Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem 1 ULT Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king{ was} against Absalom. BSB BSB: Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 ULT And Joab sent{ to} Tekoa, and he brought a wise woman from there. And he said to her,“Please mourn, and please put on clothes of mourning. And you shall not anoint{ yourself}{ with} oil, but you shall be like this woman mourning many days for one having died. BSB BSB: So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.
3 ULT And you shall come to the king, and you shall speak to him according to this word.” And Joab put the words in her mouth. BSB BSB: Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 ULT So the Tekoite woman spoke to the king. And she fell on her nose to the ground, and she prostrated herself, and she said,“Save, O king!” BSB BSB: When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
5 ULT And the king said to her,“What{ is} to you?” And she said,“Truly I{ am} a woman, a widow, for my husband has died. BSB BSB: “What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
6 ULT And to your maidservant{ were} two sons. But the two of them fought in the field, and{ there was} no deliverer between them. And the one struck him, the one, and he killed him. BSB BSB: And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7 ULT And behold, all of the clan has arisen against your maidservant, and they have said,‘Give the one having struck his brother, and we will kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and let us destroy the heir also.’ And they would quench my coal that remains, without leaving to my husband a name or remnant on the face of the ground.” BSB BSB: Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”
8 ULT And the king said to the woman,“Go to your house, and I, I will command concerning you.” BSB BSB: “Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
9 ULT And the Tekoite woman said to the king,“On me, my lord the king,{ be} the iniquity, and on the house of my father, and{ may} the king and his throne{ be} innocent.” BSB BSB: But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 ULT And the king said,“The one speaking to you, then bring him to me, and he will not continue to touch you further.” BSB BSB: “If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
11 ULT And she said,“May the king please remember Yahweh your God, from the increasing of the avenger of blood to destroy. Then they will not destroy my son.” And he said,“The life of Yahweh, if from the hair of your son should fall to the ground!” BSB BSB: “Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12 ULT And the woman said,“May your maidservant please speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said,“Speak.” BSB BSB: Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.
13 ULT And the woman said,“Then why have you devised like this against the people of God? For from speaking this word, the king{ is} like the guilty, in that the king has not brought back his banished one. BSB BSB: The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?
14 ULT For dying, we will die, and like water spilled on the ground that is not gathered. But God does not take away life, but he devises devices so that the banished will not be banished from him. BSB BSB: For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.
15 ULT And now that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king,{ it is} because the people have frightened me. And your maidservant said,‘Let me now speak to the king. Perhaps the king will do the word of his female servant. BSB BSB: Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.
16 ULT For the king will listen to deliver his female servant from the palm of the man{ who is} to destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.’ BSB BSB: For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
17 ULT Then your maidservant said,‘Now the word of my lord the king will be for rest, because like an angel of God, so{ is} my lord the king, to understand good and evil. And may Yahweh your God be with you!’” BSB BSB: And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”
18 ULT And the king answered and said to the woman,“Now do not hide from me a thing that I am asking you.” And the woman said,“May my lord the king please speak.” BSB BSB: Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.
19 ULT And the king said,“{ Is} the hand of Joab with you in all of this?” And the woman answered and said,“The life of your soul, my lord the king, if there is turning to the right or turning to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab, he, he commanded me, and he, he put all of these words in the mouth of your maidservant. BSB BSB: So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.
20 ULT In order to turn the face of the matter, your servant Joab did this thing. But my master{ is} wise like the wisdom of an angel of God, to know everything that{ is} in the land.” BSB BSB: Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”
21 ULT And the king said to Joab,“Behold, I will now do this thing. So go, bring back the young man Absalom.” BSB BSB: Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 ULT And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and he prostrated himself, and he blessed the king. And Joab said,“Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, that the king does the word of his servant.” BSB BSB: Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”
23 ULT And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and he brought Absalom{ to} Jerusalem. BSB BSB: So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 ULT Now the king had said,“He may return to his house, but my face he shall not see.” So Absalom returned to his house, but the face of the king he did not see. BSB BSB: But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.
25 ULT Now{ there} was not a handsome man like Absalom in all of Israel to praise greatly. From the sole of his foot and to his pate, no blemish was on him. BSB BSB: Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.
26 ULT And when he shaved his head(and it was at the end of years to years that he would shave, because{ it was} heavy on him, so he would shave it) and he weighed the hair of his head, 200 shekels by the stone of the king. BSB BSB: And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard.
27 ULT And to Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, and her name{ was} Tamar. She was a woman beautiful of appearance. BSB BSB: Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
Absalom Reconciled to David 28 ULT And Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years, days, but the face of the king he did not see. BSB BSB: Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.
29 ULT So Absalom sent to Joab to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. So Absalom sent again a second time, but he was not willing to come. BSB BSB: Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.
30 ULT So he said to his servants,“See, the property of Joab{ is} to my hand, and barley{ is} to him there. Go and burn it with fire.” So the servants of Absalom burned the property with fire. BSB BSB: Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 ULT And Joab arose, and he came to Absalom, to the house, and he said to him,“Why did your servants burn with fire the property that{ is} to me?” BSB BSB: Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 ULT And Absalom said to Joab,“Behold, I sent to you, saying,‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, saying,“Why have I come from Geshur?{ It would be} better for me{ if} I{ were} still there.”’ And now, let me see the face of the king, but if iniquity is in me, then let him kill me.” BSB BSB: “Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”
33 ULT So Joab came to the king, and he declared to him. And he called to Absalom, and he came to the king, and he prostrated himself to him on his nose to the ground to the face of the king. And the king kissed Absalom. BSB BSB: So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
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