Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah, by a parable to incline the king's heart to fetch home Absalom, bringeth him to Jerusalem.

1 ¶ Now Joabº the sonº of Zeruiahº perceivedºª that² the king'sº heartº [was] toward² Absalom.º 2 And Joabº sentºª to Tekoah,º and fetchedºª thence²² a wiseº woman,º and saidºª unto² her, I pray thee,² feign thyself to be a mourner,ºª and put onºª now² mourningº apparel,º and anointºª not² thyself with oil,º but be² as a womanº that² had a longº timeº mournedºª for² the dead:ºª 3 And comeºª to² the king,º and speakºª on² this² mannerº unto² him. So Joabº putºª² the wordsº in her mouth.º

4 ¶ And when the womanº of Tekoahº spakeºª to² the king,º she fellºª on² her faceº to the ground,º and did obeisance,ºª and said,ºª Help,ºª O king.º 5 And the kingº saidºª unto her, What² aileth thee? And she answered,ºª I² [am] indeedº a widowº woman,º and mine husbandº is dead.ºª 6 And thy handmaidº had twoº sons,º and they twoº strove togetherºª in the field,º and [there was] none² to partºª² them, but the oneº smoteºª² the other,º and slewºª him. 7 And, behold,² the whole² familyº is risenºª against² thine handmaid,º and they said,ºª Deliverºª² him that smoteºª his brother,º that we may killºª him, for the lifeº of his brotherº whom² he slew;ºª and we will destroyºª² the heirºª also:² and so they shall quenchºª² my coalº which² is left,¹ª² and shall not² leaveºª to my husbandº [neither] nameº nor remainderº uponº² the earth.º 8 And the kingº saidºª unto² the woman,º Go¹ª² to thine house,º and I² will give chargeºª concerning² thee. 9 And the womanº of Tekoahº saidºª unto² the king,º My lord,º O king,º the iniquityº [be] on² me, and on² my father'sº house:º and the kingº and his throneº [be] guiltless.º 10 And the kingº said,ºª Whosoever saithºª [ought] unto² thee, bringºª him to² me, and he shall not² touchºª thee any² more.¹ª² 11 Then saidºª she, I pray thee,² let the kingº rememberºª² the LORDº thy God,º that thou wouldest not² suffer the revengersºª of bloodº to destroyºª any more,ºª lest they destroyºª² my son.º And he said,ºª [As] the LORDº liveth,º there shall not² one hairº² of thy sonº fallºª to the earth.º 12 Then the womanº said,ºª Let thine handmaid,º I pray thee,² speakºª [one] wordº unto² my lordº the king.º And he said,ºª Say on.ºª 13 And the womanº said,ºª Wherefore² then hast thou thoughtºª such² a thing against² the peopleº of God?º for the kingº doth speakºª² this² thingº as one which is faulty,º in that the kingº doth not² fetch home againºª² his banished.ºª 14 For² we must needs¹ª die,ºª and [are] as waterº spiltºª on the ground,º which² cannot² be gathered up² again;¹ª neither² doth Godº respectºª [any] person:º yet doth he deviseºª means,º that his banishedºª be not expelledºª from² him. 15 Now² therefore that² I am comeºª to speakºª of² this² thingº unto² my lordº the king,º [it is] because² the peopleº have made me afraid:ºª and thy handmaidº said,ºª I will now² speakºª unto² the king;º it may be² that the kingº will performºª² the requestº of his handmaid.º 16 For² the kingº will hear,ºª to deliverºª² his handmaidº out of the handº² of the manº [that would] destroyºª me and my sonº togetherº out of the inheritanceº² of God.º 17 Then thine handmaidº said,ºª The wordº of my lordº the kingº shall now² be² comfortable:º for² as an angelº of God,º so² [is] my lordº the kingº to discernºª goodº and bad:º therefore the LORDº thy Godº will be² with² thee. 18 Then the kingº answeredºª and saidºª unto² the woman,º Hideºª not² from² me, I pray thee,² the thingº that² I² shall askºª thee. And the womanº said,ºª Let my lordº the kingº now² speak.ºª 19 And the kingº said,ºª [Is not] the handº of Joabº with² thee in all² this?² And the womanº answeredºª and said,ºª [As] thy soulº liveth,º my lordº the king,º none¹ can¹ turn²² to the right² hand¹ª or to the leftºª from ought²² that² my lordº the kingº hath spoken:ºª for² thy servantº Joab,º he² badeºª me, and he² putºª² all² these² wordsº in the mouthº of thine handmaid:º 20 Toº fetch aboutºª² this formº of speechº hath thy servantº Joabº doneºª² this² thing:º and my lordº [is] wise,º according to the wisdomº of an angelº of God,º to knowºª² all² [things] that² [are] in the earth.º

21 ¶ And the kingº saidºª unto² Joab,º Behold² now,² I have doneºª² this² thing:º go¹ª² therefore, bringºª² the young manº Absalomº again.¹ª 22 And Joabº fellºª to the groundº on² his face,º and bowed¹ª himself,² and thankedºª² the king:º and Joabº said,ºª To dayº thy servantº knowethºª that² I have foundºª graceº in thy sight,º my lord,º O king,º in that² the kingº hath fulfilledºª² the requestº of his servant.º 23 So Joabº aroseºª and went¹ª² to Geshur,º and broughtºª² Absalomº to Jerusalem.º 24 And the kingº said,ºª Let him turnºª to² his own house,º and let him not² seeºª my face.º So Absalomº returnedºª to² his own house,º and sawºª not² the king'sº face.º

Absalom's beauty, hair, and children.

25 ¶ But in all² Israelº there was² noneº² to be so muchº praisedºª as Absalomº for his beauty:º from the soleº² of his footº even to² the crown of his headº there was² no² blemishº in him. 26 And when he polledºª² his head,º (for it was² at every year'sº endºº² that² he polledºª [it]: because² [the hair] was heavyºª on² him, therefore he polledºª it:) he weighedºª² the hairº of his headº at two hundredº shekelsº after the king'sº weight.º 27 And unto Absalomº there were bornºª threeº sons,º and oneº daughter,º whose nameº [was] Tamar:º she² was² a womanº of a fairº countenance.º

After two years, Absalom by Joab is brought before the king's presence.

28 ¶ So Absalomº dweltºª two full¹ yearsº² in Jerusalem,º and sawºª not² the king'sº face.º 29 Therefore Absalomº sentºª for² Joab,º to have sentºª him to² the king;º but he wouldºª not² comeºª to² him: and when he sent² again¹ª² the second time,º he wouldºª not² come.ºª 30 Therefore he saidºª unto² his servants,º See,ºª Joab'sº fieldº is nearº mine,º and he hath barleyº there;² go¹ª² and setºª it on fire.º And Absalom'sº servantsº setºª² the fieldº on fire.º 31 Then Joabº arose,ºª and cameºª to² Absalomº unto [his] house,º and saidºª unto² him, Wherefore² have thy servantsº setºª² my fieldº on fire?º 32 And Absalomº answeredºª² Joab,º Behold,² I sentºª unto² thee, saying,ºª Comeºª hither,² that I may sendºª thee to² the king,º to say,ºª Wherefore² am I² comeºª from Geshur?º² [it had been] goodº for me [to have been] there² still:² now² therefore let me seeºª the king'sº face;º and if² there beº [any] iniquityº in me, let him killºª me. 33 So Joabº cameºª to² the king,º and toldºª him: and when he had calledºª for² Absalom,º he cameºª to² the king,º and bowedºª himself on² his faceº to the groundº beforeº the king:º and the kingº kissedºª Absalom.º