2 Samuel 14

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.	1 Now, Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king was favourably inclined to 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:	2 Joab therefore sent to Tekoa for a wise woman. 'Pretend to be in mourning,' he said. 'Dress yourself inmourning, do not perfume yourself; act like a woman who has long been mourning for the dead.
3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.	3 Then go to the king and say this to him.' And Joab put the words into her mouth which she was to say.
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.	4 So the woman of Tekoa went to the king and, fal ing on her face to the ground, prostrated herself.'Help, my lord king!' she said.
5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.	5 The king said, 'What is the matter?' 'As you see,' she replied, 'I am a widow; my 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.	6 Your servant had two sons and out in the fields, where there was no one to intervene, they had aquarrel. And one of them struck the other one and kil ed 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.	7 And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. "Give up the man who kil ed his brother," theysay, "so that we can put him to death, to atone for the life of the brother whom he has murdered; and thus weshall destroy the heir as wel ." By this means, they wil extinguish the ember stil left to me, leaving my husbandneither name nor survivor on the face of the earth.'
8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.	8 Then the king said to the woman, 'Go home; I myself shal give orders about your case.'
9 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.	9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, 'My lord king! May the guilt be on me and on my family; the kingand his throne are innocent of it.'
10 And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.	10 'Bring me the man who threatened you,' the king replied, 'and he shal never hurt you again.'
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.	11 She then said, 'Let the king be pleased to pronounce the name of Yahweh your God, so that theavenger of blood may not do greater harm and destroy my son.' 'As Yahweh lives,' he said, 'not one of yourson's hairs shal fal to the ground!'
12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.	12 Then the woman said, 'Permit your servant to say something else to my lord the king.' 'Go on,' hesaid.
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.	13 The woman said, 'Why then has the king, who by giving this verdict has condemned himself,conceived the idea, against God's people's interests, of not bringing home the son whom he has 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.	14 We are al mortal; we are like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, nor doesGod raise up a corpse; let the king therefore make plans for his banished son not to remain far away from him inexile.
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.	15 'Now, the reason why I came to speak about this to my lord the king is that I was being intimidated,and your servant thought, "I shal speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his servant asks.
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.	16 Surely the king wil consent to save his servant from the clutches of the man who is trying to cut bothme and my son off from God's heritage.
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.	17 Let a word from my lord the king, restore the peace!" your servant thought, "for my lord the king islike the Angel of God in understanding good and evil." May Yahweh your God be with you!'
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.	18 Replying to the woman, the king said, 'Now do not evade the question which I am going to ask you.'The woman said, 'Let my lord the king ask his question.'
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:	19 'Is not Joab's hand behind you in all this?' the king asked. The woman replied, 'As you live, my lordking, I cannot escape what my lord the king says, either to right or to left. Yes, it was your servant Joab whogave me my orders; he put al these words into your servant's mouth.
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.	20 Your servant Joab did this to approach the matter indirectly, but my lord has the wisdom of the Angelof God; he knows everything that happens on earth!'
21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.	21 The king then said to Joab, 'Very wel , the suit is granted. Go and bring the young man Absalomback.'
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.	22 Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king. 'My lord king,' Joab said,'today your servant knows that he has won your favour, since the king has done what his servant asked.'
23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.	23 Joab then set off, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back 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.	24 The king, however, said, 'Let him retire to his own house; he is not to appear in my presence.' SoAbsalom retired to his own house and was not received by the king.
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.	25 In al Israel there was no one more praised for his beauty than Absalom; from the sole of his foot tothe crown of his head, he could not be faulted.
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.	26 When he cut his hair -- he shaved it once a year because his hair got too heavy -- he would weighthe hair: two hundred shekels, 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.	27 To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter called Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.
28 So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.	28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without being received by the king.
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.	29 Absalom then summoned Joab, intending to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him.He sent for him a second time, but still 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 Absalom's servants set the field on fire.	30 At this, Absalom said to his retainers, 'Look, Joab's field is next to mine and he has barley in it; goand set it on fire.' Absalom's retainers set fire to the field.
31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?	31 Joab then stirred himself, went to Absalom in his house and asked, 'Why have your retainers set myfield 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.	32 Absalom replied to Joab, 'Look, I sent word to you: Come here, so that I can send you to the king tosay, "Why come back from Geshur? Better for me to have been there still!" Now I want to be received by theking, and if I am guilty, let him put me to death!'
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.	33 Joab went to the king and told him this. He then summoned Absalom, who prostrated himself with hisface to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.