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1 And Joab the son of Saruia knew that the heart of the king was towards Abessalom. 2 And Joab sent to Thecoe, and took thence a cunning woman, and said to her, Mourn, I pray you, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint you not with oil, and you shall be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus for many days. 3 And you shall go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth. 4 So the woman of Thecoe went in to the king and fell upon her face to the earth, and did him obeisance, and said, * Help, O king, help. 5 And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead. 6 And moreover your handmaid had two sons, and they fought † together in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one struck the other his brother, and killed him. 7 And behold the whole family rose up against your handmaid, and they said, Give up the one that struck his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and we will take away even your heir: so they will quench my coal that is left, so as not to ‡ leave my husband remnant or name on the face of the earth. 8 And the king said to the woman, Go § in peace to your house, and I will give commandment concerning you. 9 And the woman of Thecoe said to the king, On me, my lord, O king, and on my father's house be the iniquity, and the king and his throne be guiltless. 10 And the king said, Who was it that spoke to you? you shall even bring him to me, and one shall not touch ** him any more. 11 And she said, Let now the king remember concerning his Lord God in that the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and let them not take away my son. And he said, As the lord lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground. 12 And the woman said, Let now your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on. 13 And the woman said, Why have you devised this thing against the people of God? or is this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression, so that the king should not bring back his banished? 14 For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as he devises to thrust forth from him his outcast. 15 And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, the reason is that the people will see me, and your handmaid will say, Let one now speak to my lord the king, if perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid; 16 for the king will hear. Let him rescue his handmaid out of the hand of the man that seeks to cast out me and my son from the inheritance of God. 17 And the woman said, If now the word of my lord the king be gracious, —well: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to hear good and evil: and the Lord your God shall be with you. 18 And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray you, the matter which I ask you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king by all means speak. 19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab in all this matter with you? and the woman said to the king, As your soul lives, my lord, O king,†† there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid. 20 In order that this form of speech might come about it was that your servant Joab has framed this matter: and my lord is wise as is the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. 21 And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done to you according to this your word: go, bring back the young man Abessalom. 22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king, for my lord the king has performed the request of his servant. 23 And Joab arose, and went to Gedsur, and brought Abessalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face. And Abessalom returned to his house, and saw not the king's face. 25 And there was not a man in Israel so ‡‡ very comely as Abessalom: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he polled his head, (and it was §§ at the beginning of every year that he polled it, because it grew, heavy upon him,) even when he polled it, he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels according to the royal shekel. 27 And there were born to Abessalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Themar: she was a very beautiful woman, and she becomes the wife of Roboam son of Solomon, and she bears to him Abia. 28 And Abessalom remained in Jerusalem two *** full years, and he saw not the king's face. 29 And Abessalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would not come to him: and he sent to him the second time, and he would not come. 30 And Abessalom said to his servants, Behold, Joab's portion in the field is next to mine, and he has in it barley; go and set it on fire. And the servants of Abessalom set the field on fire: and the servants of Joab come to him with their clothes torn, and they said to him, The servants of Abessalom have set the field on fire. 31 And Joab arose, and came to Abessalom into the house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire? 32 And Abessalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come hither, and I will send you to the king, saying, Why did I come out of Gedsur? it would have been better for me to have remained there: and now, behold, I have not seen the face of the king; but if there is iniquity in me, then put me to death. 33 And Joab went in to the king, and brought him word: and he called Abessalom, and he went in to the king, and did him obeisance, and fell upon his face to the ground, even in the presence of the king; and the king kissed Abessalom.
* 14:4 Or, save. † 14:6 Gr. both. ‡ 14:7 Gr. place. § 14:8 Gr. in health. ** 14:10 q.d. your son. †† 14:19 Gr. If there is, etc. ‡‡ 14:25 Gr. praised. §§ 14:26 Gr. from the beginning of days to days. Hebraism. *** 14:28 Gr. years of days.