American Standard Version - King James Version

 14:1 ¶ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

 14:1 ¶ Now Joabº the sonº of Zeruiahº perceivedºº thatº the king'sº heartº [was] towardº Absalom.º

 14:2 And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead:

 14:2 And Joabº sentºº to Tekoah,º and fetchedºº thenceºº a wiseº woman,º and saidºº untoº her, I pray thee,º feign thyself to be a mourner,ºº and put onºº nowº mourningº apparel,º and anointºº notº thyself with oil,º but beº as a womanº thatº had a longº timeº mournedºº forº the dead:ºº

 14:3 and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

 14:3 And comeºº toº the king,º and speakºº onº thisº mannerº untoº him. So Joabº putººº the wordsº in her mouth.º

 14:4 ¶ And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.

 14:4 ¶ And when the womanº of Tekoahº spakeºº toº the king,º she fellºº onº her faceº to the ground,º and did obeisance,ºº and said,ºº Help,ºº O king.º

 14:5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

 14:5 And the kingº saidºº unto her, Whatº aileth thee? And she answered,ºº Iº [am] indeedº a widowº woman,º and mine husbandº is dead.ºº

 14:6 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 killed him.

 14:6 And thy handmaidº had twoº sons,º and they twoº strove togetherºº in the field,º and [there was] noneº to partººº them, but the oneº smoteººº the other,º and slewºº him.

 14:7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

 14:7 And, behold,º the wholeº familyº is risenºº againstº thine handmaid,º and they said,ºº Deliverººº him that smoteºº his brother,º that we may killºº him, for the lifeº of his brotherº whomº he slew;ºº and we will destroyººº the heirºº also:º and so they shall quenchººº my coalº whichº is left,ººº and shall notº leaveºº to my husbandº [neither] nameº nor remainderº uponºº the earth.º

 14:8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

 14:8 And the kingº saidºº untoº the woman,º Goººº to thine house,º and Iº will give chargeºº concerningº thee.

 14:9 And the woman of Tekoa 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.

 14:9 And the womanº of Tekoahº saidºº untoº the king,º My lord,º O king,º the iniquityº [be] onº me, and onº my father'sº house:º and the kingº and his throneº [be] guiltless.º

 14:10 And the king said, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

 14:10 And the kingº said,ºº Whosoever saithºº [ought] untoº thee, bringºº him toº me, and he shall notº touchºº thee anyº more.ººº

 14:11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

 14:11 Then saidºº she, I pray thee,º let the kingº rememberººº the LORDº thy God,º that thou wouldest notº suffer the revengersºº of bloodº to destroyºº any more,ºº lest they destroyººº my son.º And he said,ºº [As] the LORDº liveth,º there shall notº one hairºº of thy sonº fallºº to the earth.º

 14:12 Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

 14:12 Then the womanº said,ºº Let thine handmaid,º I pray thee,º speakºº [one] wordº untoº my lordº the king.º And he said,ºº Say on.ºº

 14:13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

 14:13 And the womanº said,ºº Whereforeº then hast thou thoughtºº suchº a thing againstº the peopleº of God?º for the kingº doth speakººº thisº thingº as one which is faulty,º in that the kingº doth notº fetch home againººº his banished.ºº

 14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

 14:14 Forº we must needsºº die,ºº and [are] as waterº spiltºº on the ground,º whichº cannotº be gathered upº again;ºº neitherº doth Godº respectºº [any] person:º yet doth he deviseºº means,º that his banishedºº be not expelledºº fromº him.

 14:15 Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word 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 servant.

 14:15 Nowº therefore thatº I am comeºº to speakºº ofº thisº thingº untoº my lordº the king,º [it is] becauseº the peopleº have made me afraid:ºº and thy handmaidº said,ºº I will nowº speakºº untoº the king;º it may beº that the kingº will performººº the requestº of his handmaid.º

 14:16 For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

 14:16 Forº the kingº will hear,ºº to deliverººº his handmaidº out of the handºº of the manº [that would] destroyºº me and my sonº togetherº out of the inheritanceºº of God.º

 14:17 Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: and Jehovah thy God be with thee.

 14:17 Then thine handmaidº said,ºº The wordº of my lordº the kingº shall nowº beº comfortable:º forº as an angelº of God,º soº [is] my lordº the kingº to discernºº goodº and bad:º therefore the LORDº thy Godº will beº withº thee.

 14:18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

 14:18 Then the kingº answeredºº and saidºº untoº the woman,º Hideºº notº fromº me, I pray thee,º the thingº thatº Iº shall askºº thee. And the womanº said,ºº Let my lordº the kingº nowº speak.ºº

 14:19 And the king said, Is 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 aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

 14:19 And the kingº said,ºº [Is not] the handº of Joabº withº thee in allº this?º And the womanº answeredºº and said,ºº [As] thy soulº liveth,º my lordº the king,º noneº canº turnºº to the rightº handºº or to the leftºº from oughtºº thatº my lordº the kingº hath spoken:ºº forº thy servantº Joab,º heº badeºº me, and heº putººº allº theseº wordsº in the mouthº of thine handmaid:º

 14:20 to change the face of the matter 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.

 14:20 Toº fetch aboutººº this formº of speechº hath thy servantº Joabº doneººº thisº thing:º and my lordº [is] wise,º according to the wisdomº of an angelº of God,º to knowººº allº [things] thatº [are] in the earth.º

 14:21 ¶ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.

 14:21 ¶ And the kingº saidºº untoº Joab,º Beholdº now,º I have doneººº thisº thing:º goººº therefore, bringººº the young manº Absalomº again.ºº

 14:22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of his servant.

 14:22 And Joabº fellºº to the groundº onº his face,º and bowedºº himself,º and thankedººº the king:º and Joabº said,ºº To dayº thy servantº knowethºº thatº I have foundºº graceº in thy sight,º my lord,º O king,º in thatº the kingº hath fulfilledººº the requestº of his servant.º

 14:23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

 14:23 So Joabº aroseºº and wentººº to Geshur,º and broughtººº Absalomº to Jerusalem.º

 14:24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

 14:24 And the kingº said,ºº Let him turnºº toº his own house,º and let him notº seeºº my face.º So Absalomº returnedºº toº his own house,º and sawºº notº the king'sº face.º

 14:25 ¶ Now 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.

 14:25 ¶ But in allº Israelº there wasº noneºº to be so muchº praisedºº as Absalomº for his beauty:º from the soleºº of his footº even toº the crown of his headº there wasº noº blemishº in him.

 14:26 And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight.

 14:26 And when he polledººº his head,º (for it wasº at every year'sº endººº thatº he polledºº [it]: becauseº [the hair] was heavyºº onº him, therefore he polledºº it:) he weighedººº the hairº of his headº at two hundredº shekelsº after the king'sº weight.º

 14:27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

 14:27 And unto Absalomº there were bornºº threeº sons,º and oneº daughter,º whose nameº [was] Tamar:º sheº wasº a womanº of a fairº countenance.º

 14:28 ¶ And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he saw not the king's face.

 14:28 ¶ So Absalomº dweltºº two fullº yearsºº in Jerusalem,º and sawºº notº the king'sº face.º

 14:29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

 14:29 Therefore Absalomº sentºº forº Joab,º to have sentºº him toº the king;º but he wouldºº notº comeºº toº him: and when he sentº againººº the second time,º he wouldºº notº come.ºº

 14:30 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.

 14:30 Therefore he saidºº untoº his servants,º See,ºº Joab'sº fieldº is nearº mine,º and he hath barleyº there;º goººº and setºº it on fire.º And Absalom'sº servantsº setººº the fieldº on fire.º

 14:31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?

 14:31 Then Joabº arose,ºº and cameºº toº Absalomº unto [his] house,º and saidºº untoº him, Whereforeº have thy servantsº setººº my fieldº on fire?º

 14:32 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 were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.

 14:32 And Absalomº answeredººº Joab,º Behold,º I sentºº untoº thee, saying,ºº Comeºº hither,º that I may sendºº thee toº the king,º to say,ºº Whereforeº am Iº comeºº from Geshur?ºº [it had been] goodº for me [to have been] thereº still:º nowº therefore let me seeºº the king'sº face;º and ifº there beº [any] iniquityº in me, let him killºº me.

 14:33 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.

 14:33 So Joabº cameºº toº the king,º and toldºº him: and when he had calledºº forº Absalom,º he cameºº toº the king,º and bowedºº himself onº his faceº to the groundº beforeº the king:º and the kingº kissedºº Absalom.º