Parallel Bible results for "2 samuel 14"

2 Samuel 14

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah perceived that the king missed Avshalom;

2 so Yo'av sent to T'koa, brought from there a clever woman and said to her, "Please, pretend you're a mourner. Put on mourning clothes, and don't anoint yourself with oil, but appear to be a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

3 Go in to the king and speak to him in this fashion -" and then Yo'av told her just what to say.

4 When the woman of T'koa spoke to the king, she fell down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself, and said, "King, help!"

5 The king said to her, "What's the trouble?"She answered, "I'm a widow. After my husband died,

6 my two sons were out in the field; and they got into a fight with each other. There was no one to separate them, and one hit the other and killed him.

7 Now the whole family has come against me, your servant; they're saying, 'Hand over the one who hit his brother, so that we can put him to death for killing his brother.'They want to destroy the heir as well and thus quench my one remaining coal; then my husband will have neither name nor survivor anywhere on earth."

8 The king said to the woman, "Go back home; I myself will decide what to do about you."

9 The woman of T'koa said to the king, "My lord, king, let the guilt be on me and my father's family; the king and his throne be guiltless."

10 The king answered, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me; and he won't bother you any more."

11 "Please," she said, "let the king swear by ADONAI your God that the blood avengers won't do any more destroying, so they won't destroy my son." He said, "As ADONAI lives, not one of your son's hairs will fall to the ground."

12 Then the woman said, "Please allow your servant to say something else to my lord the king.""Go on," he replied.

13 The woman said, "Why is it, then, that you have produced a situation exactly like this against God's people? By saying what you have said, the king has virtually incriminated himself - in that the king does not bring home again the son he banished.

14 For we will all die someday; we'll be like water spilled on the ground that can't be gathered up again; and God makes no exception for anyone. The king should think of some way to keep the son he banished from being forever an outcast.

15 Now the reason I came to speak about this matter to my lord the king is that the people were intimidating me; so your servant said, 'I will speak now to the king; maybe the king will do what his servant is asking.

16 For the king will listen and rescue his servant from the hands of those who would destroy me and my son together from our share of God's inheritance.'

17 Then your servant said, 'Please let my lord the king say something that will give me relief; for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good from bad - and may ADONAI your God be with you.'"

18 The king then answered the woman: "I'm going to ask you a question, and please don't hide anything from me."The woman said, "Let my lord the king now speak."

19 The king asked, "Did Yo'av put you up to this?"The woman answered, "As you live, my lord the king, when my lord the king speaks, no one can avoid the issue by turning either right or left. Yes, it was your servant Yo'av who had me do this, and he put in my mouth every word you have heard your servant say.

20 Your servant Yo'av did this in order to bring about some change in the situation. But my lord is wise, he has the wisdom of an angel of God when it comes to understanding anything going on in the land."

21 The king said to Yo'av, "All right, I am granting this request. Go, and bring back young Avshalom."

22 Yo'av fell to the ground on his face, prostrating himself, and blessed the king; Yo'av said, "Today your servant knows that I have won your favor, my lord, king, because the king has done what your servant requested."

23 Then Yo'av got up, went to G'shur and brought Avshalom to Yerushalayim.

24 However, the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but he is not to appear in my presence."So Avshalom returned to his own house and did not appear before the king.

25 Now in all Isra'el there was no one more praised for his beauty than Avshalom -there was no defect on him from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

26 He would cut his hair only once a year, at the end of the year; and the only reason he cut it then was because it weighed him down. He weighed the hair from his head at 200 shekels (using the royal weight) [about five pounds].

27 To Avshalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

28 Avshalom lived two years in Yerushalayim without appearing before the king.

29 Then Avshalom summoned Yo'av, planning to send him to the king; but he refused to come to him. He summoned him a second time, but he still wouldn't come.

30 So he said to his servants, "See, Yo'av's field is close to mine, and he has barley there; go, and set it on fire." Avshalom's servants set the field on fire.

31 Then Yo'av got up, went to Avshalom at his house and asked him, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"

32 Avshalom answered Yo'av, "Look, I sent a message to you to come here, so that I could send you to the king to ask, 'Why did I come from G'shur? It would have been better for me if I had stayed there. So now, let me appear before the king; and if I'm guilty of anything, he can kill me.'"

33 Yo'av went to the king and told him; and when he had called for Avshalom, he went to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Avshalom.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 Joab, Zeruiah's son, knew the king was still thinking about Absalom.

2 So Joab sent [someone] to Tekoa to get a clever woman from there. He told her, "Please act like a mourner, and dress in mourning clothes. Don't rub olive oil on yourself, but act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.

3 Go to the king, and tell him this...." Then Joab told her exactly what to say.

4 The woman from Tekoa came to the king and immediately bowed down with her face touching the ground. "Help [me], Your Majesty," she said.

5 The king asked her, "What can I do for you?" She answered, "I'm a widow; my husband is dead.

6 I had two sons who quarreled in the field, and there was no one to separate them. One killed the other.

7 Then the entire family turned against me. They said, 'Give us the man who killed his brother so that we can kill him because he took his brother's life. We're going to destroy the one who [now] would be the heir.' In this way they wish to extinguish the [one] burning coal that is left for me. They will not let my husband's name or descendants remain on the face of the earth."

8 "Go home," the king told the woman. "I will order someone to take care of this matter."

9 The woman from Tekoa said to the king, "Let me be held responsible for the sin, Your Majesty. Let my father's family be held responsible. Your Majesty and your throne are innocent."

10 The king said, "If anyone says anything against you, bring him to me. He'll never harm you again."

11 She said, "Your Majesty, please pray to the LORD your God in order to keep an avenger from doing more harm by destroying my son." "I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives," he said, "not a hair on your son's head will fall to the ground."

12 The woman said, "Please let me say something else to you." "Speak," he said.

13 "Why have you devised something like this against God's people?" she said. "When you say this, you condemn yourself because you haven't brought back the one you banished!

14 We are all going to die; we are all like water that is poured on the ground and can't be gathered up. But doesn't God forgive a person? He never plans to keep a banished person in exile.

15 "I've come to say this to you because the people have frightened me. So I thought, 'I will speak to the king about this. Maybe the king will do something for me, his subject.

16 Maybe the king will listen and rescue me, his subject, from the man who wants to cut off both me and my son from [our] God-given inheritance.'

17 I thought that you would reassure me. You are like God's Messenger, who is able to distinguish right from wrong. May the LORD your God be with you!"

18 The king said to the woman, "Please don't refuse to answer the question I'm going to ask you." The woman responded, "Please speak, Your Majesty."

19 "Did Joab put you up to this?" the king asked. The woman answered, "I solemnly swear on your life, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. Yes, your servant Joab ordered me [to do this]. He told me to say exactly what I said.

20 Your servant Joab has done this to portray the matter in a different light. You are as wise as God's Messenger, who knows everything on earth."

21 Then the king told Joab, "This is what you'll do. Bring back the young man Absalom."

22 Joab quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground, and he blessed the king. He said, "Today I know that you have been kind to me because you have done what I wanted."

23 So Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

24 But the king said, "Absalom should return to his own house. He will not see me." So Absalom returned to his house and didn't see the king.

25 Now, no one in all Israel was praised for his good looks as much as Absalom was. He had no blemish from head to toe.

26 At the end of every year, he used to cut his hair because it became heavy for him. When he cut the hair on his head and weighed it, it weighed five pounds according to the royal standard.

27 Absalom had three sons and one daughter. His daughter Tamar was a beautiful woman.

28 Absalom stayed in Jerusalem two full years without seeing the king.

29 So Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but he still refused to come.

30 So Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine. He has barley in it. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set it on fire. Joab's servants came to him [in grief] and said, "Absalom's servants have set [your] field on fire."

31 Then Joab immediately went to Absalom at his home. "Why did your servants set my field on fire?" he asked.

32 Absalom answered Joab, "I sent someone to tell you to come here because I wanted to send you to the king to ask him why I had to come from Geshur. It would be better for me if I were still there. Let me see the king now! If I'm guilty of a sin, he should kill me."

33 Joab went to the king and told him this. The king then called for Absalom, who came to the king and bowed down with his face touching the ground. And the king kissed Absalom.