2 Samuel 14

EL LIBRO DEL PUEBLO DE DIOS	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Joab, hijo de Seruiá, comprendió que el rey echaba de menos a Absalón.	1 Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the heart of the king had been turned toward Absalom,
2 Entonces hizo venir a Técoa a una mujer muy hábil y le dijo: «Vas a fingir que estás de duelo: vístete de luto, no te perfumes y aparenta ser una mujer que hace ya mucho tiempo está de duelo por su difunto.	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.
3 Luego te presentarás ante el rey y le repetirás exactamente lo que yo te diga». Y Joab le explicó todo lo que debía decir.	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.
4 La mujer se presentó ante el rey y, postrándose con el rostro en tierra, exclamó: «¡Auxilio, rey!».	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.”
5 «¿Qué te pasa, le preguntó el rey. Ella respondió: «¡Pobre de mí! Yo soy una viuda; mi marido ha muerto,	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.
6 y tu servidora tenía dos hijos, que una vez se pelearon en el campo. Como no había nadie para separarlos, uno hirió al otro y lo mató.	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.
7 Y ahora toda la familia se ha levantado contra tu servidora, diciendo: «Entrega al fratricida; vamos a darle muerte para vengar al hermano que él asesinó y acabar así con el heredero». De esta manera apagarán la brasa que aún me queda, privando a mi marido de un nombre y un sobreviviente sobre la faz de la tierra».	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.”
8 El rey dijo a la mujer: «Vete a tu casa. Yo me encargaré de este asunto».	8 And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”
9 La mujer de Técoa le respondió: «¡Rey, mi señor, que la falta recaiga sobre mí y sobre la casa de mi padre! El rey y su trono están libres de culpa».	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.”
10 «Al que te diga algo, añadió el rey, tráelo aquí y no volverá a molestarte más».	10 And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”
11 La mujer insistió: «¡Dígnese el rey pronunciar el nombre del Señor, tu Dios, para que el vengador de la sangre no aumente la desgracia, eliminando a mi hijo!». Entonces el rey declaró: «¡Por la vida del Señor, no caerá en tierra ni un solo cabello de tu hijo!».	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.”
12 La mujer siguió diciendo: «¿Podría esta servidora decirle una palabra a mi señor, el rey?». «Habla», replicó él.	12 Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
13 Ella añadió: «¿Por qué has pensado semejante cosa contra el pueblo de Dios? Con las palabras que acaba de pronunciar, el rey se ha confesado culpable, ya que no deja volver al que ha desterrado.	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?
14 Todos tenemos que morir, y como el agua que se derrama en tierra y ya no se puede recoger. Dios no vuelve a dar la vida. Que el rey haga entonces un plan, para que el exiliado no esté más tiempo desterrado lejos de nosotros.	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.
15 Si ahora vengo a hablar de este asunto al rey, mi señor, es porque el pueblo me ha atemorizado. Por eso pensé: «Es preciso que hable con el rey, a ver si hace lo que le digo.	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.
16 Seguramente el rey consentirá en librarme del hombre que quiere extirparnos, a mí y a mi hijo, de la herencia de Dios».	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.
17 Tu servidora pensó además: «Que la palabra del rey nos traiga la calma. Porque él es como un ángel de Dios para distinguir el bien del mal» ¡Que el Señor, tu dios, esté contigo!».	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.”
18 Entonces el rey tomó la palabra y dijo a la mujer: «Por favor, no me ocultes nada de lo que te voy a preguntar». La mujer respondió: «Dígnese hablar mi señor, el rey».	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.”
19 El rey continuó diciendo: «¿No está la mano de Joab detrás de todo esto?». La mujer asintió: «¡Por tu vida, mi señor y rey, tu pregunta ha dado justo en el blanco! Sí, tu servidor Joab es el que me mandó y puso todas estas palabras en boca de tu servidora.	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.
20 Lo hizo para no encarar el asunto de frente. Pero mi señor posee la sabiduría de un ángel de Dios y sabe todo lo que pasa en la tierra».	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.”
21 Luego el rey dijo a Joab: «Está bien. Haré lo que has pedido: ve a traer al joven Absalón».	21 And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”
22 Joab cayó con el rostro en tierra, bendijo al rey y dijo: «Rey, mi señor, ahora sé que cuento con tu favor, porque has accedido a mi demanda».	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.”
23 Después Joab partió para Guesur y trajo a Absalón a Jerusalén.	23 Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.
24 Pero el rey dijo: «Que se retire a su casa y no venga a verme». Absalón se retiró a su casa y no se presentó ante el rey.	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.
25 No había en todo Israel un hombre más apuesto que Absalón, ni tan elogiado como él: desde la planta de los pies hasta la cabeza, no tenía ningún defecto.	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.
26 Cuando se cortaba la cabellera –y lo hacía cada año, porque le resultaba demasiado pesada– el pelo cortado pesaba doscientos siclos, según la medida del rey.	26 And when he shaved off his hair, for he shaved it off once a year, because his long hair was burdensome to him, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, by the public weights.
27 A Absalón le nacieron tres hijos y una hija, llamada Tamar, que era muy hermosa.	27 Then three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, of elegant form, whose name was Tamar.
28 Absalón estuvo tres años en Jerusalén sin ver al rey.	28 And Absalom remained for two years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the face of the king.
29 Entonces mandó a buscar a Joab para enviarlo ante el rey, pero él no quiso venir. Lo hizo llamar por segunda vez, y tampoco quiso venir.	29 And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,
30 Por eso, Absalón dijo a sus servidores: «Ustedes saben que Joab tiene un campo al lado del mío, donde ha sembrado cebada. Vayan a prenderle fuego». Y los servidores de Absalón incendiaron el campo.	30 he said to his servants: “You know that the field of Joab, the one that is near my field, has a harvest of barley. Therefore, go and set it on fire.” And so, the servants of Absalom set fire to the grain field. And the servants of Joab, arriving with their garments torn, said, “The servants of Absalom have set fire to part of the field!”
31 Joab fue a ver a Absalón a su casa y le dijo: «¿Por qué tus servidores han incendiado el campo que me pertenece?».	31 And Joab rose up, and he went to Absalom at his house, and he said, “Why have your servants set fire to my grain field?”
32 Absalón replicó a Joab: «Yo te mandé a decir que vinieras, a fin de enviarte al rey con este mensaje: «¿Para qué he vuelto de Guesur? ¡Más me valdría estar todavía allí! Ahora quiero comparecer ante el rey, y si tengo alguna culpa, que me haga morir».	32 And Absalom responded to Joab: “I sent to you, begging that you might come to me, and that I might send you to the king, and that you might say to him: ‘Why was I brought from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there.’ I beg you, therefore, that I may see the face of the king. And if he is mindful of my iniquity, let him put me to death.”
33 Joab fue a ver al rey y le llevó la noticia. Entonces el rey llamó a Absalón. Este se presentó ante él, se postró con el rostro en tierra, y el lo abrazó.	33 And so, Joab, entering to the king, reported everything to him. And Absalom was summoned. And he entered to the king, and he reverenced on the face of the earth. And the king kissed Absalom.