2 Samuel 14 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

The Woman of Tekoa

2Sa 14:1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was inclined toward Absalom.

2Sa 14:2So Joab sent to Tekoa and [fn]brought a wise woman from there and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead many days;

2Sa 14:3

2Sa 14:3then go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.

2Sa 14:4

2Sa 14:4Now when the woman of Tekoa [fn]spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself and said, “Help, O king.”

2Sa 14:5

2Sa 14:5The king said to her, “What is your trouble?” And she [fn]answered, “Truly I am a widow, for my husband is dead.

2Sa 14:6

2Sa 14:6“Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled together in the field, and there was no [fn]one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him.

2Sa 14:7

2Sa 14:7“Now behold, the whole family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and destroy the heir also.’ Thus they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to [fn]leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”

2Sa 14:8

2Sa 14:8Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”

2Sa 14:9

2Sa 14:9The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “O my lord, the king, the iniquity is on me and my father’s house, but the king and his throne are guiltless.”

2Sa 14:10

2Sa 14:10So the king said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.”

2Sa 14:11

2Sa 14:11Then she said, “Please let the king remember the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son.” And he said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

2Sa 14:12

2Sa 14:12Then the woman said, “Please let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

2Sa 14:13

2Sa 14:13The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

2Sa 14:14

2Sa 14:14“For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but plans [fn]ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him.

2Sa 14:15

2Sa 14:15“Now [fn]the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your maidservant said, ‘Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the [fn]request of his maidservant.

2Sa 14:16

2Sa 14:16‘For the king will hear [fn]and deliver his maidservant from the [fn]hand of the man who would destroy [fn]both me and my son from the inheritance of God.’

2Sa 14:17

2Sa 14:17“Then your maidservant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be [fn]comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’”

2Sa 14:18

2Sa 14:18Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king please speak.”

2Sa 14:19

2Sa 14:19So the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman replied, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant;

2Sa 14:20

2Sa 14:20in order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.”

Absalom Is Recalled

2Sa 14:21

2Sa 14:21Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.”

2Sa 14:22

2Sa 14:22Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the [fn]request of his servant.”

2Sa 14:23

2Sa 14:23So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

2Sa 14:24

2Sa 14:24However the king said, “Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face.” So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.

2Sa 14:25

2Sa 14:25Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him.

2Sa 14:26

2Sa 14:26When he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king’s weight.

2Sa 14:27

2Sa 14:27To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.

2Sa 14:28

2Sa 14:28Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king’s face.

2Sa 14:29

2Sa 14:29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

2Sa 14:30

2Sa 14:30Therefore he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s [fn]field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the [fn]field on fire.

2Sa 14:31

2Sa 14:31Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my [fn]field on fire?”

2Sa 14:32

2Sa 14:32Absalom [fn]answered Joab, “Behold, I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there.”’ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.”

2Sa 14:33

2Sa 14:33So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

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NASB95 Footnotes

(14:2)

Literally: took

(14:4)

Many mss and ancient versions read came

(14:5)

Literally: said

(14:6)

Literally: deliverer between

Literally: set

Literally: devices

Literally: that

Literally: word

Literally: to

Literally: palm

Literally: together

(14:17)

Literally: for rest

Literally: word

Literally: portion

Literally: portion

Literally: said to

New American Standard Bible 1995
Copyright (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB95 Preface.