¶ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom².

And Joab sent to Tekoah³, and fetched thence a wise 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 oil, 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 put the words⁵ in her mouth.

And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her⁶ face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help⁷, O king.

And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed⁸ a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.

And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two⁹ strove together in the field, and there was none to part¹⁰ them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.

And, behold, the whole¹¹ family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they¹² shall quench¹³ my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth¹⁴.

And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give¹⁵ charge concerning thee.

And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity¹⁶ be on me, and on my father's house: and the king¹⁷ and his throne be guiltless.

¶ And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

Then said she, I pray thee, let the king¹⁸ remember the LORD thy God, that thou¹⁹ wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD²⁰ liveth, there shall not one hair²¹ of thy son fall to the earth.

Then the woman said, Let thine²² handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word²³ unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on²⁴.

And the woman said, Wherefore²⁵ then hast thou thought such a thing against the people²⁶ of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king²⁷ doth not fetch home again his banished.

For we must²⁸ needs die, and are as water²⁹ spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither³⁰ doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise³¹ means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that 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.

Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable³²: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern³³ good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not³⁴ 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 hand of Joab³⁵ with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul³⁶ liveth, my lord the king, none can turn³⁷ 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 put³⁸ all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

¶ To fetch³⁹ about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according⁴⁰ to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know⁴¹ all things that are in the earth.

¶ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done⁴² this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked⁴³ the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found⁴⁴ grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his⁴⁵ servant.

So Joab arose and went to Geshur⁴⁶, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not⁴⁷ see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

But in all Israel⁴⁸ there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole⁴⁹ of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And when he polled⁵⁰ his head, (for it was at every 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 shekels⁵¹ after the king's weight.

And unto Absalom there were born⁵² three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar⁵³: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

¶ So Absalom dwelt two 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 would⁵⁵ not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

¶ Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine⁵⁶, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's⁵⁷ 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 been⁵⁸ good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there⁵⁹ be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.

So Joab came to the king, and told 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 kissed Absalom.