙接回耶路撒冷。 24王说：“让押沙龙回自己的家，不要让他来见我！”押沙龙便返回自己家中，没有朝见王。
25在整个以色列，没有人像押沙龙那样因相貌英俊而为人称道，他从头到脚毫无瑕疵。 26他的头发浓密，每年年终会很沉重，需要剪发，剪下的头发按王的重量标准约重两公斤。 27押沙龙有三儿一女，女儿名叫她玛，长得非常美丽。
28押沙龙在耶路撒冷住了两年，没有跟王见过面。 29他派人去请约押来，托他去求见王，但约押不肯来。第二次再请，他还是不肯来。 30押沙龙就吩咐仆人：“你们看，约押的田就在我的田旁边，他种了大麦，你们去放火把它烧了。”押沙龙的仆人便把麦田烧了。 31约押便来到押沙龙家里，问他：“你为什么叫仆人放火烧我的田？” 32押沙龙答道：“我派人请你来，希望你替我去问王，‘我为什么要从基述回来呢？倒不如仍然留在那里。’现在我要见王，如果我有什么罪过，就让他杀了我吧！” 33约押就去见王，把押沙龙的话告诉他，王便召见押沙龙。押沙龙来到王面前俯首叩拜，王就亲吻他。
