2 Samuel 14–15

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was ^atoward Absalom. ²And Joab sent to ^bTekoah, and fetcht thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and ^canoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: ³and come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab ^dput the words in her mouth. ⁴And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she ^efell 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, ^fI am ^gindeed a widow woman, and mine 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 slew him. ⁷And behold, ^hthe whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and ^hwe will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not ⁱleave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. ⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. ⁹And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, ^jthe iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: ^kand the king and his throne be guiltless. ¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. ¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer ^lthe revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, ^mAs the Lord liveth, ⁿthere shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. ¹²Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. ¹³And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against ^othe people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again ^phis banished. ¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as ^qwater spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he ^rdevise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. ¹⁵Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. ¹⁶For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of ^sthe inheritance of God. ¹⁷Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for ^tas an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee. ¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. ¹⁹And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, ^uAs thy soul liveth, my lord the king, ^vnone can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and ^whe put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: ²⁰to fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. ²¹And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. ²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. ²³So Joab arose ^xand went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.

²⁵But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: ^yfrom the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶And when he ^zpolled his head, (for it was ^aat every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight. ²⁷And ^bunto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was ^ca woman of a fair countenance. ²⁸So Absalom dwelt ^dtwo full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face. ²⁹Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. ³⁰Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. ³¹Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? ³²And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and ^eif there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. ³³So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king ^fkissed Absalom.

XV.And it came to pass after this, that Absalom ^aprepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. ²And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. ³And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. ⁴Absalom said moreover, ^bOh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. ⁵And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. ⁶And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. ⁷And it came to pass ^cafter forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron. ⁸For thy servant ^dvowed a vow ^ewhile I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. ⁹And the king said unto him, ^fGo in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. ¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. ¹¹And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were ^gcalled; and they went ^hin their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. ¹²And Absalom sent for ⁱAhithophel the Gilonite, ^jDavid’s counseller, from his city, even from ^kGiloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people ^lincreased ^mcontinually with Absalom.

¹³And there came a messenger to David, saying, ⁿThe hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. ¹⁴And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us ^oflee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. ¹⁵And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. ¹⁶And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ^pten women, which were concubines, to keep the house. ¹⁷And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. ¹⁸And all his servants passed on beside him; and all ^qthe Cherethites, and all ^rthe Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from ^sGath, passed on before the king. ¹⁹Then said the king to ^tIttai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also ^uan exile. ²⁰Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go ^vwhither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee. ²¹And Ittai answered the king, and said, ^wAs the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. ²²And David said to Ittai, Go and ^xpass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. ²³And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the ^ybrook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the ^zwilderness. ²⁴And lo ^aZadok also, and all the Levites were with him, ^bbearing the ark of the covenant of God: and ^cthey set down the ark of God; and ^dAbiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. ²⁵And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he ^ewill bring me again, and shew me both it, and ^fhis habitation: ²⁶But if he thus say, I have no ^gdelight in thee; behold, here am I, ^hlet him do to me as seemeth good unto him. ²⁷The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a ⁱseer? return into…