THE SECOND BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
2 Samuel 14 ©
Joab brings Absalom again into favor with David, by means of a wise woman of Tekoah, v. 1, etc. David gives Joab permission to bring Absalom back again to Jerusalem, but will not consent that he should come in his sight, 21. Absalom’s beauty, long hair, and children, 25. At last he compels Joab to get permission for him to come into his father’s presence, as it happens, 29.
NOW Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s 1heart was toward Absalom.
And Joab sent to 2Tekoah, and fetched thence a 3wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with 4oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab 5put the words in her mouth.
¶And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her 6face to the ground, and did 7obeisance, and said, 8Help, O king.
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was 9none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
And, behold, the whole 10family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill 11him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my 12coal which is left, and shall not 13leave to my husband neither 14name nor remainder upon the earth.
And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge 15concerning thee.
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the 16iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall 17not touch thee any more.
Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the 18LORD 19thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy 20any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, 21As the LORD liveth, 22there shall not one 23hair of thy son fall to the earth.
Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought 24such a thing against the 25people of God? for the king doth speak this 26thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his 27banished.
For we must needs 28die, and are as water spilt on the ground, 29which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth 30God respect any 31person: yet doth he devise 32means, that his 33banished be not expelled from 34him.
Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the 35people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid 36said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the 37request of his handmaid.
For the king will hear, to 38deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the 39inheritance of God.
Then thine handmaid 40said, The 41word of my lord the king 42shall now be comfortable: for 43as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to 44discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God 45will be with thee.
Then the king answered and said unto 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.
And the king said, Is not the 46hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, 47none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the 48mouth of thine handmaid:
To 49fetch about this 50form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an 51angel of God, to know all things 52that are in the earth.
¶And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, 53I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the 54young man Absalom again.
And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and 55thanked the king: and Joab said, To day 56thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the 57request of 58his servant.
So Joab arose and went to 59Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
And the king said, Let 60him turn to his own house, and let him not see my 61face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
¶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 62polled his head, (for it was at 63every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels 64after the king’s weight.a
And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
¶So Absalom dwelt 65two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
Therefore 66he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is 67near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: 68now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any 69iniquity in me, let him kill me.
So Joab came to the king, and 70told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king 71kissed Absalom.