1
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom
2
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
3
And come to the king and speak on this manner unto him So Joab put the words in her mouth
4
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
5
And the king said unto her What aileth thee And she answered I am indeed a widow woman and mine husband is dead
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 slew him
7
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
8
And the king said unto the woman Go to thine house and I will give charge concerning thee
9
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king My lord O king the iniquity be on me and on my ather’s house and the king and his throne be guiltless
10
And the king said Whosoever saith ought unto thee bring him to me and he shall not touch thee any more
11
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
12
Then the woman said Let thine handmaid I pray thee speak one word unto my lord the king And he said Say on
13
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
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 yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him
15
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
16
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
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
18
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
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
20
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
21
And the king said unto Joab Behold now I have done this thing go therefore bring the young man Absalom again
22
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
23
So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem
24
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
25
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
26
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
27
And unto Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar she was a woman of a fair countenance
28
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the king’s face
29
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
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 salom’s servants set the field on fire
31
Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said unto him Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire
32
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
33
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