14:1
The Intercession of the Wise Woman and the Return of Abshalum
Now Yoab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Abshalum.
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2 Shamu'al 14
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And Yoab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, "I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:"
14:3
"And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him." So Yoab put the words in her mouth.
14:4
The Parable of the Two Sons
And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, "Help, O king."
14:5
And the king said unto her, "What aileth thee?" And she answered, "I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead."
14:6
"And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him."
14:7
"And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth."
14:8
The King's Initial Decree
And the king said unto the woman, "Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee."
14:9
And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, "My adun, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless."
14:10
And the king said, "Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more."
14:11
Then said she, "I pray thee, let the king remember 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 thy Alahiym, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son." And he said, "As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth."
14:12
The Pivot to the King's Son
Then the woman said, "Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my adun the king." And he said, "Say on."
14:13
And the woman said, "Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of Alahiym? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished."
14:14
The Law of the Banished
"For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth Alahiym respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him."
14:15
"Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my adun the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid."
14:16
"For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of Alahiym."
14:17
Then thine handmaid said, "The word of my adun the king shall now be comfortable: for as a Malakh of Alahiym, so is my adun the king to discern good and bad: therefore 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 thy Alahiym will be with thee."
14:18
The Recognition of Yoab's Hand
Then the king answered and said unto the woman, "Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee." And the woman said, "Let my adun the king now speak."
14:19
And the king said, "Is not the hand of Yoab with thee in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As thy soul liveth, my adun the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my adun the king hath spoken: for thy servant Yoab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:"
14:20
"To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Yoab done this thing: and my adun is wise, according to the wisdom of a Malakh of Alahiym, to know all things that are in the earth."
14:21
The Command to Fetch Abshalum
And the king said unto Yoab, "Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Abshalum again."
14:22
And Yoab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Yoab said, "Today thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my adun, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant."
14:23
The Return from Geshur
So Yoab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Abshalum to Yarushalayim.
14:24
The Two-Year Quarantine
And the king said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Abshalum returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
14:25
The Biological Stature of Abshalum
But in all Yashar'al there was none to be so much praised as Abshalum for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
14:27
And unto Abshalum there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
14:28
The Burning of the Field
So Abshalum dwelt two full years in Yarushalayim, and saw not the king's face.
14:29
Therefore Abshalum sent for Yoab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
14:30
Therefore he said unto his servants, "See, Yoab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire." And Abshalum's servants set the field on fire.
14:31
The Confrontation with Yoab
Then Yoab arose, and came to Abshalum unto his house, and said unto him, "Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?"
14:32
And Abshalum answered Yoab, "Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me."
14:33
The Reconciliation of the Scepter
So Yoab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Abshalum, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Abshalum.