Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem
And Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart was on Absalom.
And Joab sent to Tekoa and took from there a wise woman; and he said to her: “Pretend to mourn, please, and put on garments of mourning, and do not anoint yourself with oil; and be like a woman who has been mourning many days over one who is dead.
And come to the king, and speak to him according to this word.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
And the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king; and she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Save, O king!”
And the king said to her, “What troubles you?” And she said: “Truly, I am a widow woman; my husband is dead.
And your servant had two sons, and the two of them fought in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one struck the other and put him to death.
And look — the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed — and we will destroy the heir as well.’ So they would quench my coal that is left, leaving my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the ground.”
And the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I myself will give command concerning you.”
And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me, my lord the king, be the iniquity, and on my father’s house — and the king and his throne are innocent.”
And the king said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you again.”
And she said, “Let the king remember, please, the LORD your God, that the redeemer of blood may not destroy still more, and that they may not destroy my son.” And he said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
And the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word, please, to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
And the woman said: “Then why have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty — in that the king does not bring back his own banished one.
For we must surely die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God does not take away a life, but devises plans so that the banished one is not banished from him.
And now, the reason I came to speak this word to the king my lord is that the people made me afraid; and your servant said, ‘Let me speak, please, to the king. Perhaps the king will act on the word of his servant.
For the king will listen, to rescue his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.’
And your servant said, ‘Let the word of my lord the king be, please, a resting place — for like an angel of God, so is my lord the king, hearing the good and the evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’”
And the king answered and said to the woman, “Do not hide from me, please, anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak, please.”
And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken. Yes — it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
In order to turn the face of the matter, your servant Joab did this thing. But my lord is wise, with the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the land.”
And the king said to Joab, “Look now — I have done this thing. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
And Joab fell on his face to the ground and prostrated himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has acted on the word of his servant.”
And Joab rose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
And the king said, “Let him turn to his own house; my face he shall not see.” And Absalom turned to his own house, and the face of the king he did not see.
Now like Absalom there was no man so beautiful in all Israel, so greatly praised: from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
And when he shaved his head — and it was at the end of every year that he shaved it, because it was heavy on him, so he shaved it — he weighed the hair of his head: two hundred shekels by the king’s stone.
And three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; she was a woman beautiful in appearance.
Absalom Reconciled to David
And Absalom lived in Jerusalem two full years, and the face of the king he did not see.
And Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him; and he sent again, a second time, and he was not willing to come.
And he said to his servants, “See — Joab’s plot of land is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” And the servants of Absalom set the plot on fire.
And Joab rose and came to Absalom, to his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set the plot that is mine on fire?”
And Absalom said to Joab: “Look — I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, and let me send you to the king to say: Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ Now then, let me see the face of the king — and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.”
And Joab came to the king and told him. And he called Absalom, and he came to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.