2 Samuel 14

Thomson(i) 1 So when Joab, son of Saruia, perceived that the king's heart was set upon Abessalom, 2 he sent to Thekoe, and brought thence a wise woman, and said to her, Feign thyself, I pray thee, to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be like a woman mourning for one who hath been long dead: 3 and thou shalt go to the king, and speak to him in this manner; So Joab put words in her mouth. 4 And when the woman of Thekoe came to the king, she fell on her face on the ground, and made obeisance to him, and said, Save, king! save! 5 And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee? To which she replied, I am a wretched woman, a widow. My husband died. 6 And thy servant had two sons, and they quarrelled in the field, and there was none to part them, and one of them smote the other; his brother, and killed him. 7 And behold the whole family is risen up against thy servant, and say, Deliver up him who smote his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother whom he hath slain; for we will cut him off though he be your heir. Thus will they quench my coal, which is left, so that there will not be left to my husband a remnant, or a name, on the face of the earth. 8 Thereupon the king said to the woman, Go in peace to thy house, and I will give orders concerning thee. 9 And the woman of Thekoe said to the king, Upon me, my lord the king, be the iniquity, and upon my father's house; and let the king and his throne be guiltless! 10 Then the king said, Let who will speak to thee, bring him to me, and he shall no more touch him. 11 And she said, Let the king, I pray thee, make mention of the Lord his God, that though avengers of blood be multiplied to destroy, they shall not destroy my son. Whereupon he said, As the Lord liveth, there shall not a hair of thy son's head fall to the ground. 12 Then the woman said, Let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king, and he said, Speak, 13 And the woman said, Why hast thou come to such a determination against the people of God? Or is that word, That the king would not recal his own exile, a kind of trespass from the mouth of the king? 14 Because we must surely die, and be like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God can take away life when he is determined to remove an outcast from him; 15 now therefore in respect to the matter about which I came to speak to my lord the king, Because the people will see me, therefore thy servant will say, Pray speak to my lord the king; perhaps the king will grant the request of his servant. 16 Because the king will hear, let him deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who seeketh to remove me and my son from the inheritance of the Lord. 17 Then the woman said, Let the word of my lord the king be, I pray, for a sacrifice; for since my lord the king is as an angel of God to discern what is good and what is bad, surely the Lord thy God must be with thee. 18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, Conceal not from me I pray thee, the thing which I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Pray let my lord the king speak. 19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in this whole business? And the woman said to the king, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, there is no turning to the right, nor to the left, from all that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab commanded me, and he himself put all these words in the mouth of thy servant, 20 that this case might wear the appearance of the thing which thy servant Joab wished to have done. But my lord is wise as an angel of God, to know all the things on the earth. 21 Then the king said to Joab, Behold I have done for thee according to this thy state of the case; bring back the young man, Abessalom. 22 Upon which Joab fell on his face to the ground, and made obeisance, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Now thy servant knoweth that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord the king, because my lord the king hath granted the suit of his servant. 23 Then Joab arose and went to Gedsur, and brought Abessalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face. So Abessalom returned to his house, and did not see the king's face. 25 Now in all Israel there was not a man so very comely as Abessalom. From the sole of his foot, to the crown of his head, there was not a blemish in him. 26 When he polled his head, and at the beginning of every year he had it polled, because the hair was burthensome to him, and when he polled it he weighed the hair of his head, and it weighed two hundred shekels after the king's shekel. 27 And to Abessalom there were born three sons and one daughter. The name of his daughter was Themar. She was a very beautiful woman. 28 And when Abessalom had dwelt two years at Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face, 29 Abessalom sent for Joab that he might send him to the king, but he declined coming to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he declined coming, 30 Abessalom said to his servants, See, the portion of land in the field adjoining mine is Joab's, and he hath barley there. Go and set it on fire. And when Abessalom's servants set the field on fire, the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes rent, and said, Abessalom's servants have burned the field with fire. 31 Thereupon Joab arose, and went to Abessalom, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my field on fire? 32 And Abessalom said to Joab, Behold I sent to thee, saying, Come here that I may send thee to the king, saying, Why have I come from Gedsur? It was better for me to be there, as I have not yet seen the king's face. If indeed there be wickedness in me, put me to death. 33 Then Joab went to the king, and delivered him this message, and he sent for Abessalom, and Abessalom went to the king, and made obeisance to him, and prostrated himself on the ground before him, and the king kissed him.