Now Joab the son
of Zeruiah
perceived
that the king's
heart
was toward Absalom
.
And 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
:
And come to the king
, and speak
on this manner
unto him. So Joab
put
the words
in her mouth
.
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
.
And the king said
unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered
, I am indeed
a widow
woman
, and mine husband
is dead
.
And 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.
And, 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
.
And the king said
unto the woman
, Go
to thine house
, and I will give charge
concerning thee.
And 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
.
And the king said
, Whosoever saith
ought unto thee, bring
him to me, and he shall not touch
thee any more
.
Then 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
.
Then the woman said
, Let thine handmaid
, I pray thee, speak
one word
unto my lord
the king
. And he said
, Say on
.
And 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
.
For 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.
Now 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
.
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
.
Then 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.
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
.
And 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
:
To 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
.
And the king said
unto Joab
, Behold now, I have done
this thing
: go
therefore, bring
the young man
Absalom
again
.
And 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
.
So Joab arose
and went
to Geshur
, and brought
Absalom
to Jerusalem
.
And 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
.
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.
And 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
.
And unto Absalom there were born
three
sons
, and one
daughter
, whose name
was Tamar
: she was a woman
of a fair
countenance
.
So Absalom dwelt
two full
years
in Jerusalem
, and saw
not the king's
face
.
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
.
Therefore 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
.
Then Joab arose
, and came
to Absalom
unto his house
, and said
unto him, Wherefore have thy servants
set
my field
on fire
?
And 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.
So 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
.