1When Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom, 2he sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave as a woman who has been mourning for the dead a long time. 3Go in to the king and say this to him." Then Joab told her what to say.

4And the woman of Tekoa went to the king, and she bowed down with her face to the ground and showed respect, and said, "Help, O king." 5And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?"And she replied, "Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead 6And your servant had two sons, and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7Look, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give us the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ Thus they would eliminate also the heir and the one ember I have left will be extinguished, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.

8Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to the king, my lord, it is because the people have made me afraid: and your servant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.' 9For the king will hear and deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who is seeking to destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of the LORD. 10Then your servant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. May the LORD, your God, be with you.'" 11Then the king said, "Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you."

12The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless." 13The king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more." 14Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son." He said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground." 15Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Say on." 16The woman said, "Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of the LORD? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his exiled one. 17For your son is dead, and as water spilled on the ground can’t be gathered up again, so he can’t bring his life back again. But it seems sensible to the king to keep his exiled one away from him."

18Then the king answered the woman, "Please do not hide anything from me that I ask you." The woman said, "Let my lord the king now speak." 19So the king said, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who had me do this, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant. 20Your servant Joab did this in order to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of an angel of God for knowing things in the land."

21Then the king said to Joab, "Look now, I have done according to your word. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." 22Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground, and blessed the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant." 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24The king said, "He must return to his own house, but he must not see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king’s face.

25Moreover, Absalom – in Israel no one was so much admired as he for his fine appearance. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26When he cut the hair of his head – now it was at the end of every year that he cut it, because it became too heavy, therefore he cut it – he weighed the hair of his head at one hundred shekels by the king's weight. 27To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

28Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he did not see the king's face. 29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 30Therefore he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." Absalom's servants set the field on fire. And the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes rent, and they said to him, "The servants of Absalom have set the field on fire." 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" 32And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there. Now therefore let me appear before the king. If I am guilty, put me to death.’" 33So Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. And he came to the king and bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.