2 Samuel 14

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.

Joab, son of Zeruiah, noticed that the king wanted to support Absalom.

And 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:

Joab asked a wise woman from Tekoah to pretend to be grieving. He wanted her to wear sad clothes and not use oil on her body, just like someone who had been mourning for a long time because of a death.

And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

Go to the king and talk to him like this. Joab made her say those words.

And 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.

When the woman from Tekoah spoke to the king, she bowed down and showed respect by saying, "Please help me, King."

And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.

The king asked her, "What's wrong?" She replied, "I am a woman without a husband, as he has passed away."

And 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.

Your servant had two sons who fought each other in a field. There was no one to separate them, and one killed the other.

And, 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.

And suddenly, the entire family is against your servant, saying, "Give us the one who hurt his brother so we can kill him. His brother he killed will live no more, and then we'll also destroy the heir. This way, they will put out the last hope I have, leaving nothing for my husband but his name."

And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

And the king told the woman, "Go home, and I'll take care of what happens to you."

And 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.

The woman from Tekoah told the king, "My lord, king, please blame me and my family, not you or your throne. You are innocent."

And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they won't bother you again."

Then 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.

Then she asked him, please remember God, so you don't let those seeking revenge hurt anyone else, or they might hurt my son. He replied, I promise by living God, none of your son's hairs will fall on the ground.

Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Then the lady asked, May I please say one thing to your majesty, the king? And he replied, Go ahead and continue.

And 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.

The woman asked, "Why would you think something bad about God's people? The king says it's wrong because he doesn't bring back those he has sent away."

For 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.

We have to die, and are like spilled water that can't be collected again; God doesn't pay special attention to anyone, but he finds ways so that those who leave him aren't completely rejected.

Now 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.

Now that I'm here to talk about this with my lord the king, I am scared because of the people. My servant suggested I speak to the king, and maybe he'll grant my servant's request.

For 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.

The king will listen to save his servant from the man trying to destroy me and my son, so they won't be harmed in God's land.

Then 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.

Then the servant replied, "Your words, dear king, will bring comfort now. You are like a messenger from God, able to tell what's good and bad. So, the Lord will be by your side."

Then 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.

Then the king asked the woman, "Don't hide from me what I'm about to ask you." The woman replied, "Go ahead and ask, my lord king."

And 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:

The king asked if Joab was involved in everything, and the woman replied that she would not change anything the king said. She explained that Joab told her what to say and put those words in her mouth.

To 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.

Joab, your servant, has accomplished this task regarding this kind of talk. My lord is very smart, like an angel from God, knowing everything on Earth.

And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

The king told Joab, "I've done what you wanted. Now go and bring back Absalom, the young man."

And 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.

And Joab fell to the ground, facing down, and bowed, thanking the king. He said, "Today, your servant knows they favor me, dear king, because you have granted my request."

So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

So Joab moved and went to Geshur, and he brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

And 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.

The king said, "He should go back to his home and not see me." So Absalom went back to his home and didn't see the king's face.

But 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.

In all of Israel, nobody was more admired for looks than Absalom. He was perfect from his feet to his head, with no flaws at all.

And 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.

And when he cut his hair (for he did this every year: because his hair was very heavy, so he cut it:), he weighed the hair and it totaled 200 shekels according to the king's measuring system.

And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

Absalom had three sons and one daughter named Tamar. She was a beautiful girl.

So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.

Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two whole years and did not see the king during that time.

Therefore 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.

So, Absalom asked for Joab to go see the king, but Joab refused to go. When Absalom tried again, Joab still didn't go.

Therefore 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.

So, he told his helpers, "Joab's land is close to mine, and he has grain there. Go and burn it." Then, Absalom's helpers burned the field.

Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?

Then Joab went to Absalom's house and asked, "Why did your servants burn down my farm?"

And 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.

Absalom told Joab, "I sent a message asking you to come here so I can send you to the king. I want to know why I was brought from Geshur. It would have been better for me to stay there. Now, let me see the king and if I've done something wrong, let him kill me."

So 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.

Joab went to the king and informed him. When the king called for Absalom, he arrived and bowed down to the ground in front of the king. The king then kissed Absalom.