2 Samuel 14:1-9

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."
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.