2Samuel:14

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* Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the kings heart was toward Absalom . * And Joab sent to Tekoah , 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 : * And come to the king , and speak on this manner unto him . So Joab put the words in her mouth . * And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king , she fell on her face to the ground , and did obeisance , and said , Help , O king . * And the king said unto her , What aileth thee ? And she answered , I am indeed a widow woman , and mine husband is dead . * 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 . * 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 . * And the king said unto the woman , Go to thine house , and I will give charge concerning thee . * And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king , My lord , O king , the iniquity be on me , and on my fathers house : and the king and his throne be guiltless . * And the king said , Whosoever saith ought unto thee , bring him to me , and he shall not touch thee any more . * Then said she , I pray thee , let the king remember the LORD thy God , that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more , lest they destroy my son . And he said , As the LORD liveth , there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth . * Then the woman said , Let thine handmaid , I pray thee , speak one word unto my lord the king . And he said , Say on . * And the woman said , Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God ? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty , in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished . * For we must needs die , and are as water spilt on the ground , which cannot be gathered up again ; neither doth God respect any person : yet doth he devise means , that his banished be not expelled from him . * Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord 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 . * 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 . * Then thine handmaid said , The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable : for as an angel of God , so is my lord the king to discern good and bad : therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee . * 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 lord the king now speak . * And the king said , Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this ? And the woman answered and said , As thy soul liveth , my lord the king , none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken : for thy servant Joab Yow #ab #, he bade me , and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid : * To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing : and my lord is wise , according to the wisdom of an angel of God , to know all things that are in the earth . * And the king said unto Joab Yow #ab #, Behold now , I have done this thing : go therefore , bring # the young man Absalom again . * And Joab fell to the ground on his face , and bowed himself , and thanked the king : and Joab said , To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight , my lord , O king , in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant . * So 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 . So Absalom returned to his own house , and saw not the kings 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 polled his head ro #sh #, (for it was at every years yowm # 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 kings weight . * And unto Absalom there were born three sons , and one daughter , whose name was Tamar : she was a woman of a fair countenance mar #eh #. * So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem , and saw not the kings face . * Therefore Absalom sent for Joab Yow #ab #, 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 . * Therefore he said unto his servants , See , Joabs field is near mine , and he hath barley there ; go and set it on fire . And Absaloms servants set the field on fire . * Then Joab arose , and came to Absalom unto his house , and said unto him , Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire ? * And Absalom answered Joab Yow #ab #, 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 kings face ; and if there be any iniquity in me , let him kill me . * So Joab came to the king , and told him : and when he had called for Absalom , 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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