Old/New Testament
14 Then Joab, the son of Zeruiah, perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.
2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a cunning woman there, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel. Do not anoint yourself with oil but be as a woman who has now mourned for the dead a long time.
3 “Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” For Joab told her what she should say.
4 Then the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, and fell down on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!”
5 Then the king said to her, “What is wrong?” And she answered, “I am indeed a widow, and my husband is dead.
6 “And your handmaid had two sons. And the two struggled together in the field. And there was no one to part them. So, one struck the other and killed him.
7 “And behold, the whole family arose against your handmaid. And they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, so that we may kill him for the soul of his brother whom he killed, so that we may also destroy the heir.’ So shall they quench my ember which is left and shall not leave to my husband either name or posterity upon the Earth.”
8 And the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give you a charge.”
9 Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king! This trespass is on me and on my father’s House. And the king and his throne are guiltless.”
10 And the king said, “Bring him to me, who speaks against you. And he shall no longer touch you.”
11 Then she said, “Please, let the king remember the LORD your God, so that you would not allow revengers of blood to destroy anymore, lest they kill my son.” And he answered, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the earth.”
12 Then the woman said, “Please, let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
13 Then the woman said, “Why, then, have you thought such a thing against the people of God? Or does the king speak as one who is at fault, in that he will not bring back his banished?
14 “For we must die and be as water, spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet does God take away life; but He appoints means by which not to cast the expelled out from Him.
15 “Now, therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Therefore, your handmaid said, ‘I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16 ‘For the king will hear and deliver his handmaid (and also my son) out of the hand of the man who would destroy me from the inheritance of God.’
17 “Therefore, your handmaid said, ‘The word of my lord the king shall now be comforting. For my lord the king is as an angel of God in hearing good and bad. Therefore, the LORD your God be with you.’”
18 Then the king answered, and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me the thing that I shall ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king now speak.”
19 And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” Then the woman answered, and said, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, I will not turn, to the right or to the left, from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me. And he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.
20 “For with the intent of changing appearances, your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to understand all things that are on the Earth.”
21 And the king said to Joab, “Behold, now, I have done this thing. Go, then, and bring the young man Absalom back.”
22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself and thanked the king. Then Joab said, “This day your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.”
23 And Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 And the king said, “Let him turn to his own house, and not see my face.” So, Absalom turned to his own house, and did not see the king’s face.
25 Now in all Israel, there was no one to be praised as much for beauty as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish on him.
26 And when he shaved his head (for he shaved it at the end of every year because it was too heavy for him, therefore he shaved it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
27 And Absalom had three sons and one daughter, named Tamar, who was a fair woman to look upon.
28 So, Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem for the span of two years and did not see the king’s face.
29 Therefore, Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king. But he would not come to him. And when he sent for him again, he would not come.
30 Therefore, he said to his servants, “Behold, Joab has a field by my place, and has barley in it. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom, to his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants burnt my field with fire?”
32 And Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, and I will send you to the king to say “Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to have still been there.”’ Now, therefore, let me see the king’s face. And if there is any trespass in me, let him kill me.”
33 Then Joab came to the king and told him. And he called for Absalom, who came to the king and bowed himself to the ground on his face before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
15 After this, Absalom prepared chariots for himself, and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
2 And Absalom rose up early and stood by the entrance of the gate. And every man who had any dispute, and had come to the king for judgment, Absalom called to himself, and said, “What city are you from?” And he answered, “Your servant is from…” (one of the tribes of Israel).
3 Then Absalom said to him, “See, your matters are good and righteous; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.”
4 Moreover, Absalom said, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, so that every man who has any dispute might come to me, so that I might do him justice!”
5 And when any man came near to him and prostrated himself, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.
6 And in this manner did Absalom to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So, Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 And after forty years, Absalom said to the king, “Pleaase let me go to Hebron and render my vow which I have vowed to the LORD.
8 “For your servant vowed a vow when I remained at Geshur, in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD shall bring me back indeed to Jerusalem, I will serve the LORD.’”
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, “When you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”
11 And two hundred invited men went out of Jerusalem with Absalom. And they went innocently, knowing nothing.
12 Also, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, Giloh, while he offered Sacrifices. And the treason was great. For the people with Absalom steadily increased.
13 Then, a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have turned to follow Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Up, and let us flee! For we shall not escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he comes suddenly and takes us and brings evil upon us and strikes the city with the edge of the sword.”
15 And the king’s servants said to him, “Behold, your servants are ready to do according to all that my lord the king shall appoint.”
16 So the king departed, with all his household following him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
17 And the king went forth, with all the people following him, and stayed in a faraway place.
18 And all his servants went around him, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men, who had followed him from Gath, went before the king.
19 Then, the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why have you also come with us? Return and stay with the king, for you are a stranger. Therefore, depart to your place!
20 “You came yesterday. And should I make you wander today and go with us? I will go where I can. Therefore, you return and carry back your brethren. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21 And Ittai answered the king, and said, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, there will your servant surely be.”
22 Then David said to Ittai, “Come and go forward.” And Ittai the Gittite went, and all his men, and all the children who were with him.
23 And all the country wept with a loud voice. And all the people went forward. But the king passed over the brook Kidron. And all the people went over toward the way of the wilderness.
24 And lo, Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God. And they set the Ark of God down. And Abiathar went up until all the people had come out of the city.
25 Then, the king said to Zadok, “Carry the Ark of God back into the city. If I shall find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me it and its Tabernacle.
26 “But if He says this: “I have no delight in you,” behold, I am here. Let Him do to me as seems good in His Eyes.”
27 Again, the king said to Zadok the Priest, “Are you not a Seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you: Ahimaaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.
28 “Behold, I will wait in the fields of the wilderness until some word comes from you to be told to me.”
29 Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they waited there.
30 And David went up the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and went barefooted. And all the people who were with him (every man) had his head covered. And as they went up, they wept.
31 Then one told David, saying, “Ahithophel is one of those who have conspired with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, I pray! Turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
32 Then David came to the top of the Mount, where he worshipped God. And behold, Hushai the Archite came against him, with his coat torn and having earth upon his head,
33 to whom David said, “If you go with me, you shall be a burden to me.
34 “But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! As I have been in time past your father’s servant, so will I now be your servant!’ then you may bring me the counsel of Ahithophel to nothing.
35 “And do you not have there with you Zadok and Abiathar, the priests? Therefore, whatever you shall hear out of the king’s house, you shall tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36 “Behold, their two sons are there with them: Ahimaaz, Zadok’s, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s. By them also shall you send me everything that you can hear.”
37 So Hushai, David’s friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.
17 Then He said to His disciples, “It is impossible for stumbling blocks not to come. But, but woe to him by whom they come.
2 “It would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3 “Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him.
4 “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, ‘I repent’, you shall forgive him.”
5 And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pluck yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea’, and it would obey you.
7 “Also, who of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, would say to him when he comes from the field, ‘Come at once, and sit down to eat?’
8 “Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare my supper and dress yourself. And serve me until I have eaten and drunk. And you eat and drink afterward?’
9 “Does he thank that servant because he did that which was commanded? I think not.
10 “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which are commanded of you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do.’”
11 And so it was when He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as He entered into a certain town, ten leprous men met Him there, who stood at a distance.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!”
14 And when He saw, He said to them, “Go. Show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice praised God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet and gave him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answered, and said, “Are there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 “There is no one found who returned to give God praise, except this stranger?”
19 And He said to him, “Arise. Go your way. Your faith has saved you.”
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