2Samuel:14

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* And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king 's heart was toward Absalom . * And Joab sent to Tekoah , and fetched thence a wise woman , and said to her , I pray thee , feign thyself to be a mourner , and put on mourning garments , I pray , and anoint not thyself with oil , but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead ; * and come to the king , and speak after this manner to him . And Joab put the words into her mouth . * And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king , and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance , and said , Save , O king ! * And the king said to her , What aileth thee ? And she said , I am indeed a widow woman , and my husband is dead . * And thy bondmaid 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 . * And behold , the whole family is risen against thy bondmaid , and they say , Deliver him that smote his brother , that we may put him to death , for the life of his brother whom he killed ; and we will destroy the heir also : so they will quench my coal which is left , and will not leave to my husband a name or remnant on the earth . * And the king said to the woman , Go to thy house , and I will give charge concerning thee . * And the woman of Tekoah said to the king , Upon me , my lord , O king , be the iniquity , and upon my father 's house ; and the king and his throne be guiltless . * And the king said , Whoever speaks to thee , bring him to me , and he shall not touch thee any more . * Then she said , I pray thee , let the king remember Jehovah thy God , that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more , lest they cut off my son . And he said , [As ] Jehovah liveth , there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth . * And the woman said , Let thy bondmaid , I pray thee , speak a word to my lord the king . And he said , Speak . * And the woman said , Why then hast thou thought such a thing against God 's people ? and the king in saying this thing , is as one guilty , in that the king does not bring back his banished one . * For we must needs die , and are as water spilt on the ground , which cannot be gathered up again ; and God has not taken away his life , but devises means that the banished one be not expelled from him . * And now that I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the king , it is because the people have made me afraid ; and thy bondmaid said , I will now speak to the king ; perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid . * 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 God . * And thy bondmaid said , Let the word of my lord the king now be comfortable ; for as an angel of God , so is my lord the king to discern good and bad ; and Jehovah thy God will be with thee . * And the king answered and said to the woman , Hide not from me , I pray thee , the thing that I shall ask thee . And the woman said , Let my lord the king now speak . * And the king said , Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this ? And the woman answered and said , [As ] thy soul liveth , my lord , O king , there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken ; for thy servant Joab , he bade me , and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid : * in order to turn the appearance of the thing has thy servant Joab done this thing ; but my lord is wise , according to the wisdom of an angel of God , to know all that is in the earth . * And the king said to Joab , Behold now , I have done this thing : so go , bring back the young man Absalom . * And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself , and blessed the king ; and Joab said , To-day thy servant knows that I have found favour in thy sight , my lord , O king , in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant . * And Joab arose and went to Geshur , and brought Absalom to Jerusalem . * And the king said , Let him turn to his own house , and let him not see my face . And Absalom withdrew to his own house , and saw not the king 's face . * But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty : from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him . * And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year 's end that he shaved it , because it was heavy on him , therefore he shaved it ), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king 's weight . * And to Absalom there were born three sons , and one daughter , whose name was Tamar : she was a woman of a beautiful countenance . * So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem , and did not see the king 's face . * Then Absalom sent for Joab , to send him to the king ; but he would not come to him ; and he sent again the second time , but he would not come . * Then he said to his servants , See , Joab 's allotment is near mine and he has barley there : go and set it on fire . And Absalom 's servants set the allotment on fire . * Then Joab arose , and came to Absalom to [his ] house , and said to him , Why have thy servants set my allotment on fire ? * And Absalom said to Joab , Behold , I sent to thee , saying , Come hither , that I may send thee to the king , to say , Why am I come from Geshur ? it would have been better for me to be there still . And now let me see the king 's face ; and if there be iniquity in me , let him slay me . * And Joab came to the king , and told him . And he called Absalom , and he came to the king , and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king ; and the king kissed Absalom .

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