2 Samuel 14 Parallel Bible Translations

2 Samuel 14 ▼
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1 Meanwhile, Zeruiah's son Joab knew that the king's attention was focused on Absalom, Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom. Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 so he sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, |Please play the role of a mourner, wear the clothes of a mourner, and refrain from using makeup. Act like a woman who's been in mourning for the dead for many days. And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.
3 Then go to the king and speak to him like this...| Then Joab told her what to say. Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth. Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, prostrating herself to address him, |Help, your majesty!| When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.” When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”
5 The king asked her, |What's your problem?| |I've been a widowed woman ever since my husband died,| she answered. And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. The king asked her, “What is troubling you?” She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6 |Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him. And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.
7 Now please pay attention closely! My whole family is attacking your humble servant! They're saying, 'Turn over the one who attacked his brother and we'll put him to death in retribution for his brother, whose life he took. That way, we'll kill the heir also!' They're going to extinguish the only light left in my family, leaving my late husband neither an ongoing name nor a survivor on the face of the earth!| And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.” Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”
8 Then the king replied to the woman, |Go home and I'll issue a special order just for you.| Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.”
9 But the woman from Tekoa told the king, |Your majesty, let any guilt for this be on me and on my ancestors' household, and not on my king or his throne!| And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt.”
10 The king replied, |Bring anyone who talks to you about this to me, and he certainly won't be bothering you anymore!| The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”
11 Then she said, |Your majesty, please remember the LORD your God, so that blood avengers don't do any more damage! Otherwise, they'll destroy my son!| So he promised, |As the LORD lives, not even a single hair from your son's head will fall to the ground!| Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.” She said, “Then let the king invoke the LORD his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he said, “not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12 At this, the woman responded, |Would your majesty the king please allow your humble servant to say one more thing?| |Say it...| he replied. Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” “Speak,” he replied.
13 |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! 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. 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?
14 After all, even though we all die, and we're all like water being spilled on the ground that cannot be recovered, nevertheless God doesn't take away life, but carries out his plans so as not to cast away permanently from him those who are presently estranged. We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
15 |Now as to why I've come to speak with your majesty the king, it's because the people have made me afraid, so your humble servant told herself, 'I'll go speak to the king, so perhaps the king will do what his humble servant has requested. Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. “And now I have come to say this 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 his servant’s request.
16 Perhaps the king will listen and deliver his humble servant from the oppression of the man who intends to eliminate both me and my son from what God has apportioned to us!' For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’ Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
17 |So your humble servant is saying, 'Please, your majesty, let what the king has to say be of comfort, because just as the angel of God is, so also is your majesty the king to discern both good and evil. And may the LORD your God remain present with you.'| And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The LORD your God be with you!” “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.’”
18 In reply, the king asked the woman, |Please don't conceal anything about which I'm going to be asking you now.| So the woman replied, |Please, your majesty, let the king speak.| Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” Then the king said to the woman, “Don’t keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.” “Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said.
19 Then the king asked, |Is Joab behind all of this with you?| |As your soul lives, your majesty, the king,| the woman answered, |no one can divert anything left or right from what your majesty the king has spoken! As a matter of fact, it was your servant Joab! He was there, giving me precise orders about everything that your humble servant was to say. Your servant Joab did this, The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. The king asked, “Isn’t the hand of Joab with you in 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 my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.
20 intending to change the outcome of this matter. Nevertheless, your majesty is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to be aware of everything that's going on throughout the earth.| In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.” Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.”
21 Then the king addressed Joab, |Look! I'll do this thing that you've requested. Go bring back the young man Absalom.| Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 At this, Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrating himself to bless the king, and then said, |Today your servant realizes that he's found favor with you, your majesty, in that the king has acted on the request of his servant.| And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage 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.” Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant’s request.”
23 Then Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 Nevertheless, the king said, |Let him return to his own home and not show his face to me.| So Absalom returned to his own home and did not show his face to the king. And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence. But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
25 Now throughout all of Israel no one was as handsome as Absalom or so highly praised, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there wasn't a single thing wrong about him. Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.
26 Whenever he cut his hair —he cut it at the end of every year, because it grew thick on his head, which is why he cut it—his hair weighed in at 200 shekels measured by the royal standard. And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight. Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.
27 Absalom fathered three sons and one daughter, whom he named Tamar. She was a beautiful woman, both in form and appearance. There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.
28 Meanwhile, Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but never saw the king's face. So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face.
29 After this, Absalom sent for Joab, intending to send him to the king, but Joab would not come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but he still would not come. Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.
30 So Absalom told his servants, |Observe that Joab's grain field lies next to mine. He has barley planted there. Go set it on fire.| So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 At this, Joab got up, went to Absalom's home, and demanded of him, |Why did your servants set fire to my grain field?| Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32 In answer to Joab, Absalom replied, |Look, I sent for you, telling you 'Come here so I can send you to the king to ask him |What's the point in moving here from Geshur? I would have been better off to have remained there!|' So let me see the king's face, and if I'm guilty of anything, let him execute me!| Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’” Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!|’ Now then, I want to see the king’s face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
33 So when Joab approached the king and told him what Absalom had said, he summoned Absalom, who then came to the king and fell to the ground on his face in front of him. Then the king kissed Absalom. Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom. So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
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