1 N ow Joab the son of Zeruiah saw that the king missed Absalom very much.

¶ Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.

2 S o Joab sent for a wise woman from Tekoa, and said to her, “Pretend to be filled with sorrow. Dress as if you were filled with sorrow, and do not pour oil on yourself. Dress like a woman who has been filled with sorrow for the dead many days.

And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought an astute woman from there and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner and put on mourning apparel and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman that has mourned for a long time for someone who is dead

3 T hen go to the king and speak to him in this way.” And Joab told her what to say.

and come to the king and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 W hen the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showing honor, and said, “Help, O king.”

And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said, Save me, O king.

5 T he king said to her, “What is your trouble?” And she answered, “I am a woman whose husband has died.

And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

6 Y our woman servant had two sons. But they fought together in the field and there was no one to pull them apart. So one hit the other and killed him.

And thy handmaid had two sons, and the two strove together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.

7 N ow the whole family has come against your woman servant. They say, ‘Give us the one who killed his brother. We must put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ So I would be without a son to receive what belonged to his parents when I die. They would put out the last of the fire which is left to me. My husband would be left without a name and with no children on the earth.”

And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy 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. So they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

8 T hen the king said to the woman, “Go to your house. I will say what should be done about your trouble.”

And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give a command concerning thee.

9 T he woman of Tekoa said to the king, “O my lord the king, the sin is on me and my father’s family. But the king and his throne are without guilt.”

And the woman of Tekoa 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.

10 T he king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me. And he will not touch you again.”

And the king said, Whoever speaks against thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

11 T hen she said, “I beg the king to remember the Lord your God, that the one who punishes for blood will stop destroying. Or my son might be destroyed.” And the king said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou will not allow the avengers of blood to increase the damage by destroying my son. And he said, As the LORD lives, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

12 T hen the woman said, “Let your woman servant speak to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

13 T he woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in deciding in this way, the king is as one who is guilty. For the king does not bring home his son who has been driven away.

And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this word as one who is guilty in that the king does not bring home again his banished.

14 I t is sure that we will die. We are like water poured on the ground, which cannot be picked up again. But God does not take away life. He plans ways so that the one who is driven away may not be kept away from Him.

For it is certain that we die and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither does God respect any person; yet he does devise means that his outcasts not be expelled from him.

15 I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your woman servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. It might be that the king will do what his woman servant asks.

Now, therefore, that I have come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. But thy handmaid said to herself, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the word of his handmaid.

16 F or the king will hear and save his woman servant from the man who would destroy both me and my son from the gift of God.’

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 God.

17 T hen your woman servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will comfort me. For my lord the king is like the angel of God in understanding what is good and bad. May the Lord your God be with you.’”

Then thy handmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil; and let the LORD thy God be with thee.

18 T hen the king said to the woman, “Do not hide anything from me that I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”

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.

19 S o the king said, “Is Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from anything my lord the king has said. Yes, it was your servant Joab who told me to do this. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your woman servant.

And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, By the life of thy soul, my lord the king, I can not turn to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for thy slave Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

20 Y our servant Joab has done this to change the way things are now. But my lord is wise like the angel of God, to know all that is on the earth.”

to bring about this form of speech thy slave Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know that which is done in the earth.

21 T hen the king said to Joab, “See now, I will do this. Go and bring back the young man Absalom.”

¶ Then the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing; go, therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

22 A nd Joab fell on his face to the ground in honor and thanks to the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, O my lord the king. Because the king has done what his servant has asked of him.”

And Joab fell to the ground on his face and worshipped and blessed the king, and Joab said, Today thy slave knows that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the word of his slave.

23 S o Joab got up and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 B ut the king said, “Let him go to his own house. Do not let him see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the king’s face. David Forgives Absalom

But the king said, Let him go to his own house and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king’s face.

25 N ow there was no one in Israel as good looking and as much praised as Absalom. There was nothing wrong with him from the bottom of his foot to the top of his head.

And in all Israel there was no one to be so greatly 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.

26 A t the end of every year he would cut the hair from his head, for it was heavy on him. When he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head. It weighed as much as 200 pieces of silver, by the king’s weight.

And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year’s end that he shaved it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore, he shaved it), the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.

27 T hree sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

And unto Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar, who was a beautiful woman to behold.

28 A bsalom lived two whole years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king’s face.

¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and did not see the king’s face.

29 T hen Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king. But Joab would not come to him. So he sent for him a second time. But he would not come.

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.

30 H e said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants burned the field.

Therefore, he said unto his slaves, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s slaves set the field on fire.

31 T hen Joab got up and came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants burned my field?”

Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said unto him, Why have thy slaves set my field on fire?

32 A bsalom answered Joab, “I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to say to the king, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to stay there.”’ Now let me see the king’s face. If there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.”

And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I have sent for thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to have been there still. Now, therefore, let me see the king’s face; and if there is any iniquity in me, let him kill me.

33 T hen Joab went to the king and told him. And he called for Absalom. So he came to the king and put his face to the ground in front of him. And the king kissed Absalom.

So Joab came to the king and told him. Then he called Absalom, who came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.