| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom. | 1Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom. |
| 2And Joab sent to Tekoah, 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: | 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. |
| 3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth. | 3Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth. |
| 4And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. | 4When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, "Help me, Your Majesty!" |
| 5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. | 5The king asked her, "What is troubling you?" She said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead. |
| 6And thy handmaid 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. | 6I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. |
| 7And, behold, the whole 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 they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. | 7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth." |
| 8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. | 8The king said to the woman, "Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf." |
| 9And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless. | 9But the woman from Tekoa said to him, "Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt." |
| 10And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. | 10The king replied, "If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again." |
| 11Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. | 11She said, "Then let the king invoke the LORD his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed." "As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground." |
| 12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. | 12Then the woman said, "Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." "Speak," he replied. |
| 13And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. | 13The woman said, "Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? |
| 14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. | 14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him. |
| 15Now 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. | 15"And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, 'I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant's request. |
| 16For 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. | 16Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.' |
| 17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. | 17"And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'" |
| 18Then 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. | 18Then the king said to the woman, "Don't keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you." "Let my lord the king speak," the woman said. |
| 19And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none 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 mouth of thine handmaid: | 19The king asked, "Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. |
| 20To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. | 20Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God--he knows everything that happens in the land." |
| 21And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. | 21The king said to Joab, "Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." |
| 22And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. | 22Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request." |
| 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. | 23Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. |
| 24And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face. | 24But the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king. |
| 25But 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. | 25In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. |
| 26And when he polled 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 shekels after the king's weight. | 26Whenever he cut the hair of his head--he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him--he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard. |
| 27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance. | 27Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman. |
| 28So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face. | 28Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face. |
| 29Therefore 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. | 29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. |
| 30Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. | 30Then he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. |
| 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? | 31Then Joab did go to Absalom's house, and he said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" |
| 32And 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: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. | 32Absalom said to Joab, "Look, I sent word to you and said, 'Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!"' Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death." |
| 33So 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. | 33So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom. |
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