2 Samuel 14:2-15
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 14
2So Joab sent a messenger to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, 'Please follow mourning rites, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for many days. 3Then go to the king and speak to him in this way.' So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4Now when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, 'Help, O king!'
5And the king said to her, 'What is troubling you?' And she answered, 'Truly I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
6And your servant had two sons, but the two of them fought in the field, and there was no one to save them from each other, so one struck the other and killed him.
7Now behold, the entire family has risen against your servant, and they have said, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and eliminate the heir as well.’ So they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.'
8Then the king said to the woman, 'Go to your home, and I will issue orders concerning you.'
9The woman of Tekoa said to the king, 'My lord, the king, the guilt is on me and my father’s house, but the king and his throne are guiltless.'
10So the king said, 'Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.'
11Then she said, 'May the king please remember the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son.' And he said, 'As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.'
12Then the woman said, 'Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.' And he said, 'Speak.'
13The woman said, 'Why then have you planned 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 banished one.
14For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. Yet God does not take away life, but makes plans so that the banished one will not be cast out from Him.
15Now then, the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your servant said, ‘Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his slave.
King James Version
Chapter 14
2And 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: 3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4And 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.
5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
6And 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.
7And, 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.
8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9And 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.
10And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
11Then 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.
12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13And 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.
14For 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.
15Now 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.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 14
2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, "Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don’t put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3Go to the king and speak these words to him." Then Joab told her exactly what to say.
5"What’s the matter?" the king asked her. "Sadly, I am a widow; my husband died," she said.
6"Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth."
13The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.
14We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.
New Living Translation
Chapter 14
2So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, 'Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.' Then Joab told her what to say.
5What’s the trouble?' the king asked. 'Alas, I am a widow!' she replied. 'My husband is dead.
6My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed.
7Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.'
13She replied, 'Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.
14All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.
English Standard Version
Chapter 14
2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, "Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3Go to the king and speak thus to him." So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, "Save me, O king."
5And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth."
8Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."
9And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father 's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless."
10The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again."
11Then she said, "Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed." He said, "As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."
12Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."
13And the woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
14We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
15Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
New International Version
Chapter 14
2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth.
5The king asked her, "What is troubling you?" She said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.
7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."
13The woman said, "Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?
14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
New King James Version
Chapter 14
2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
5Then the king said to her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead.
6Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.
7And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”
13So the woman said: “Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.
14For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.
15Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant.
