The Koine Bible

And Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.

And Joab sent to Tekoa and took from there a wise woman, and he said to her, Mourn now and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, and you shall be like a woman mourning over one who has died this many days.

And you shall go in to the king and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

And the woman the Tekoite went in to the king and fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance to him and said, Save, O king, save!

And the king said to her, What is it with you? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband died.

And indeed your servant had two sons, and both fought in the field, and there was no one rescuing between them, and the one struck his brother and put him to death.

And behold, all the family has risen up against your servant, and they said, Give up the one who struck down his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and we will also destroy the heir, and they will quench my ember that is left, so as not to leave for my husband a remnant and a name on the face of the earth

And the king said, Go in health to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.

And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the guilt, and upon the house of my father; and the king and his throne shall be guiltless.

And the king said, Who is the one speaking to you? And you shall bring him to me, and he shall no longer add to touch him.

And she said, Let the king now remember the Lord his God, for the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and they will not remove my son. And he said, As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.

And the woman said, Let now your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.

And the woman said, Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? Is the matter from the mouth of the king as a transgression in not bringing back the king, his outcast?

For we shall surely die, and like water that is poured out on the ground, which will not be gathered up, and God will take a soul, and devising to cast out from him one cast out

And now, why I came to speak this word to my lord the king: for the people will see me, and your servant will say, Please let your servant speak to the king, if perhaps the king will do the matter of his servant.

for the king will listen to rescue his servant from the hand of the man seeking to destroy me and my son from the inheritance of God

And the woman said, Let now the word of my lord the king be for a sacrifice, for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to hear the good and the evil; and the Lord your God will be with you.

And the king answered and said to the woman, Do not hide from me the word that I am asking you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king speak now.

And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman said to the king, As your soul lives, my lord, O king, there is not to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken, for your servant Joab, he himself commanded me, and he himself put all these words in the mouth of your servant.

In order to turn the face of this matter, your servant Joab has done this thing, and my lord is wise, according as the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the land

And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done for you according to this word of yours; go, bring back the young man Absalom.

And Joab fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance and blessed the king, and Joab said, Today your servant has known that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, king, because my lord the king has done the word of his servant.

And Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem

And the king said, Let him turn back to his house, and let him not see my face. And Abessalom turned back to his house, and he did not see the face of the king.

And like Abessalom there was not a man in all Israel praised very much from the sole of his foot and up to the top of his head; there was not in him a blemish.

And in his cutting the hair of his head—and it came to be from the beginning of days to days, as when he cut it, because it was heavy upon him—when cutting it, he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the royal shekel.

And there were born to Abessalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Themar; this woman was very beautiful. And she becomes a wife to Roboam son of Solomon, and she bears him Abia.

And Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem two years of days, and he did not see the face of the king.

And Absalom sent to Joab to send him to the king, and he was not willing to come to him; and he sent again a second time to him, and he was not willing to come.

And Abessalom said to his servants, See, Joab’s portion in the field is beside me, and barley is there; go and burn it with fire. And the servants of Abessalom burned it, and the servants of Joab come to him, having torn their garments, and they said, The servants of Abessalom burned the portion with fire.

And Joab arose and came to Absalom into the house and said to him, Why have your servants burned my portion with fire?

And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, and I will send you to the king, saying, Why did I come from Geshur? It was good for me still to be there; and now, behold, I have not seen the face of the king. But if there is in me injustice, then put me to death.

And Joab went in to the king and reported to him, and he called Absalom, and he went in to the king and bowed down to him and fell on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.