Dual Panel1Now Joab <03097> the son <01121> of Zeruiah <06870> perceived <03045> (8799) that the king's <04428> heart <03820> [was] toward Absalom <053>_.
2And Joab <03097> sent <07971> (8799) to Tekoah <08620>_, and fetched <03947> (8799) thence a wise <02450> woman <0802>_, and said <0559> (8799) unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner <056> (8693)_, and put on <03847> (8798) now mourning <060> apparel <0899>_, and anoint <05480> (8799) not thyself with oil <08081>_, but be as a woman <0802> that had a long <07227> time <03117> mourned <056> (8690) for the dead <04191> (8801)_:
3And come <0935> (8804) to the king <04428>_, and speak <01696> (8765) on this manner <01697> unto him. So Joab <03097> put <07760> (8799) the words <01697> in her mouth <06310>_.
4And when the woman <0802> of Tekoah <08621> spake <0559> (8799) to the king <04428>_, she fell <05307> (8799) on her face <0639> to the ground <0776>_, and did obeisance <07812> (8691)_, and said <0559> (8799)_, Help <03467> (8685)_, O king <04428>_. {Help: Heb. Save}
5And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799) unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered <0559> (8799)_, I [am] indeed <061> a widow <0490> woman <0802>_, and mine husband <0376> is dead <04191> (8799)_.
6And thy handmaid <08198> had two <08147> sons <01121>_, and they two <08147> strove together <05327> (8735) in the field <07704>_, and [there was] none to part <05337> (8688) them, but the one <0259> smote <05221> (8686) the other <0259>_, and slew <04191> (8686) him. {none...: Heb. no deliverer between them}
7And, behold, the whole family <04940> is risen <06965> (8804) against thine handmaid <08198>_, and they said <0559> (8799)_, Deliver <05414> (8798) him that smote <05221> (8688) his brother <0251>_, that we may kill <04191> (8686) him, for the life <05315> of his brother <0251> whom he slew <02026> (8804)_; and we will destroy <08045> (8686) the heir <03423> (8802) also: and so they shall quench <03518> (8765) my coal <01513> which is left <07760> (8800)_, and shall not leave <07604> (8738) to my husband <0376> [neither] name <08034> nor remainder <07611> upon <06440> the earth <0127>_. {upon...: Heb. upon the face of the earth}
8And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799) unto the woman <0802>_, Go <03212> (8798) to thine house <01004>_, and I will give charge <06680> (8762) concerning thee.
9And the woman <0802> of Tekoah <08621> said <0559> (8799) unto the king <04428>_, My lord <0113>_, O king <04428>_, the iniquity <05771> [be] on me, and on my father's <01> house <01004>_: and the king <04428> and his throne <03678> [be] guiltless <05355>_.
10And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799)_, Whosoever saith <01696> (8764) [ought] unto thee, bring <0935> (8689) him to me, and he shall not touch <05060> (8800) thee any more <03254> (8686)_.
11Then said <0559> (8799) she, I pray thee, let the king <04428> remember <02142> (8799) the LORD <03068> thy God <0430>_, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers <01350> (8802) of blood <01818> to destroy <07843> (8763) any more <07235> (8687)_, lest they destroy <08045> (8686) my son <01121>_. And he said <0559> (8799)_, [As] the LORD <03068> liveth <02416>_, there shall not one hair <08185> of thy son <01121> fall <05307> (8799) to the earth <0776>_. {that...: Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy}
12Then the woman <0802> said <0559> (8799)_, Let thine handmaid <08198>_, I pray thee, speak <01696> (8762) [one] word <01697> unto my lord <0113> the king <04428>_. And he said <0559> (8799)_, Say on <01696> (8761)_.
13And the woman <0802> said <0559> (8799)_, Wherefore then hast thou thought <02803> (8804) such a thing against the people <05971> of God <0430>_? for the king <04428> doth speak <01696> (8693) this thing <01697> as one which is faulty <0818>_, in that the king <04428> doth not fetch home again <07725> (8687) his banished <05080> (8737)_.
14For we must needs <04191> (8800) die <04191> (8799)_, and [are] as water <04325> spilt <05064> (8737) on the ground <0776>_, which cannot be gathered up again <0622> (8735)_; neither doth God <0430> respect <05375> (8799) [any] person <05315>_: yet doth he devise <02803> (8804) means <04284>_, that his banished <05080> (8737) be not expelled <05080> (8799) from him. {neither...: or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, etc}
15Now therefore that I am come <0935> (8804) to speak <01696> (8763) of this thing <01697> unto my lord <0113> the king <04428>_, [it is] because the people <05971> have made me afraid <03372> (8765)_: and thy handmaid <08198> said <0559> (8799)_, I will now speak <01696> (8762) unto the king <04428>_; it may be that the king <04428> will perform <06213> (8799) the request <01697> of his handmaid <0519>_.
16For the king <04428> will hear <08085> (8799)_, to deliver <05337> (8687) his handmaid <0519> out of the hand <03709> of the man <0376> [that would] destroy <08045> (8687) me and my son <01121> together <03162> out of the inheritance <05159> of God <0430>_.
17Then thine handmaid <08198> said <0559> (8799)_, The word <01697> of my lord <0113> the king <04428> shall now be comfortable <04496>_: for as an angel <04397> of God <0430>_, so [is] my lord <0113> the king <04428> to discern <08085> (8800) good <02896> and bad <07451>_: therefore the LORD <03068> thy God <0430> will be with thee. {comfortable: Heb. for rest} {to discern: Heb. to hear}
18Then the king <04428> answered <06030> (8799) and said <0559> (8799) unto the woman <0802>_, Hide <03582> (8762) not from me, I pray thee, the thing <01697> that I shall ask <07592> (8802) thee. And the woman <0802> said <0559> (8799)_, Let my lord <0113> the king <04428> now speak <01696> (8762)_.
19And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799)_, [Is not] the hand <03027> of Joab <03097> with thee in all this? And the woman <0802> answered <06030> (8799) and said <0559> (8799)_, [As] thy soul <05315> liveth <02416>_, my lord <0113> the king <04428>_, none <0376> can <0786> turn to the right hand <03231> (8687) or to the left <08041> (8687) from ought that my lord <0113> the king <04428> hath spoken <01696> (8765)_: for thy servant <05650> Joab <03097>_, he bade <06680> (8765) me, and he put <07760> (8804) all these words <01697> in the mouth <06310> of thine handmaid <08198>_:
20To <05668> fetch about <05437> (8763) this form <06440> of speech <01697> hath thy servant <05650> Joab <03097> done <06213> (8804) this thing <01697>_: and my lord <0113> [is] wise <02450>_, according to the wisdom <02451> of an angel <04397> of God <0430>_, to know <03045> (8800) all [things] that [are] in the earth <0776>_.
21And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799) unto Joab <03097>_, Behold now, I have done <06213> (8804) this thing <01697>_: go <03212> (8798) therefore, bring <07725> (0) the young man <05288> Absalom <053> again <07725> (8685)_.
22And Joab <03097> fell <05307> (8799) to the ground <0776> on his face <06440>_, and bowed <07812> (8691) himself, and thanked <01288> (8762) the king <04428>_: and Joab <03097> said <0559> (8799)_, To day <03117> thy servant <05650> knoweth <03045> (8804) that I have found <04672> (8804) grace <02580> in thy sight <05869>_, my lord <0113>_, O king <04428>_, in that the king <04428> hath fulfilled <06213> (8804) the request <01697> of his servant <05650>_. {thanked: Heb. blessed} {his servant: or, thy servant}
23So Joab <03097> arose <06965> (8799) and went <03212> (8799) to Geshur <01650>_, and brought <0935> (8686) Absalom <053> to Jerusalem <03389>_.
24And the king <04428> said <0559> (8799)_, Let him turn <05437> (8735) to his own house <01004>_, and let him not see <07200> (8799) my face <06440>_. So Absalom <053> returned <05437> (8735) to his own house <01004>_, and saw <07200> (8804) not the king's <04428> face <06440>_.
25But in all Israel <03478> there was none <0376> to be so much <03966> praised <01984> (8763) as Absalom <053> for his beauty <03303>_: from the sole <03709> of his foot <07272> even to the crown of his head <06936> there was no blemish <03971> in him. {But...: Heb. And as Absalom there was not a beautiful man in all Israel to praise greatly}
26And when he polled <01548> (8763) his head <07218>_, (for it was at every year's <03117> <03117> end <07093> that he polled <01548> (8762) [it]: because [the hair] was heavy <03513> (8804) on him, therefore he polled <01548> (8765) it:) he weighed <08254> (8804) the hair <08181> of his head <07218> at two hundred <03967> shekels <08255> after the king's <04428> weight <068>_.
27And unto Absalom <053> there were born <03205> (8735) three <07969> sons <01121>_, and one <0259> daughter <01323>_, whose name <08034> [was] Tamar <08559>_: she was a woman <0802> of a fair <03303> countenance <04758>_.
28So Absalom <053> dwelt <03427> (8799) two full <03117> years <08141> in Jerusalem <03389>_, and saw <07200> (8804) not the king's <04428> face <06440>_.
29Therefore Absalom <053> sent <07971> (8799) for Joab <03097>_, to have sent <07971> (8800) him to the king <04428>_; but he would <014> (8804) not come <0935> (8800) to him: and when he sent again <07971> (8799) the second time <08145>_, he would <014> (8804) not come <0935> (8800)_.
30Therefore he said <0559> (8799) unto his servants <05650>_, See <07200> (8798)_, Joab's <03097> field <02513> is near <0413> mine <03027>_, and he hath barley <08184> there; go <03212> (8798) and set <03341> (8685) it on fire <0784>_. And Absalom's <053> servants <05650> set <03341> (8686) the field <02513> on fire <0784>_. {near...: Heb. near my place}
31Then Joab <03097> arose <06965> (8799)_, and came <0935> (8799) to Absalom <053> unto [his] house <01004>_, and said <0559> (8799) unto him, Wherefore have thy servants <05650> set <03341> (8689) my field <02513> on fire <0784>_?
32And Absalom <053> answered <0559> (8799) Joab <03097>_, Behold, I sent <07971> (8804) unto thee, saying <0559> (8800)_, Come <0935> (8798) hither, that I may send <07971> (8799) thee to the king <04428>_, to say <0559> (8800)_, Wherefore am I come <0935> (8804) from Geshur <01650>_? [it had been] good <02896> for me [to have been] there still: now therefore let me see <07200> (8799) the king's <04428> face <06440>_; and if there be <03426> [any] iniquity <05771> in me, let him kill <04191> (8689) me.
33So Joab <03097> came <0935> (8799) to the king <04428>_, and told <05046> (8686) him: and when he had called <07121> (8799) for Absalom <053>_, he came <0935> (8799) to the king <04428>_, and bowed <07812> (8691) himself on his face <0639> to the ground <0776> before <06440> the king <04428>_: and the king <04428> kissed <05401> (8799) Absalom <053>_.