2 Samuel 14 Parallel Bible Translations

2 Samuel 14 ▼
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1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see 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 Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, |Pretend to be in mourning and put on garments for mourning. Don't anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time. 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 Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.| 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 So the Tekoan woman went to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, |Please help me, O king!| 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 replied to her, |What do you want?| She answered, |I am a widow; my husband is dead. 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 servant has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck 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 the entire family has risen up against your servant, saying, 'Turn over the one who struck down his brother, so that we can execute him and avenge the death of his brother whom he killed. In so doing we will also destroy the heir.' They want to extinguish my remaining coal, leaving no one on the face of the earth to carry on the name of my husband.| 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 told the woman, |Go to your home. I will give instructions concerning your situation.| 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 The Tekoan woman said to the king, |My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!| 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 said, |Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won't bother you again!| 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 She replied, |In that case, let the king invoke the name of the LORD your God so that the avenger of blood may not kill! Then they will not destroy my son!| He replied, |As surely as the LORD lives, not a single hair of 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 Then the woman said, |Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter.| He replied, |Tell me.| 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 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. 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 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. 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 I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful. But your servant said, 'I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant asks. 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 Yes! The king may listen and deliver his female servant from the hand of the man who seeks to remove both me and my son from the inheritance God has given 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 servant said, 'May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the LORD your God be 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 Then the king replied to the woman, |Don't hide any information from me when I question you.| The woman said, |Let my lord 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 The king said, |Did Joab put you up to all of this?| The woman answered, |As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant's mouth. 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 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.| 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 said to Joab, |All right! I will do this thing! Go and 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 Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked the king. Joab said, |Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your 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 So Joab got up and 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 But the king said, |Let him go over to his own house. He may not see my face.| So Absalom went over to his own house; he did not see the king's face. 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 in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom. From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance. 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 When he would shave his head--at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long and he would shave it--he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds according to the king's weight. 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 had three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very attractive woman. 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 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing 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 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to 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 he said to his servants, |Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.| So Absalom's servants set Joab's portion of 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 Then Joab got up and came to Absalom's house. He said to him, |Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?| 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 Absalom said to Joab, |Look, I sent a message to you saying, 'Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: |Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.|' Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!| 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 Joab went to the king and informed him. The king summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. 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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