^14:1Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see¹ Absalom. ^14:2So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning² and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time.³

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 Heb “the heart of the king was upon.” The adds the verb ’ethre’i (“was reconciled”).
2 The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.
3 Heb “these many days.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king’s mind was on Absalom. So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don’t put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.

NLTNew Living Translation

Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom. So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Joab the son of Zeruiah realized that the mind of the king was on Absalom. So Joab sent to Tekoa and took from there a wise woman, and he said to her, “Please pretend to mourn and put on garments of mourning. You should not anoint yourself with oil, and you must act like this woman who has been mourning over the dead for a long time.

KJV 1900King James Version

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:

Public Domain