1  Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

2Sm14:2  so he sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her: “Feign that you are in mourning, and put on the clothing of one who mourns. And do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you may be like a woman who is still grieving for someone who died some time ago.

2  And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her: 'I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead;

2Sm14:3  And you shall enter to the king, and you shall speak words to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

3  and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him.' So Joab put the words in her mouth.

3  And thou shalt go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

2Sm14:4  And so, when the woman of Tekoa had entered to the king, she fell before him on the ground, and she reverenced, and she said, “Save me, O king.”

4  And 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.'

4  So the woman of Thecoe went in to the king and fell upon her face to the earth, and did him obeisance, and said, Help, O king, help.

2Sm14:5  And the king said to her, “What problem do you have?” And she responded: “Alas, I am a woman who is a widow. For my husband has died.

5  And the king said unto her: 'What aileth thee?' And she answered: 'Of a truth I am a widow, my husband being dead.

2Sm14:6  And your handmaid had two sons. And they quarreled against one another in the field. And there was no one there who would be able to stop them. And one struck the other, and killed him.

6  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 killed him.

6  And moreover thy handmaid had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one smote the other his brother, and slew him.

2Sm14:7  And behold, the whole family, rising up against your handmaid, said: ‘Deliver him who struck down his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and so that we may do away with the heir.’ And they are seeking to extinguish my spark that is left, so that there may not survive a name for my husband, nor a remnant upon the earth.”

7  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 so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.'

2Sm14:8  And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”

8  And the king said unto the woman: 'Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.'

2Sm14:9  And the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “May the iniquity be upon me, my lord, and upon the house of my father. But may the king and his throne be innocent.”

9  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.'

2Sm14:10  And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”

10  And the king said: 'Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.'

2Sm14:11  And she said, “Let the king remember the Lord his God, so that close blood relatives may not be multiplied in order to take revenge, and so that they may by no means kill my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair from your son shall fall to the ground.”

11  Then said she: 'I pray thee, let the king remember YHWH thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.' And he said: 'As the YHWH liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.'

2Sm14:12  Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

12  Then the woman said: 'Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king.' And he said: 'Say on.'

12  And the woman said, Let now thy servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

2Sm14:13  And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?

13  And the woman said: 'Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

2Sm14:14  We are all dying, and we are all like waters that flow into the ground and do not return. God does not will to lose a soul. Instead, he renews his efforts, thinking that what has been rejected might not perish altogether.

13  And the woman said to him, Why then have you thought such a thing against the people of God? And why do you speak, O king, as one who is guilty, in that, O king, you do not bring back your lost one?

14  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; but let him devise means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

14  For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as he devises to thrust forth from him his outcast.

2Sm14:15  Therefore, now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, in the presence of the people. And your handmaid said: I will speak to the king, for perhaps there may be some way for the king to accomplish the word of his handmaid.

15  Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word 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 servant.

15  And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, the reason is that the people will see me, and thy handmaid will say, Let one now speak to my lord the king, if peradventure the king will perform the request of his handmaid;

2Sm14:16  And the king listened, and he freed his handmaid from the hand of all who were willing to take away me and my son together, from the inheritance of God.

16  For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

2Sm14:17  Therefore, let your handmaid speak, so that the word of my lord the king may be like a sacrifice. For even like an Angel of God, so is my lord the king, so that he is moved by neither a blessing, nor a curse. Then too, the Lord your God is with you.”

16  That they may not destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.

17  Then thy handmaid said: Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for my comfort; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and YHWH thy God be with thee.'

2Sm14:18  And in response, the king said to the woman, “You shall not conceal from me a word of what I ask you.” And the woman said to him, “Speak, my lord the king.”

18  Then the king answered and said unto the woman: 'Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee.' And the woman said: 'Let my lord the king now speak.'

2Sm14:19  And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “By the welfare of your soul, my lord the king, it is neither to the left, nor to the right, in all these things that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab himself instructed me, and he himself placed all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

19  And the king said: 'Is 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 aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

2Sm14:20  Thus did I turn to this figure of speech, because your servant Joab instructed it. But you, my lord the king, are wise, just as an Angel of God has wisdom, so that you understand all that is upon the earth.”

20  to change the face of the matter 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.'

20  In order that this form of speech might come about it was that thy servant Joab has framed this matter: and my lord is wise as is the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

2Sm14:21  And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”

21  And the king said unto Joab: 'Behold now, I have granted this request; go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.'

2Sm14:22  And falling to the ground upon his face, Joab reverenced, and he blessed the king. And Joab said: “Today your servant has understood that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king. For you have accomplished the word of your servant.”

22  And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and prostrated himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said: 'To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of thy servant.'

2Sm14:23  Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.

22  And Joab fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance and blessed the king: and Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.

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

2Sm14:24  But the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” And so, Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

24  And the king said: 'Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face.' So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

2Sm14:25  Now in all of Israel, there was no man so handsome, and so very stately as Absalom. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there was no blemish in him.