2Samuel 14

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

14So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was concerned about Absalom.H3097H1121H6870H3045H4428H3820H532And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead.H3097H7971H8620H3947H2450H802H559H56H3847H60H899H5480H8081H802H7227H3117H56H41913"Go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth.H935H4428H1696H1697H3097H7760H1697H63104And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, "Help, O king!"H802H8621H559H4428H5307H639H776H7812H559H3467H44285Then the king said to her, "What troubles you?" And she answered, "Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead.H4428H559H559H61H490H802H376H41916"Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.H8198H8147H1121H8147H5327H7704H5337H259H5221H259H41917"And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, 'Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.' So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth."H4940H6965H8198H559H5414H5221H251H4191H5315H251H2026H8045H3423H3518H1513H7760H7604H376H8034H7611H6440H1278Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."H4428H559H802H3212H1004H66809And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless."H802H8621H559H4428H113H4428H5771H1H1004H4428H3678H535510So the king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore."H4428H559H1696H935H5060H325411Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son." And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."H559H4428H2142H3068H430H1350H1818H7843H7235H8045H1121H559H3068H2416H8185H1121H5307H77612Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king." And he said, "Say on."H802H559H8198H1696H1697H113H4428H559H169613So the woman said: "Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.H802H559H2803H5971H430H4428H1696H1697H818H4428H7725H508014"For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.H4191H4191H4325H5064H776H622H430H5375H5315H2803H4284H5080H508015"Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant.H935H1696H1697H113H4428H5971H3372H8198H559H1696H4428H4428H6213H1697H51916'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'H4428H8085H5337H519H3709H376H8045H1121H3162H5159H43017"Your maidservant said, 'The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.'"H8198H559H1697H113H4428H4496H4397H430H113H4428H8085H2896H7451H3068H43018Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Please, let my lord the king speak."H4428H6030H559H802H3582H1697H7592H802H559H113H4428H169619So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.H4428H559H3027H3097H802H6030H559H5315H2416H113H4428H376H786H3231H8041H113H4428H1696H5650H3097H6680H7760H1697H6310H819820"To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth."H5668H5437H6440H1697H5650H3097H6213H1697H113H2450H2451H4397H430H3045H77621And the king said to Joab, "All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom."H4428H559H3097H6213H1697H3212H7725H5288H53H772522Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant."H3097H5307H776H6440H7812H1288H4428H3097H559H3117H5650H3045H4672H2580H5869H113H4428H4428H6213H1697H565023So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.H3097H6965H3212H1650H935H53H338924And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.H4428H559H5437H1004H7200H6440H53H5437H1004H7200H4428H6440

David Forgives Absalom

25Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.H3478H376H3966H1984H53H3303H3709H7272H6936H397126And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard.H1548H7218H3117H3117H7093H1548H3513H1548H8254H8181H7218H3967H8255H4428H6827To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.H53H3205H7969H1121H259H1323H8034H8559H802H3303H475828And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king's face.H53H3427H3117H8141H3389H7200H4428H644029Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come.H53H7971H3097H7971H4428H14H935H7971H8145H14H93530So he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.H559H5650H7200H3097H2513H413H3027H8184H3212H3341H784H53H5650H3341H2513H78431Then Joab arose and came to Absalom's house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"H3097H6965H935H53H1004H559H5650H3341H2513H78432And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still."' Now therefore, let me see the king's face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me."H53H559H3097H7971H559H935H7971H4428H559H935H1650H2896H7200H4428H6440H3426H5771H419133So Joab went 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. Then the king kissed Absalom.H3097H935H4428H5046H7121H53H935H4428H7812H639H776H6440H4428H4428H5401H53