5
And the king said to her, What hast thou of cause? And she answered, Alas! I am a woman widow, for mine husband is dead; (And the king said to her, What is thy problem? And she answered, Alas! I am a widow woman, for my husband is dead;)
6
and twain sons were of thine handmaid, which debated against themselves in the field, and none was that might forbid them, and the one smote the tother, and killed him. (and thy servantess had two sons, who raged against each other out in the field, and no one could separate them, and one of them struck the other, and killed him.)
7
And lo! all the kindred riseth against thine handmaid, and saith, Give thou him to us that killed his brother, that we slay him, for the life of his brother whom he killed, and that we do away the heir; and they seek to quench my spark that is left, that the name dwell not to mine husband, and that remnants be not to him on earth. (And lo! all the kinsmen riseth against thy servantess, and saith, Give thou to us he who killed his brother, so that we can kill him for taking his brother's life, and so that we can do away the heir; yea, they seek to quench what is left of my spark, so that my husband's name not remain, and that there be no remnant of him left here on the earth.)
8
And the king said to the woman, Go into thine house, and I shall (give a) command for thee.
9
And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My lord the king, this wickedness be on me, and on the house of my father; forsooth (let) the king and his throne be innocent/be guiltless.
10
And the king said, Bring thou him to me, that against-saith thee, and he shall no more add to (it,) that he touch thee.
11
And she said, The king have mind on his Lord God, and the next (kins)men of blood to take vengeance be not multiplied, and they shall not slay my son. And the king said, The Lord liveth, for none of the hairs of thy son shall fall upon the earth. (And she said, May the king pray to the Lord his God, that the kinsmen who be next of blood, and who desire vengeance, be not able to take it, and so they shall not kill my son. And the king said, As the Lord liveth, none of the hairs of thy son shall fall on the ground!)
12
Therefore the woman said, Thine handmaid speak a word to my lord the king (And the woman said, May thy servantess speak a word to my lord the king?). And the king said, Speak thou.
13
And the woman said, Why hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? and the king spake this word, that he do sin, and bring not again his son (who is) cast out? (And the woman said, Why then hast thou done this same thing against the people of God? and so by speaking this word, the king hath sinned, for he hath not brought back his own son who is cast out.)
14
All we die, and as waters that shall not turn again, we slide into the earth; and God will not that a soul perish, but he withdraweth, and thinketh, lest he perish utterly, which is cast away. (We shall all die, and we shall slide into the earth, like water that shall not return; but God desireth that no soul perish, but he withdraweth, and thinketh, lest he, who is cast away, utterly perish.)
15
Now therefore come thou, that I speak to my lord the king this word, while the people is present; and thine handmaid said, I shall speak to the king, if in any manner the king do the word of his handmaid. (And so now, I have come that I may speak of this thing to my lord the king, because the people have threatened me; and so thy servantess said to herself, I shall speak to the king, if by any chance the king will do what I request.)