2 SamuelChapter 14

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¹Joab son of Zeruiah saw that the king's heart longed for Absalom. ²So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, "Please pretend to be in mourning. Put on clothes for mourning. Don't put any oil on your skin. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead a long time. ³Then go to the king and say these words to him." And Joab told her exactly what to say. ⁴The woman from Tekoa went to the king. She bowed with her face to the ground to honor him. She said, "Help me, my king!" ⁵"What is wrong?" the king asked her. She said, "I am a widow. My husband is dead. ⁶I, your servant, had two sons. They got into a fight out in the field. No one was there to pull them apart. One of them struck the other and killed him. ⁷Now the whole family has turned against me, your servant. They say, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother. We will put him to death for killing his brother. We will get rid of the heir too!' They would put out the last spark I have left. My husband would have no name and no family left on the earth." ⁸"Go home," the king said to the woman. "I will give orders to help you." ⁹But the woman from Tekoa said to the king, "My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and my father's family. Let the king and his throne be free of blame." ¹⁰The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me. He won't bother you again!" ¹¹She said, "Please, let the king call on the LORD your God. Then the relative who wants to get even for the killing won't destroy any more. Then my son won't be killed!" The king promised, "As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground." ¹²Then the woman said, "Please let your servant say a word to my lord the king." "Go ahead," he said. ¹³The woman asked, "Then why have you planned something like this against God's people? By saying this, the king shows that he himself is guilty. For he has not brought back his own son who was sent away. ¹⁴We will all surely die. We are like water spilled on the ground. It can't be gathered up again. But God does not take away life. Instead, he makes ways for the one who was sent away to not stay cut off from him. ¹⁵Now I have come to tell this to my lord the king because the people made me afraid. Your servant thought, 'I will speak to the king. Maybe he will do what his servant asks. ¹⁶The king will listen. He will save his servant from the man who wants to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.' ¹⁷And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king give me peace. For my lord the king is like the angel of God. He can tell good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'" ¹⁸Then the king said to the woman, "I am going to ask you something. Don't hide anything from me!" "Let my lord the king speak," she said. ¹⁹So the king asked, "Is Joab behind all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can get around anything you say. Yes, your servant Joab gave me the orders. He told your servant every word to say. ²⁰Your servant Joab did this to change how things are. But my lord is wise, like the angel of God. He knows everything that happens in the land." ²¹Then the king said to Joab, "All right, I will do it. Go and bring back the young man Absalom." ²²Joab bowed with his face to the ground to honor the king. He blessed the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that you are pleased with me, my lord the king. For the king has done what I asked." ²³Then Joab got up and went to Geshur. He brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. ²⁴But the king said, "He may go back to his own house. But he must not see my face." So Absalom went back to his own house. But he did not see the king's face. ²⁵In all Israel there was no man as handsome as Absalom. No one was praised as much as he was. From the bottom of his feet to the top of his head, there was nothing wrong with him. ²⁶He cut his hair once every year, because it got so heavy. When he cut it, he would weigh it. It weighed about five pounds by the royal weights.a ²⁷Absalom had three sons and one daughter. His daughter's name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. ²⁸Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king's face. ²⁹Then Absalom sent for Joab. He wanted to send Joab to the king. But Joab would not come to him. So Absalom sent for him a second time. But Joab still would not come. ³⁰Then Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine. He has barley growing there. Go and set it on fire!" So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. ³¹Then Joab came to Absalom's house. He asked, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?" ³²Absalom said, "Look, I sent for you. I said, 'Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask him something. Why did I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there.' So now, let me see the king's face. If I am guilty of any sin, let him put me to death." ³³So Joab went and told the king. Then David called for Absalom. Absalom came to him and bowed with his face to the ground in front of him. Then the king kissed Absalom.