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Joab Arranges for Absalom’s Return
Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom.
Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom.
Absalom's Return to Jerusalem
And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
And 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 to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments, I pray, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead;
Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.” Then Joab told her what to say.
and come to the king, and speak after this manner to him. And Joab put the words into her mouth.
And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Save, O king!
“What’s the trouble?” the king asked.
“Alas, I am a widow!” she replied. “My husband is dead.
“Alas, I am a widow!” she replied. “My husband is dead.
And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.
My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed.
And thy bondmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.
Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.”
And behold, the whole family is risen against thy bondmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also: so they will quench my coal which is left, and will not leave to my husband a name or remnant on the earth.
“Leave it to me,” the king told her. “Go home, and I’ll see to it that no one touches him.”
And the king said to the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
“Oh, thank you, my lord the king,” the woman from Tekoa replied. “If you are criticized for helping me, let the blame fall on me and on my father’s house, and let the king and his throne be innocent.”
And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the iniquity, and upon my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.
“If anyone objects,” the king said, “bring him to me. I can assure you he will never harm you again!”
And the king said, Whoever speaks to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
Then she said, “Please swear to me by the LORD your God that you won’t let anyone take vengeance against my son. I want no more bloodshed.”
“As surely as the LORD lives,” he replied, “not a hair on your son’s head will be disturbed!”
“As surely as the LORD lives,” he replied, “not a hair on your son’s head will be disturbed!”
Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they cut off my son. And he said, [As] Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
“Please allow me to ask one more thing of my lord the king,” she said.
“Go ahead and speak,” he responded.
“Go ahead and speak,” he responded.
And the woman said, Let thy bondmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.
She replied, “Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.
And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against God's people? and the king in saying this thing, is as one guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.
For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God has not taken away his life, but devises means that the banished one be not expelled from him.
“I have come to plead with my lord the king because people have threatened me. I said to myself, ‘Perhaps the king will listen to me
And now that I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy bondmaid said, I will now speak to the king; perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
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.
Yes, my lord the king will give us peace of mind again.’ I know that you are like an angel of God in discerning good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you.”
And thy bondmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king now be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and Jehovah thy God will be with thee.
“I must know one thing,” the king replied, “and tell me the truth.”
“Yes, my lord the king,” she responded.
“Yes, my lord the king,” she responded.
And the king answered and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
“Did Joab put you up to this?”
And the woman replied, “My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.
And the woman replied, “My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid:
He did it to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you understand everything that happens among us!”
in order to turn the appearance of the thing has thy servant Joab done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.
So the king sent for Joab and told him, “All right, go and bring back the young man Absalom.”
And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: so go, bring back the young man Absalom.
Joab bowed with his face to the ground in deep respect and said, “At last I know that I have gained your approval, my lord the king, for you have granted me this request!”
And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said, To-day thy servant knows that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.
Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
But the king gave this order: “Absalom may go to his own house, but he must never come into my presence.” So Absalom did not see the king.
And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. And Absalom withdrew to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
Absalom Reconciled to David
Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year's end that he shaved it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he shaved it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
He had three sons and one daughter. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she was very beautiful.
And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a beautiful countenance.
Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never got to see the king.
Absalom Reconciled to David
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face.
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face.
Then Absalom sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but again Joab refused to come.
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him; and he sent again the second time, but he would not come.
So Absalom said to his servants, “Go and set fire to Joab’s barley field, the field next to mine.” So they set his field on fire, as Absalom had commanded.
Then he said to his servants, See, Joab's allotment is near mine and he has barley there: go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the allotment on fire.
Then Joab came to Absalom at his house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to [his] house, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my allotment on fire?
And Absalom replied, “Because I wanted you to ask the king why he brought me back from Geshur if he didn’t intend to see me. I might as well have stayed there. Let me see the king; if he finds me guilty of anything, then let him kill me.”
And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it would have been better for me to be there still. And now let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him slay me.
So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him.
And Joab came to the king, and told him. And he called Absalom, and he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.