| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom. | 1Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. |
| 2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. | 2So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time. |
| 3Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab put the words in her mouth. | 3Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth. |
| 4And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!” | 4When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!” |
| 5Then the king said to her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. | 5“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead. |
| 6Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. | 6And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. |
| 7And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.” | 7Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.” |
| 8Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” | 8“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.” |
| 9And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father’s house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.” | 9But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.” |
| 10So the king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.” | 10“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!” |
| 11Then she said, “Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son.” And he said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.” | 11“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.” |
| 12Therefore the woman said, “Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Say on.” | 12Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied. |
| 13So 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. | 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 we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. | 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. |
| 15Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. | 15Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant. |
| 16For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.’ | 16For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’ |
| 17Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’ ” | 17And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’ ” |
| 18Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you.” And the woman said, “Please, let my lord the king speak.” | 18Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied. |
| 19So the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. | 19So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say. |
| 20To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth.” | 20Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.” |
| 21And the king said to Joab, “All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.” | 21Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.” |
| 22Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.” | 22Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.” |
| 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. | 23So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. |
| 24And the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king’s face. | 24But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king. |
| 25Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. | 25Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw. |
| 26And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s standard. | 26And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard. |
| 27To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance. | 27Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman. |
| 28And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king’s face. | 28Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king. |
| 29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come. | 29Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come. |
| 30So he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. | 30Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. |
| 31Then Joab arose and came to Absalom’s house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” | 31Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?” |
| 32And Absalom answered Joab, “Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” ’ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me.” | 32“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.” |
| 33So Joab went 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. Then the king kissed Absalom. | 33So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom. |
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