2 Samuel 14:1-33
Absalom Returns to Jerusalem
1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. 2 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 these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 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 is troubling you?”
She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 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 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 The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.”
9 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, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”
11 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, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.”
“Speak,” he replied.
13 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 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 “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 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 “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 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 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 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 The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 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 went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 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 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 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 Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face. 29 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 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 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 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 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.
Joab son of Zeruiah knew that King David missed Absalom very much...So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there...Joab said to this wise woman, “Please pretend to be very sad...Put on sackcloth...Don’t dress up...Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died...Go to the king and talk to him using these words that I tell you.”...Then Joab told the wise woman what to say...Then the woman from Tekoa talked to the king...She bowed with her face to the ground...Then she said, “King, please help me!”...King David said to her, “What’s your problem?”...The woman said, “I am a widow...My husband is dead...I had two sons...They were out in the field fighting...There was no one to stop them...One son killed the other son...Now the whole family is against me...They said to me, ‘Bring us the son who killed his brother and we will kill him, because he killed his brother.’...My son is like the last spark of a fire...If they kill my son, that fire will burn out and be finished...He is the only son left alive to get his father’s property...So my dead husband’s property will go to someone else and his name will be removed from the land.”...Then the king said to the woman, “Go home...I will take care of things for you.”...The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “Let the blame be on me, my lord and king...You and your kingdom are innocent.”...King David said, “If anyone is saying bad things to you, bring them to me...They will not bother you again.”...
The woman said, “Please, use the name of the LORD your God and swear that you will stop these people...They want to punish my son for murdering his brother...Swear that you will not let them destroy my son.”...David said, “As the LORD lives, no one will hurt your son...Not even one hair from your son’s head will fall to the ground.”...The woman said, “My lord and king, please let me say something else to you.”...The king said, “Speak.”...Then the woman said, “Why have you planned these things against the people of God?...When you say these things, you show you are guilty because you have not brought back the son who you forced to leave home...We will all die some day...We will be like water that is spilled on the ground...No one can gather this water back from the ground...You know God forgives people...God made plans for people who are forced to run away for safety—God does not force them to run away from Him!...My lord and king, I came to say these words to you, because the people made me afraid...I said to myself, ‘I will talk to the king...Maybe the king will help me...The king will listen to me and save me from the man who wants to kill me and my son...That man just wants to keep us from getting what God gave us.’...I know that the words of my lord the king will give me rest, because you are like an angel from God...You know what is good and what is bad...And the LORD your God is with you.”...King David answered the woman, “You must answer the question I will ask you.”...The woman said, “My lord and king, please ask your question.”...The king said, “Did Joab tell you to say all these things?”...The woman answered, “As you live, my lord and king, you are right...Your officer Joab did tell me to say these things...Joab did this so that you would see things differently...My lord, you are as wise as God’s angel...You know everything that happens on earth.”...
The king said to Joab, “Look, I will do what I promised...Now please bring back the young man Absalom.”...Joab bowed with his face on the ground...He blessed King David, and said, “Today I know that you are pleased with me...I know because you have done what I asked.”...Then Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem...But King David said, “Absalom must go back to his own house...He cannot come to see me.”...So Absalom went back to his own house, but he could not go to see the king...People really bragged about how good-looking Absalom was...No man in Israel was as handsome as Absalom...Every part of his body was perfect—from his head to his feet...At the end of every year, Absalom cut the hair from his head and weighed it...The hair weighed about five pounds...Absalom had three sons and one daughter...Her name was Tamar, and she was a beautiful woman...
Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two full years without being allowed to visit King David...Absalom sent a message to Joab, asking for permission to see the king, but Joab refused to come see him...So Absalom sent a second message to Joab...Again, Joab refused to come see him...Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to my field...He has barley growing in that field...Go burn the barley.”...So Absalom’s servants went and started a fire in Joab’s field...Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house...He said to him, “Why did your servants burn my field?”...Absalom said to Joab, “I sent a message to you...I asked you to come here...I wanted to send you to the king to ask him why he asked me to come home from Geshur...I cannot see him, so it would have been better for me to stay in Geshur...Now let me see the king...If I have sinned, he can kill me!”...
Then Joab came to the king and told him what Absalom said...The king called for Absalom...Absalom came to the king and bowed low on the ground before the king...The king kissed him...