2 Samuel 14

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now, Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king was favourably inclined to Absalom.	1 When Joab, son of Zeruiah, observed how the king felt toward 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 he sent to Tekoa and brought from there a gifted woman, to whom he said: "Pretend to be in mourning. Put on mourning apparel and do not anoint yourself with oil, that you may appear to be a woman who has been long in mourning for a departed one.
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 Then go to the king and speak to him in this manner." And Joab instructed her what to say.
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 So the woman of Tekoa went to the king and fell prostrate to the ground in homage, saying, "Help, your majesty!"
5 The king said, 'What is the matter?' 'As you see,' she replied, 'I am a widow; my husband is dead.	5 The king said to her, "What do you want?" She replied: "Alas, I am a widow; 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 Your servant had two sons, who quarreled in the field. There being no one to part them, one of them struck his brother and killed 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 Then the whole clan confronted your servant and demanded: 'Give up the one who killed his brother. We must put him to death for the life of his brother whom he has slain; we must extinguish the heir also.' Thus they will quench my remaining hope and leave my husband neither name nor posterity upon the earth."
8 Then the king said to the woman, 'Go home; I myself shal give orders about your case.'	8 The king then said to the woman: "Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf."
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 The woman of Tekoa answered him, "Let me and my family be to blame, my lord king; you and your throne are innocent."
10 'Bring me the man who threatened you,' the king replied, 'and he shal never hurt you again.'	10 Then the king said, "If anyone says a word to you, have him brought to me, and he shall not touch you again."
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 But she went on to say, "Please, your majesty, keep in mind the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood may not go too far in destruction and that my son may not be done away with." He replied, "As the LORD lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground."
12 Then the woman said, 'Permit your servant to say something else to my lord the king.' 'Go on,' hesaid.	12 The woman continued, "Please let your servant say still another word to my lord the king." He replied, "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 So the woman said: "Why, then, do you think of this same kind of thing against the people of God? In pronouncing as he has, the king shows himself guilty, for not bringing back his own banished son.
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 must indeed die; we are then like water that is poured out on the ground and cannot be gathered up. Yet, though God does not bring back life, he does take thought how not to banish anyone from him.
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 And now, if I have presumed to speak of this matter to your majesty, it is because the people have given me cause to fear. And so your servant thought: 'Let me speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the petition of his maidservant.
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 For the king must surely consent to free his servant from the grasp of one who would seek to destroy me and my son as well from God's inheritance.'"
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 And the woman concluded: "Let the word of my lord the king provide a resting place; indeed, my lord the king is like an angel of God, evaluating good and bad. The LORD your God be with you."
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 The king answered the woman, "Now do not conceal from me anything I may ask you!" The woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."
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 So the king asked, "Is Joab involved with you in all this?" And the woman answered: "As you live, my lord the king, it is just as your majesty has said, and not otherwise. It was your servant Joab who instructed me and told your servant all these things she was to say.
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 Your servant Joab did this to come at the issue in a roundabout way. But my lord is as wise as an angel of God, so that he knows all things on earth."
21 The king then said to Joab, 'Very wel , the suit is granted. Go and bring the young man Absalomback.'	21 Then the king said to Joab: "I hereby grant this request. Go, therefore, and bring back young 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 Falling prostrate to the ground in homage and blessing the king, Joab said, "This day I know that I am in good favor with you, my lord the king, since the king has granted the request of his servant."
23 Joab then set off, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.	23 Joab then went off to Geshur 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 go to his own house; he shall not appear before me." So Absalom went off to his house and did not appear before the king.
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 In all Israel there was not a man who could so be praised for his beauty as Absalom, who was without blemish from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
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 When he shaved his head--which he used to do at the end of every year, because his hair became too heavy for him--the hair weighed two hundred shekels according to the royal standard.
27 To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter called Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.	27 Absalom had three sons born to him, besides a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without being received by the king.	28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without appearing before the king.
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 Then he summoned Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. Although he summoned him a second time, Joab refused to come.
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 therefore instructed his servants: "You see Joab's field that borders mine, on which he has barley. Go, set it on fire." And so Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Joab's farmhands came to him with torn garments and reported to him what had been done.
31 Joab then stirred himself, went to Absalom in his house and asked, 'Why have your retainers set myfield on fire?'	31 At this, Joab went to Absalom in his house and asked him, "Why have your servants set my field 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 Absalom answered Joab: "I was summoning you to come here, that I may send you to the king to say: 'Why did I come back from Geshur? I would be better off if I were still there!' Now, let me appear before the king. If I am guilty, let him put me to death."
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 Joab went to the king and reported this. The king then called Absalom, who came to him and in homage fell on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed him.