⁴And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. ⁵And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead. ⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him. ⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee. ⁹And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and the king and his throne be guiltless. ¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. ¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

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