1 GLT And Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king{ was} on Absalom. BSB BSB: Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 GLT And Joab sent{ to} Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her,“Now, mourn and please put on clothes of mourning. And you will not anoint{ yourself with} oil, but you will be like this woman who has been mourning for the dead{ for} many days.” 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 GLT And you will go to the king, and you will speak to him, according to this word.” And Joab set 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 GLT And 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 GLT And the king said to her,“What{ is} to you?” And she said,“Alas, I{ am} a widow woman, and 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 GLT And to your female servant{ belonged} two sons, and they fought, the two of them, in the field, but there was no person who could deliver 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 GLT And, look, the entire clan has risen against your female servant, and they said,‘Give the one who struck his brother, and we will kill him in exchange for the life of his brother who he killed, and let us destroy the heir also.’ And they would quench my coal that remains, no putting 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 GLT And the king said to the woman,“Go to your house, and I myself will command concerning you.” BSB BSB: “Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
9 GLT And the Tekoite woman said to the king,“On me, my lord the king,{ is} the iniquity, and on the house of my father, but the king and his throne{ are} 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 GLT And the king said,“The one who speaks against you, and bring him to me, and he will not continue anymore to touch you.” BSB BSB: “If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
11 GLT And she said,“Please, let the king remember Yahweh your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase so as to cause ruin. Then they will not destroy my son.” And he said,“{ By} the life of Yahweh, the hair of your son will not 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 GLT And the woman said,“Please, let your female servant 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 GLT And the woman said,“And why have you planned like this against the people of God? And because the king speaking this word{ is} like a guilty person, because the king has not returned the one who he scattered. 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 GLT For we will certainly die— and like water which is spilled on the ground, which is not gathered. But God will not take away a life, but he plans plans so that the one who was scattered will not be scattered 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 GLT “And now that I have come to speak this thing to the king my lord{ is} because the people have frightened me. And your female servant says,‘I will speak, please, to the king. Perhaps the king will do the word of his maidservant. 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 GLT For the king will listen in order to save his maidservant from the palm of the man destroying 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 GLT “And your female servant said,‘Please, let the word of my lord the king become a resting place, because like the 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 GLT And the king answered, and he said to the woman,“Now, you will not hide from me a word that I am asking you.” And the woman said,“Please, let my lord the king 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 GLT And the king said,“{ Was} the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered, and she said,“{ By} the life of your spirit, my lord the king, there is not turning to the right or turning to the left from everything that my lord the king spoke, for your servant, Joab— he himself commanded me, and he himself put in the mouth of your female servant all these words. 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 GLT For the sake of turning the face of the matter, your servant Joab did this thing. But my lord{ is} wise like the wisdom of an angel of God to know everything that{ is} on earth.” 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 GLT And the king said to Joab,“Look, now I will do this thing. And 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 GLT 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 GLT And Joab got up, and he went to Geshur. And he brought Absalom{ to} Jerusalem. BSB BSB: So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 GLT And the king said,“He will go around to his house, but my face he will not see.” And Absalom went around 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 GLT And like Absalom there was not a handsome person in all Israel to praise greatly. From the sole of his foot and to the crown of his head, there was no blemish 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 GLT 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, and he would cut 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 GLT And to Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, and her name{ was} Tamar. She herself was a woman, beautiful of appearance. BSB BSB: Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
28 GLT And Absalom lived in Jerusalem two full years, and 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 GLT And Absalom sent to Joab to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. And 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 GLT And he said to his servants,“See, the plot of Joab{ is} to my hand, and barley{ belongs} to him there. Go, and burn it with fire.” And the servants of Absalom burned the plot 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 GLT And Joab got up, and he came to Absalom, to the house. And he said to him,“Why did your servants burn the plot which{ belongs} to me with fire?” BSB BSB: Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 GLT And Absalom said to Joab,“Look, I sent to you, saying,‘Come here that I may send you to the king, saying,“Why did I come from Geshur?{ It would be} good for me{ if} I{ were} still there.”’ And now, let me see the face of the king, and if there is iniquity 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 GLT And Joab came to the king, and he informed 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.