17
"Then your maidservantsaid, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discerngood and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.' "
18
Then the kinganswered and said to the woman, "Please do not hideanything from me that I am about to ask you." And the womansaid, "Let my lord the kingpleasespeak."
19
So the kingsaid, "Is the hand of Joab with you in allthis?" And the womanreplied, "As your soullives, 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 servantJoabwhocommanded me, and it was he who putallthesewords in the mouth of your maidservant;
20
in order to change the appearance of things your servantJoab has donethisthing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to knowall that is in the earth."
22
Joabfell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joabsaid, "Today your servantknows that I have foundfavor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant."
24
However the kingsaid, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Absalomturned to his own house and did not see the king'sface.
26
When 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 200shekels by the king'sweight.