(KJV) 2 Samuel 14¹

⥃Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem

[1] Now Joab² the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart [was] toward Absalom³.⁴ [2] And Joab sent to Tekoah⁵, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning⁶ apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: [3] And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words⁷ in her mouth.

[4] [¶]And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her⁸ face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help⁹, O king. [5] And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I [am] indeed¹⁰ a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. [6] And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two¹¹ strove together in the field, and [there was] none to part¹² them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. [7] And, behold, the whole¹³ 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 we will destroy the heir also: and so they¹⁴ shall quench¹⁵ my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband [neither] name nor remainder upon the earth¹⁶. [8] And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give¹⁷ charge concerning thee. [9] And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity¹⁸ [be] on me, and on my father’s house: and the king¹⁹ and his throne [be] guiltless. [10] And the king said, Whosoever saith [ought] unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. [11] Then said she, I pray thee, let the king²⁰ remember the Lord thy God, that thou²¹ wouldest not suffer the revengers²² of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the Lord²³ liveth, there shall not one hair²⁴ of thy son fall to the earth. [12] Then the woman said, Let thine²⁵ handmaid, I pray thee, speak [one] word²⁶ unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on²⁷. [13] And the woman said, Wherefore²⁸ then hast thou thought such a thing against the people²⁹ of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king³⁰ doth not fetch home again his banished. [14] For we must³¹ needs die, and [are] as water³² spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither³³ doth God respect [any] person: yet doth he devise³⁴ means, that his banished be not expelled from him. [15] Now 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. [16] For 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 the inheritance of God. [17] Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable³⁵: for as an angel³⁶ of God, so [is] my lord the king to discern³⁷ good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee. [18] Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not³⁸ from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. [19] And the king said, [Is not] the hand of Joab³⁹ with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul⁴⁰ liveth, my lord the king, none can turn⁴¹ 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 he put⁴² all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: [20] To fetch⁴³ about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord [is] wise, according⁴⁴ to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know⁴⁵ all [things] that [are] in the earth.

[21] And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done⁴⁶ this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. [22] And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked⁴⁷ the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found⁴⁸ grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his⁴⁹ servant. [23] So Joab arose and went to Geshur⁵⁰, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. [24] And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not⁵¹ see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.

[25] [¶]But in all Israel⁵² there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole⁵³ of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. [26] And when he polled⁵⁴ his head, (for it was at 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 shekels⁵⁵ after the king’s weight. [27] And unto Absalom there were born⁵⁶ three sons, and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar⁵⁷: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

⥃Absalom Reconciled to David

[28] So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not⁵⁸ the king’s face.⁵⁹ [29] Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would⁶⁰ not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. [30] Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine⁶¹, and he hath barley there; go and set⁶² it on fire. And Absalom’s⁶³ servants set the field on fire. [31] Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto [his] house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? [32] And 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 been⁶⁴] good for me [to have been] there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there⁶⁵ be [any] iniquity in me, let him kill me. [33] So 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 kissed Absalom⁶⁶. ⁶⁷