| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom. | 1Joab son of Zeruiah observed that the king's mind was on Absalom. |
| 2And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: | 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a clever woman from there. He told her, "Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don't put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. |
| 3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth. | 3Go to the king and speak these words to him." Then Joab told her exactly what to say. |
| 4And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. | 4When the woman from Tekoa came to the king, she fell with her face to the ground in homage and said, "Help me, my king!"" |
| 5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. | 5What's the matter?" the king asked her." To tell the truth, I am a widow; my husband died," she said." |
| 6And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. | 6Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. |
| 7And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. | 7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will destroy the heir!' They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband's name or posterity on earth." |
| 8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. | 8The king told the woman, "Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf." |
| 9And the woman of Tekoah said unto 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. | 9Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my father's house, and may the king and his throne be innocent."" |
| 10And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. | 10Whoever speaks to you," the king said, "bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!" |
| 11Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. | 11She replied, "Please, may the king invoke the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!"" As the LORD lives," he vowed, "not a hair of your son will fall to the ground." |
| 12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto 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. |
| 13And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. | 13The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. |
| 14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. | 14We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished." |
| 15Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. | 15Now therefore, I've come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant's request. |
| 16For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. | 16The king will surely listen in order to rescue his servant from the hand of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God's inheritance. |
| 17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. | 17Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the Angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you." |
| 18Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. | 18Then the king answered the woman, "I'm going to ask you something; don't conceal it from me!"" Let my lord the king speak," the woman replied. |
| 19And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: | 19The king asked, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered. "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say. |
| 20To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. | 20Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the Angel of God, knowing everything on earth." |
| 21And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. | 21Then the king said to Joab, "I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." |
| 22And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. | 22Joab fell with his face to the ground in homage and praised the king. "Today," Joab said, "your servant knows I have found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant." |
| 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 turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face. | 24However, the king added, "He may return to his house, but he may not see my face." So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king. |
| 25But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. | 25No man in all Israel was 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 polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight. | 26When he shaved his head--he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy for him that he had to shave it off--he would weigh the hair from his head and it would be five pounds according to the royal standard. |
| 27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance. | 27Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman. |
| 28So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face. | 28Absalom resided in Jerusalem two years but never saw the king. |
| 29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. | 29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come. So he sent again, a second time, but he still wouldn't come. |
| 30Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. | 30Then Absalom said to his servants, "See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set fire to it!" So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. |
| 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy 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, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. | 32Look," Absalom explained to Joab, "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? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me." |
| 33So Joab came 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: and the king kissed Absalom. | 33Joab went to the king and told him. So David summoned Absalom, who came to the king and bowed down with his face to the ground before him. Then the king kissed Absalom. |
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