Historical

The Woman of Tekoa

14 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that ^(A)the king’s heart was inclined toward Absalom. ² So Joab sent to ^(B)Tekoa and ^[a]brought a wise woman from there and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments now, and do not ^(C)anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead many days; ³ then you shall go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab put ^(D)the words in her mouth.

⁴ So the woman of Tekoa ^[b]spoke to the king, and she fell on her ^[c]face to the ground and ^(E)prostrated herself and said, “^(F)Save, O king.” ⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” And she ^[d]answered, “Truly I am a widow; my husband has died. ⁶ And your servant-woman had two sons, but the two of them struggled together in the field, and there was no one to deliver between them, so one struck the other and put him to death. ⁷ And behold, ^(G)the whole family has risen against your servant-woman, and they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, ^(H)and destroy the heir also.’ Thus they will extinguish my coal which remains, so as to ^[e]leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”

⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.” ⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “O my lord, the king, ^(I)the iniquity is on me and my father’s house, but ^(J)the king and his throne are guiltless.” ¹⁰ So the king said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.” ¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king remember Yahweh your God, ^(K)so that the avenger of blood will not continue to bring about ruin, so that they would not destroy my son.” And he said, “^(L)As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹² Then the woman said, “Please let your servant-woman speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.” ¹³ Then the woman said, “^(M)Why then have you thought up such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back ^(N)his banished one. ¹⁴ For ^(O)we will surely die and are ^(P)like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but thinks up ^[f]ways so that ^(Q)the banished one will not be cast out from him. ¹⁵ So now, ^[g]the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your servant-woman said, ‘Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the word of his maidservant. ¹⁶ For the king will listen ^[h]and deliver his maidservant from the ^[i]hand of the man who would destroy ^[j]both me and my son from ^(R)the inheritance of God.’ ¹⁷ Then your servant-woman said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be a resting place, for as ^(S)the angel of God, so is my lord the king to listen with discernment through the good and evil. And may Yahweh your God be with you.’”

¹⁸ Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king please speak.” ¹⁹ So the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was ^(T)your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant-woman; ²⁰ in order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, ^(U)like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.”

David Brings Back Absalom

²¹ Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, ^(V)I have done this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.” ²² And Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the word of his servant.” ²³ So Joab arose and went to ^(W)Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴ However the king said, “Let him turn to ^(X)his own house, and let him not see my face.” So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.

²⁵ Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; ^(Y)from the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no defect in him. ²⁶ When he ^(Z)shaved the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he shaved it, for it was heavy on him so he shaved it), he weighed the hair of his head at ^[k]200 shekels by the king’s weight. ^27 (AA)And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was ^(AB)Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.

²⁸ Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, ^(AC)and did not see the king’s face. ²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he was not willing to come. ³⁰ Therefore he said to his servants, “See, ^(AD)Joab’s portion of land is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the portion of land on fire. ³¹ Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my portion of land on fire?” ³² And Absalom ^[l]answered Joab, “Behold, I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there.”’ So now, let me see the king’s face, ^(AE)and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.” ³³ So Joab came to the king and told him, and he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his ^[m]face to the ground before the king, and ^(AF)the king kissed Absalom.

Absalom’s Conspiracy

15 Now it happened afterwards, that ^(AG)Absalom prepared for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. ² And Absalom used to rise early and ^(AH)stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a case to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” ³ Then Absalom would say to him, “See, ^(AI)your words are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” ⁴ Then Absalom would say, “^(AJ)Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any case or judgment could come to me and I would justify him.” ⁵ And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would send forth his hand and take hold of him and ^(AK)kiss him. ⁶ In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; ^(AL)so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷ Now it happened at the end of ^[n]forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to Yahweh, in ^(AM)Hebron. ⁸ For your servant ^(AN)vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘^(AO)If Yahweh shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Yahweh.’” ⁹ And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰ Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘^(AP)Absalom is king in Hebron.’” ¹¹ Now two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, ^(AQ)who were invited and ^(AR)went ^[o]innocently, and they did not know anything. ¹² And Absalom sent for ^(AS)Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city ^(AT)Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for ^(AU)the people increased continually with Absalom.

David Flees Jerusalem

¹³ Then an informant came to David, saying, “^(AV)The hearts of the men of Israel ^[p]have followed Absalom.” ¹⁴ So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “^(AW)Arise and let us flee, for otherwise there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go in haste, lest he overtake us hastily and drive calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” ¹⁵ Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” ¹⁶ So the king went out and all his household ^[q]with him. But ^(AX)the king left ten concubines to keep the house. ¹⁷ And the king went out and all the people ^[r]with him, and they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸ Now all his servants passed on beside him, ^(AY)all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, ^(AZ)six hundred men who had come ^[s]with him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹ Then the king said to ^(BA)Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. ²⁰ You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, going about, while ^(BB)I go where I go? Return and cause your brothers to return; ^(BC)lovingkindness and ^[t]truth be with you.” ²¹ But Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely ^(BD)wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” ²² So David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. ²³ While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over ^(BE)the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward ^(BF)the way of the wilderness.

²⁴ Now behold, ^(BG)Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him ^(BH)carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and ^(BI)Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. ²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of Yahweh, then ^(BJ)He will cause me to return and show me both it and ^(BK)His habitation. ²⁶ But if He should say thus, ‘^(BL)I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, ^(BM)let Him do to me as seems good in His sight.” ²⁷ The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not ^(BN)a seer? Return to the city in peace and your ^(BO)two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸ See, I am going to wait ^(BP)at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.

³⁰ But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and ^(BQ)his head was covered and he was walking ^(BR)barefoot. And all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. ³¹ Now David informed them, saying, “^(BS)Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Yahweh, I pray, ^(BT)make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

³² Then it happened that as David was coming to the summit, where he used to worship God, that behold, Hushai the ^(BU)Archite met him with his ^[u]coat torn and ^[v]dust on his head. ³³ And David said to him, “If you pass over with me, then you will be ^(BV)a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city, and ^(BW)say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that ^(BX)whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall inform Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ Behold, ^(BY)their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and ^(BZ)by their hand you shall send me everything that you hear.” ³⁷ So Hushai, ^(CA)David’s friend, came into the city, and ^(CB)Absalom came into Jerusalem.