| Holman Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king's mind was on Absalom. | 1Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see Absalom. |
| 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a clever woman from there. He told her, "Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don't put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. | 2So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, "Pretend to be in mourning and put on garments for mourning. Don't anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time. |
| 3Go to the king and speak these words to him." Then Joab told her exactly what to say. | 3Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion." Then Joab told her what to say. |
| 4When the woman from Tekoa came to the king, she fell with her face to the ground in homage and said, "Help me, my king!"" | 4So the Tekoan woman went to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, "Please help me, O king!" |
| 5What's the matter?" the king asked her." To tell the truth, I am a widow; my husband died," she said." | 5The king replied to her, "What do you want?" She answered, "I am a widow; my husband is dead. |
| 6Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. | 6Your servant has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and killed him. |
| 7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will destroy the heir!' They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband's name or posterity on earth." | 7Now the entire family has risen up against your servant, saying, 'Turn over the one who struck down his brother, so that we can execute him and avenge the death of his brother whom he killed. In so doing we will also destroy the heir.' They want to extinguish my remaining coal, leaving no one on the face of the earth to carry on the name of my husband." |
| 8The king told the woman, "Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf." | 8Then the king told the woman, "Go to your home. I will give instructions concerning your situation." |
| 9Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my father's house, and may the king and his throne be innocent."" | 9The Tekoan woman said to the king, "My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!" |
| 10Whoever speaks to you," the king said, "bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!" | 10The king said, "Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won't bother you again!" |
| 11She replied, "Please, may the king invoke the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!"" As the LORD lives," he vowed, "not a hair of your son will fall to the ground." | 11She replied, "In that case, let the king invoke the name of the LORD your God so that the avenger of blood may not kill! Then they will not destroy my son!" He replied, "As surely as the LORD lives, not a single hair of your son's head will fall to the ground." |
| 12Then the woman said, "Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?"" Speak," he replied. | 12Then the woman said, "Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter." He replied, "Tell me." |
| 13The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. | 13The woman said, "Why have you devised something like this against God's people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the king has not brought back the one he has banished. |
| 14We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished." | 14Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. |
| 15Now therefore, I've come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant's request. | 15I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful. But your servant said, 'I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant asks. |
| 16The king will surely listen in order to rescue his servant from the hand of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God's inheritance. | 16Yes! The king may listen and deliver his female servant from the hand of the man who seeks to remove both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!' |
| 17Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the Angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you." | 17So your servant said, 'May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the LORD your God be with you!'" |
| 18Then the king answered the woman, "I'm going to ask you something; don't conceal it from me!"" Let my lord the king speak," the woman replied. | 18Then the king replied to the woman, "Don't hide any information from me when I question you." The woman said, "Let my lord the king speak!" |
| 19The king asked, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered. "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say. | 19The king said, "Did Joab put you up to all of this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant's mouth. |
| 20Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the Angel of God, knowing everything on earth." | 20Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land." |
| 21Then the king said to Joab, "I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." | 21Then the king said to Joab, "All right! I will do this thing! Go and bring back the young man Absalom! |
| 22Joab fell with his face to the ground in homage and praised the king. "Today," Joab said, "your servant knows I have found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant." | 22Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant!" |
| 23So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. | 23So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. |
| 24However, the king added, "He may return to his house, but he may not see my face." So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king. | 24But the king said, "Let him go over to his own house. He may not see my face." So Absalom went over to his own house; he did not see the king's face. |
| 25No man in all Israel was as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw. | 25Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom. From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance. |
| 26When he shaved his head--he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy for him that he had to shave it off--he would weigh the hair from his head and it would be five pounds according to the royal standard. | 26When he would shave his head--at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long and he would shave it--he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds according to the king's weight. |
| 27Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman. | 27Absalom had three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very attractive woman. |
| 28Absalom resided in Jerusalem two years but never saw the king. | 28Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king's face. |
| 29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come. So he sent again, a second time, but he still wouldn't come. | 29Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come. |
| 30Then Absalom said to his servants, "See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set fire to it!" So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. | 30So he said to his servants, "Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set Joab's portion of the field on fire. |
| 31Then Joab came to Absalom's house and demanded, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"" | 31Then Joab got up and came to Absalom's house. He said to him, "Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?" |
| 32Look," Absalom explained to Joab, "I sent for you and said, 'Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me." | 32Absalom said to Joab, "Look, I sent a message to you saying, 'Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there."' Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!" |
| 33Joab went to the king and told him. So David summoned Absalom, who came to the king and bowed down with his face to the ground before him. Then the king kissed Absalom. | 33So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. |
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