II Samuel 14

vayyeda yo'av ben-tseruyah ki-lev hammelekh al-avshalom

Joab son of Zeruiah could see that the king’s mind was on Absalom;

vayyishlakh yo'av teqo'ah vayyiqqakh misham isha khakhamah vayyomer eleha hitabbeli-na velivshi-na vigde-evel ve'al-tasukhi shemen vehayit ke'isha zeh yamim rabbim mitabbelet al-met

so Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a woman who was wise. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; put on mourning clothes and don’t anoint yourself with oil; and act like a woman who has grieved a long time over a departed one.

uvat el-hammelekh vedibbart elayw kaddavar hazzeh vayyasem yo'av et-haddevarim befiha

Go to the king and say to him thus and thus.” And Joab told her what to say.

vattomer ha'isha hatteqo'it el-hammelekh vattippol al-appeha artsah vattishtakhu vattomer hoshi'ah hammelekh

The Tekoite woman came to the king, flung herself face down to the ground, and prostrated herself. She cried out, “Help, O king!”

vayyomer-lah hammelekh mah-llakh vattomer aval isha-almanah ani vayyamot ishi

The king asked her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Alas, I am a widow, my husband is dead.

uleshifkhatekha shene vanim vayyinnatsu shenehem bassadeh ve'en matsil benehem vayyakko ha'ekhad et-ha'ekhad vayyamet oto

Your maidservant had two sons. The two of them came to blows out in the fields where there was no one to stop them, and one of them struck the other and killed him.

vehinneh qamah khol-hammishpakhah al-shifkhatekha vayyomeru teni et-makkeh akhiv unemitehu benefesh akhiv asher harag venashmidah gam et-hayyoresh vekhibbu et-gakhalti asher nisharah levilti (shvm) [sim-]le'ishi shem ushe'erit al-pene ha'adamah

Then the whole clan confronted your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother, that we may put him to death for the slaying of his brother, even though we wipe out the heir.’ Thus they would quench the last ember remaining to me, and leave my husband without name or remnant upon the earth.”

vayyomer hammelekh el-ha'isha lekhi levetekh va'ani atsavveh alayikh

The king said to the woman, “Go home. I will issue an order in your behalf.”

vattomer ha'isha hatteqo'it el-hammelekh alay adoni hammelekh he'avon ve'al-bet avi vehammelekh vekhiso naqi

And the Tekoite woman said to the king, “My lord king, may the guilt be on me and on my ancestral house; Your Majesty and his throne are guiltless.”

vayyomer hammelekh hamedabber elayikh vahaveto elay velo-yosif od laga'at bakh

The king said, “If anyone says anything more to you, have him brought to me, and he will never trouble you again.”

vattomer yizkor-na hammelekh et-Adonai elohekha (mhrvyt) [meharbat] go'el haddam leshakhet velo yashmidu et-beni vayyomer khay-Adonai im-yippol missa'arat benekh aretsah

She replied, “Let Your Majesty be mindful of the ETERNAL your God and restrain the blood avenger bent on destruction, so that my son may not be killed.” And he said, “As GOD lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

vattomer ha'isha tedabber-na shifkhatekha el-adoni hammelekh davar vayyomer dabberi

Then the woman said, “Please let your maidservant say another word to my lord the king.” “Speak on,” said the king.

vattomer ha'isha velammah khashavtah kazot al-am elohim umiddabber hammelekh haddavar hazzeh ke'ashem levilti hashiv hammelekh et-niddekho

And the woman said, “Why then have you planned the like against God’s people? In making this pronouncement, Your Majesty condemns himself in that Your Majesty does not bring back his own banished one.

ki-mot namut vekhammayim hanniggarim artsah asher lo ye'asefu velo-yissa elohim nefesh vekhashav makhashavot levilti yiddakh mimmennu niddakh

We must all die; we are like water that is poured out on the ground and cannot be gathered up. God will not take away the life of one who makes plans so that no one may be kept banished.

ve'attah asher-bati ledabber el-hammelekh adoni et-haddavar hazzeh ki yere'uni ha'am vattomer shifkhatekha adabberah-nna el-hammelekh ulay ya'aseh hammelekh et-devar amato

And the reason I have come to say these things to the king, my lord, is that the people have frightened me. Your maidservant thought I would speak to Your Majesty; perhaps Your Majesty would act on his handmaid’s plea.

ki yishma hammelekh lehatsil et-amato mikkaf ha'ish lehashmid oti ve'et-beni yakhad minnakhalat elohim

For Your Majesty would surely agree to deliver his handmaid from the hands of anyone [who would seek to] cut off both me and my son from the heritage of God.

vattomer shifkhatekha yihyeh-nna devar-adoni hammelekh limnukhah ki kemalakh ha'elohim ken adoni hammelekh lishmoa hattov vehara va-Adonai elohekha yehi immakh

Your maidservant thought, ‘Let the word of my lord the king provide comfort; for my lord the king is like an angel of God, understanding everything, good and bad.’ May the ETERNAL your God be with you.”

vayya'an hammelekh vayyomer el-ha'isha al-na tekhakhadi mimmenni davar asher anokhi sho'el otakh vattomer ha'isha yedabber-na adoni hammelekh

In reply, the king said to the woman, “Do not withhold from me anything I ask you!” The woman answered, “Let my lord the king speak.”

vayyomer hammelekh hayad yo'av ittakh bekhol-zot vatta'an ha'isha vattomer khe-nafshekha adoni hammelekh im-ish lehemin ulehasmil mikkol asher-dibber adoni hammelekh ki-avdekha yo'av hu tsivvani vehu sam befi shifkhatekha et kol-haddevarim ha'elleh

The king asked, “Is Joab in league with you in all this?” The woman replied, “As you live, my lord the king, it is just as my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab was the one who instructed me, and it was he who told your maidservant everything she was to say.

leva'avur sabbev et-pene haddavar asah avdekha yo'av et-haddavar hazzeh vadoni khakham kekhokhmat malakh ha'elohim lada'at et-kol-asher ba'arets

It was to conceal the real purpose of the matter that your servant Joab did this thing. My lord is as wise as an angel of God, and he knows all that goes on in the land.”

vayyomer hammelekh el-yo'av hinneh-na asiti et-haddavar hazzeh velekh hashev et-hanna'ar et-avshalom

Then the king said to Joab, “I will do this thing. Go and bring back my boy Absalom.”

vayyippol yo'av el-panayw artsah vayyishtakhu vayevarekh et-hammelekh vayyomer yo'av hayyom yada avdekha ki-matsati khen be'enekha adoni hammelekh asher-asah hammelekh et-devar (vdv) [avdekha]

Joab flung himself face down on the ground and prostrated himself. Joab blessed the king and said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord king, for Your Majesty has granted his servant’s request.”

vayyaqom yo'av vayyelekh geshurah vayyave et-avshalom yerushalai͏m

And Joab went at once to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

vayyomer hammelekh yissov el-beto ufanay lo yireh vayyissov avshalom el-beto ufene hammelekh lo ra'ah

But the king said, “Let him go directly to his house and not present himself to me.” So Absalom went directly to his house and did not present himself to the king.

ukhe'avshalom lo-hayah ish-yafeh bekhol-yisra'el lehallel me'od mikkaf raglo ve'ad qodqodo lo-hayah vo mum

No other man in Israel was as admired for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head he was without blemish.

uvegallekho et-rosho vehayah miqqets yamim layyamim asher yegalleakh ki-khaved alayw vegillekho veshaqal et-se'ar rosho matayim sheqalim be'even hammelekh

When he cut his hair—he had to have it cut every year, for it grew too heavy for him—the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels by the royal weight.

vayyivvaledu le'avshalom sheloshah vanim uvat akhat ushemah tamar hi hayetah isha yefat mareh

Absalom had three sons and a daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

vayyeshev avshalom birushalai͏m shenatayim yamim ufene hammelekh lo ra'ah

Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without appearing before the king.

vayyishlakh avshalom el-yo'av lishloakh oto el-hammelekh velo avah lavo elayw vayyishlakh od shenit velo avah lavo

Then Absalom sent for Joab, in order to send him to the king; but Joab would not come to him. He sent for him a second time, but he would not come.

vayyomer el-avadayw re'u khelqat yo'av el-yadi velo-sham se'orim lekhu (vhvtstyh) [vehatsituha] va'esh vayyatsitu avde avshalom et-hakhelqah ba'esh

So [Absalom] said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

vayyaqom yo'av vayyavo el-avshalom habbayetah vayyomer elayw lammah hitsitu avadekha et-hakhelqah asher-li ba'esh

Joab came at once to Absalom’s house and said to him, “Why did your servants set fire to my field?”

vayyomer avshalom el-yo'av hinneh shalakhti elekha lemor bo hennah ve'eshlekhah otekha el-hammelekh lemor lammah bati miggeshur tov li od ani-sham ve'attah ereh pene hammelekh ve'im-yesh-bi avon vehemitani

Absalom replied to Joab, “I sent for you to come here; I wanted to send you to the king to say [on my behalf]: ‘Why did I leave Geshur? I would be better off if I were still there. Now let me appear before the king; and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death!’”

vayyavo yo'av el-hammelekh vayyagged-lo vayyiqra el-avshalom vayyavo el-hammelekh vayyishtakhu lo al-appayw artsah lifne hammelekh vayyishaq hammelekh le'avshalom

Joab went to the king and reported to him; whereupon he summoned Absalom. He came to the king and flung himself face down to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.