2 Samuel 14:13
New International Version
The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?

New Living Translation
She replied, “Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.

English Standard Version
And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.

Berean Standard Bible
The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
So the woman said: “Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.

New American Standard Bible
The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

NASB 1995
The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

NASB 1977
And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the woman said, “Why then have you thought up such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

Amplified Bible
The woman said, “Now why have you planned such a thing against God’s people? For in speaking this word the king is like a guilty man, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

Christian Standard Bible
The woman asked, “Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The woman asked, “Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.

American Standard Version
And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

Contemporary English Version
The woman said: Haven't you been hurting God's people? Your own son had to leave the country. And when you judged in my favor, it was the same as admitting that you should have let him come back.

English Revised Version
And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one which is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Why have you devised something like this against God's people?" she said. "When you say this, you condemn yourself because you haven't brought back the one you banished!

Good News Translation
She said to him, "Why have you done such a wrong to God's people? You have not allowed your own son to return from exile, and so you have condemned yourself by what you have just said.

International Standard Version
"Why, then," the woman asked, "are you planning to act just like this against God's people? Based on what your majesty has said, you're acting like one who is guilty himself, because you're not bringing back the one whom you've banished!

Majority Standard Bible
The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

NET Bible
The woman said, "Why have you devised something like this against God's people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the king has not brought back the one he has banished.

New Heart English Bible
The king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one who is faulty, in that the king doth not bring home again his banished.

World English Bible
The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the woman says, “And why have you thought thus concerning the people of God? Indeed, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king has not brought back his outcast;

Young's Literal Translation
And the woman saith, 'And why hast thou thought thus concerning the people of God? yea, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king hath not brought back his outcast;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the woman will say, And wherefore didst thou reckon according to this concerning the people of God? for the king speaks this word as transgressing for the king not to turn back his fugitive.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the woman said: Why hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God, and why hath the king spoken this word, to sin, and not bring home again his own exile?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?

New American Bible
So the woman said: “Why, then, do you think the way you do against the people of God? In pronouncing as he has, the king shows himself guilty, in not bringing back his own banished son.

New Revised Standard Version
The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the woman said to him, Why then have you thought such a thing against the people of God? And why do you speak, O king, as one who is guilty, in that, O king, you do not bring back your lost one?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The woman said to him: “Why have you thought this against the people of God, and why? have you spoken, oh King like a guilty one, and you do not bring back your lost one, oh King?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the woman said: 'Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the woman said, Why hast thou devised this thing against the people of God? or is this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression, so that the king should not bring back his banished?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Absalom's Return to Jerusalem
12Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied. 13The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son? 14For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 12:1-7
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. / The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, / but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. ...

2 Samuel 13:39
And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.

2 Samuel 18:33
The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

1 Kings 1:20-21
And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. / Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”

1 Kings 2:30-31
And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.” / And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.

Genesis 18:25
Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

Exodus 32:12-14
Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. / Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’” / So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.

Numbers 14:19-20
Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.” / “I have pardoned them as you requested,” the LORD replied.

Deuteronomy 32:36
For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

Psalm 103:8-14
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. / He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. / He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. ...

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

Jeremiah 31:20
Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 18:23
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

Hosea 11:8-9
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! / I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.


Treasury of Scripture

And the woman said, Why then have you thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king does speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king does not fetch home again his banished.

Wherefore

2 Samuel 12:7
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

1 Kings 20:40-42
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it

Luke 7:42-44
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? …

people

2 Samuel 7:8
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

Judges 20:2
And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

in that the king

2 Samuel 13:37,38
But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day…

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Banished Convicts Decision Devised Faulty Fetch Guilty Home Inasmuch Speak Speaking Thought Wherefore Word
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Banished Convicts Decision Devised Faulty Fetch Guilty Home Inasmuch Speak Speaking Thought Wherefore Word
2 Samuel 14
1. Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah to incline the king's heart to fetch Absalom,
21. brings him home to Jerusalem
25. Absalom's beauty, hair, and children
28. After two years, Absalom is brought into the king's presence by Joab














The woman said
This phrase introduces the wise woman of Tekoa, who is speaking to King David. Her role is significant as she is used by Joab to convey a message to the king. In the Hebrew context, women often played pivotal roles in delivering divine messages or influencing decisions, as seen with figures like Deborah and Esther. Her wisdom and eloquence are reminiscent of the prophetic voices in Israel, emphasizing the importance of discernment and courage in speaking truth to power.

Why have you devised something like this
The Hebrew root for "devised" (חָשַׁב, chashav) implies a calculated plan or thought. This word choice suggests intentionality and forethought, highlighting the moral and ethical implications of David's actions. The woman is challenging David's decision-making process, urging him to reflect on the justice and mercy that should characterize his reign as king.

against the people of God
This phrase underscores the collective identity and covenant relationship of Israel as God's chosen people. The historical context here is crucial; Israel was not just a nation but a theocratic community bound by divine law. The woman's argument appeals to David's responsibility as king to uphold justice and unity within this sacred community, reminding him of his duty to act in accordance with God's will.

When the king says this
This phrase points to the authority and influence of the king's words. In ancient Israel, the king's pronouncements carried significant weight, often reflecting divine judgment. The woman is cleverly using David's own words to hold him accountable, illustrating the power of rhetoric and the importance of consistency between one's words and actions.

does he not convict himself
The concept of self-conviction is profound, as it speaks to the inner moral compass and the role of conscience. The Hebrew understanding of conviction involves an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a call to repentance. The woman is urging David to examine his heart and recognize the inconsistency in his actions, which is a timeless call for leaders to lead with integrity and humility.

for the king has not brought back his own banished son
This phrase directly addresses the situation with Absalom, David's estranged son. The historical and familial context is rich with tension, as Absalom's banishment was a result of complex family dynamics and political intrigue. The woman's words highlight the themes of reconciliation and forgiveness, urging David to restore his relationship with Absalom. This reflects the broader biblical narrative of redemption and the importance of restoring broken relationships, both human and divine.

(13) Against the people of God.--This phrase, according to constant usage, can only mean Israel. The woman finds that the time has come when she must show the king that he stands condemned for his conduct towards Absalom by his own decision. She does this cautiously, and her language is therefore somewhat obscure; she rather hints at than plainly expresses what she wants to say. Her first point is that the king is in some way wronging the people, and then that he does this in opposition to the spirit of the decision he has just given, by leaving Absalom (whom she does not name) in banishment.

The king doth speak . . .--A more literal translation would be, from the king's speaking this word he is as one guilty.

Verse 13. - Against the people of God. Very skilfully, and so as for the meaning only gradually to unfold itself to the king, she represents the people of Israel as the widowed mother, who has lost one son; and David as the stern clan folk who will deprive her of a second though guilty child. But now he is bound by the solemn oath he has taken to her to remit the penalty; for literally the words are, and by the king's speaking this word he is as one guilty, unless he fetch home again his banished one. She claims to have spoken in the name of all Israel, and very probably she really did express their feelings, as Absalom was very popular, and the people saw in Tamar's wrong a sufficient reason for, and vindication of, his crime.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The woman
הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה (hā·’iš·šāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

asked,
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (wat·tō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Why
וְלָ֧מָּה (wə·lām·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have you devised
חָשַׁ֛בְתָּה (ḥā·šaḇ·tāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2803: To think, account

a thing like this
כָּזֹ֖את (kā·zōṯ)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

against
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the people
עַ֣ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

of God?
אֱלֹהִ֑ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

When the king
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

says
וּמִדַּבֵּ֨ר (ū·mid·dab·bêr)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

this,
הַזֶּה֙ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

does he not convict himself,
כְּאָשֵׁ֔ם (kə·’ā·šêm)
Preposition-k | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 818: Guilty, presenting a, sin-offering

since [he]
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

has not
לְבִלְתִּ֛י (lə·ḇil·tî)
Preposition-l
Strong's 1115: A failure of, not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until

brought back
הָשִׁ֥יב (hā·šîḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

his own banished [son]?
נִדְּחֽוֹ׃ (nid·də·ḥōw)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5080: To impel, thrust, banish


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OT History: 2 Samuel 14:13 The woman said Why then have you (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
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