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So Joab visited[a] the king at his home. He said, “Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now[b] that if[c] Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today,[d] it would be all right with you. So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to[e] your servants. For I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 19:5 tn Heb “came to.”
  2. 2 Samuel 19:6 tn Heb “today.”
  3. 2 Samuel 19:6 tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSama, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ (lu, “if”) rather than MT לֹא (loʾ, “not”).
  4. 2 Samuel 19:6 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”
  5. 2 Samuel 19:7 tn Heb “and speak to the heart of.”

Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.”(A)

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