2 Samuel 14

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Now, Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king was favourably inclined to Absalom.	1 And Joab the son of Sarvia, understanding that the king's heart was turned to Absalom,
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.	2 Sent to Thecua, and fetched from thence a wise woman: and said to her: Feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, and be not anointed with oil, that thou mayest be as a woman that had a long time been mourning for one dead.
3 Then go to the king and say this to him.' And Joab put the words into her mouth which she was to say.	3 And thou shalt go in to the king, and shalt speak to him in this manner. And Joab put the words in her mouth.
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.	4 And when the woman of Thecua was come in to the king, she fell before him upon the ground, and worshipped, and said: Save me, O king.
5 The king said, 'What is the matter?' 'As you see,' she replied, 'I am a widow; my husband is dead.	5 And the king said to her: What is the matter with thee? She answered: Alas, I am a widow woman: for my husband is dead.
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.	6 And thy handmaid had two sons: and they quarrelled with each other in the field, and there was none to part them: and the one struck the other, and slew him.
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.'	7 And behold the whole kindred rising against thy handmaid, saith: Deliver him that hath slain his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he slew, and that we may destroy the heir: and they seek to quench my spark which is left, and will leave my husband no name, nor remainder upon the earth.
8 Then the king said to the woman, 'Go home; I myself shal give orders about your case.'	8 And the king said to the woman: Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
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.'	9 And the woman of Thecua said to the king: Upon me, my lord, be the iniquity, and upon the house of my father: but may the king and his throne be guiltless.
10 'Bring me the man who threatened you,' the king replied, 'and he shal never hurt you again.'	10 And the king said: If any one shall say ought against thee, bring him to me, and be shall not touch thee any more.
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!'	11 And she said: Let the king remember the Lord his God, that the next of kin be not multiplied to take revenge, and that they may not kill 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, 'Permit your servant to say something else to my lord the king.' 'Go on,' hesaid.	12 Then the woman said: Let thy handmaid speak one word to my lord the king. And he said: Speak.
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?	13 And the woman said: Why hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God, and why hath the king spoken this word, to sin, and not bring home again his own exile?
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.	14 We all die, and like waters that return no more, we fall down into the earth: neither will God have a soul to perish, but recalleth, meaning that he that is cast off should not altogether perish.
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.	15 Now therefore I am come, to speak this word to my lord the king before the people. And thy handmaid said: I will speak to the king, it maybe the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
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.	16 And the king hath hearkened to me to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of all that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
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!'	17 Then let thy handmaid say, that the word of the Lord the king be made as a sacrifice. For even as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, that he is neither moved with blessing nor cursing: wherefore the Lord thy God is also with thee.
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.'	18 And the king answering, said to the woman: Hide not from me the thing that I ask thee. And the woman said to him: Speak, my lord the king.
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.	19 And the king said: Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? The woman answered, and said: By the health of thy soul, my lord, O king, it is neither on the left hand, nor on the right, in all these things which my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy handmaid.
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!'	20 That I should come about with this form of speech, thy servant Joab, commanded this: but thou, my lord, O king, art wise, according to the wisdom of ail angel of God, to understand all things upon earth.
21 The king then said to Joab, 'Very wel , the suit is granted. Go and bring the young man Absalomback.'	21 And the king said to Joab: Behold I am appeased and have granted thy request: Go therefore and fetch back the boy Absalom.
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.'	22 And Joab falling down to the ground upon his face, adored, and blessed the king: and Joab said: This day thy servant hath understood, that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king: for thou hast fulfilled the request of thy servant.
23 Joab then set off, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.	23 Then Joab arose and went to Gessur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
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.	24 But the king said: Let him return into his house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned into his house, and saw not the king's face.
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.	25 But in all Israel there was not a man so comely, and so exceedingly beautiful as Absalom: from the sole of the foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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.	26 And when he polled his hair (now he was polled once a year, because his hair was burdensome to him) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred sicles, according to the common weight.
27 To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter called Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.	27 And there were born to Absalom three sons: and one daughter, whose, name was Thamar, and she was very beautiful.
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without being received by the king.	28 And Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
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.	29 He sent therefore to Joab, to send him to the king: but he would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and he would not come to him,
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.	30 He said to his servants: You know the field of Joab near my field, that hath a crop of barley: go now and set it on fire. So the servants of Absalom set the corn on fire. And Joab's servants coming with their garments rent, said: The servants of Absalom have set part of the field on fire.
31 Joab then stirred himself, went to Absalom in his house and asked, 'Why have your retainers set myfield on fire?'	31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said: Why have thy servants set my corn on fire?
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!'	32 And Absalom answered Joab: I sent to thee beseeching thee to come to me, that I might send thee to the king, to say to him: Wherefore am I come from Gessur? it had been better for me to be there: I beseech thee therefore that I may see the face of the king: and if he be mindful of my iniquity, let him kill me.
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.	33 So Joab going in to the king, told him all: and Absalom was called for, and he went in to the king: and prostrated himself on the ground before him: and the king kissed Absalom.