1And Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah knew that the heart of the sovereign was towards Aḇshalom.

2And Yo’aḇ sent to Teqowa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead.

3“Then you shall go to the sovereign and speak to him according to this word.” And Yo’aḇ put the words in her mouth.

4And when the woman of Teqowa spoke to the sovereign, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, “Save, O sovereign!”

5And the sovereign said to her, “What is your trouble?” And she answered, “Truly I am a widow, my husband is dead.

6“And your female servant had two sons. And the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one smote the other and killed him.

7“And see, the entire clan has risen up against your female servant and said, ‘Give him who smote his brother, so that we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would extinguish my burning coal that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”

8And the sovereign said to the woman, “Go to your house, and let me give orders concerning you.”

9And the woman of Teqowa said to the sovereign, “My master, O sovereign, let the crookedness be on me and on my father’s house, and the sovereign and his throne be guiltless.”

10And the sovereign said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and let him no longer touch you.”

11And she said, “Please let the sovereign remember יהוה your Elohim, and the redeemer of blood not destroy any more, lest they destroy my son.” And he said, “As יהוה lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

12And the woman said, “Please, let your female servant speak a word to my master the sovereign.” And he said, “Speak.”

13And the woman said, “And why have you reasoned like this against the people of Elohim? For in speaking this word the sovereign is as one who is guilty, in that the sovereign does not bring his outcast one home again.

14“For we shall certainly die and become like water spilled on the ground, which is not gathered up again. Yet Elohim does not take away a life, but shall devise ways, so that His outcast ones are not cast out from Him.

15“And now I have come to speak this word to my master the sovereign because the people have made me afraid. And your female servant said, ‘Please let me speak to the sovereign, it could be that the sovereign does what his female servant asks,

16for the sovereign has listened to deliver his female servant from the hand of the man seeking to destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of Elohim.’

17“Then your female servant said, ‘Please let the word of my master the sovereign be comforting, for my master the sovereign is as the messenger of Elohim, in discerning the good and the evil. And יהוה your Elohim is with you.’ ”

18And the sovereign answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me the matter that I am asking you.” And the woman said, “Please, let my master the sovereign speak.”

19And the sovereign said, “Is the hand of Yo’aḇ with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As your being lives, my master the sovereign, no one turns to the right or to the left from all that my master the sovereign has spoken. For your servant Yo’aḇ commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your female servant.

20“Your servant Yo’aḇ has done this to change the appearance of the matter. But my master is wise, according to the wisdom of a messenger of Elohim, to know all that is in the earth.”

21And the sovereign said to Yo’aḇ, “See now, you shall do this matter. And go, bring back the young man Aḇshalom.”

22And Yo’aḇ fell to the ground on his face and did obeisance, and blessed the sovereign. And Yo’aḇ said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favour in your eyes, my master, O sovereign, in that the sovereign has done the word of his servant.”

23And Yo’aḇ rose up and went to Geshur, and brought Aḇshalom to Yerushalayim.

24And the sovereign said, “Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face.” And Aḇshalom went to his own house, and did not see the sovereign’s face.

25And in all Yisra’ĕl there was no one who was praised as much as Aḇshalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26And when he cut the hair of his head – for it was at every year’s end that he cut it because it was heavy on him – when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred sheqels by the sovereign’s weight.

27And to Aḇshalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of fair appearance.

28And Aḇshalom dwelt in Yerushalayim, two years, and he had not seen the sovereign’s face.

29Then Aḇshalom sent for Yo’aḇ, to send him to the sovereign, but he would not come to him. And he sent again the second time, but he would not come.

30And he said to his servants, “See, Yo’aḇ’s field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” And Aḇshalom’s servants set the field on fire.

31Then Yo’aḇ rose up and came to the house of Aḇshalom, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”

32And Aḇshalom said to Yo’aḇ, “Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I send you to the sovereign, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It was good for me while I was there.” ’ And now, let me see the sovereign’s face. And if there is any crookedness in me, then you shall put me to death.”

33Yo’aḇ then went to the sovereign and informed him. And he called for Aḇshalom, and he came to the sovereign and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the sovereign. Then the sovereign kissed Aḇshalom.