2 Samuel 14

And Ioab son of Sarouias knew that the king's heart was upon Abessalom.

And Ioab sent to Thekoe and took from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please mourn, and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil; and be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for many days."

"And you shall go in to the king and speak to him according to this word." And Ioab put the words in her mouth.

And the Thekoite woman went in to the king and fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance to him and said, "Save, O king, save!"

And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" And she said, "Truly I am a widow woman, and my husband has died."

"And your servant had two sons, and they both fought in the field, and there was no one to deliver between them; and the one struck his brother and killed him.

And behold, the whole clan has risen up against your servant, and they said, 'Give up 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 your heir as well.' So they will quench my coal that is left, so as to leave my husband neither remnant nor name upon the face of the earth."

And the king said, "Go in health to your house, and I will give command concerning you."

And the Thekoite woman said to the king, "Upon me, my lord O king, be the iniquity, and upon my father's house; and the king and his throne are guiltless."

And the king said, "Whoever speaks to you, you shall bring him to me, and he shall not touch him again."

And she said, "Let the king please remember the Lord his God — that the avenger of blood be multiplied to destroy — and they shall surely not do away with 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 please speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

And the woman said, "Why have you reckoned such a thing against the people of God? Indeed, from the king's mouth this word is like a trespass, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

For we shall surely die, and are like the water poured out upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up; and God will take a life, and he devises to drive away from himself one who has been driven away.

And now, the reason I came to speak this word to the king my lord is that the people will see me; and your servant will say, 'Let me please speak to the king; perhaps the king will do the word of his servant.

For the king will hear, to rescue his servant out of the hand of the man who seeks to destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'"

And the woman said, "Let the word of my lord the king now be for a sacrifice; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to hear the good and the evil. And the Lord your God be with you."

And the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me the thing that I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king please speak."

And the king said, "Is not the hand of Ioab with you in all this?" And the woman said to the king, "As your soul lives, my lord O king, there is nothing to the right or to the left of all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Ioab himself commanded me, and he himself put all these words in the mouth of your servant."

"Your servant Ioab did this thing in order to turn about the face of this matter. And my lord is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the land."

And the king said to Ioab, "Behold now, I have done for you according to this word of yours. Go, bring back the young man Abessalom."

And Ioab fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance and blessed the king; and Ioab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord O king, because my lord the king has done the word of his servant."

And Ioab rose and went to Gedsour and brought Abessalom to Ierousalem.

And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, and let him not see my face." And Abessalom returned to his own house, and he did not see the king's face.

And like Abessalom there was no man 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 cut the hair of his head — and it happened from the beginning of days to days, whenever he cut it, because it was heavy upon him — and when he had cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the royal shekel.

And to Abessalom were born three sons and one daughter, and her name was Themar; she was a very beautiful woman. And she became wife to Roboam son of Salomon, and she bore him Abia.

And Abessalom dwelt in Ierousalem two years of days, and he did not see the king's face.

And Abessalom sent to Ioab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And he sent a second time to him, but he would not come.

And Abessalom said to his servants, "See, Ioab's portion of field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." And Abessalom's servants set them on fire. And Ioab's slaves came to him with their garments torn and said, "Abessalom's slaves have burned the portion with fire."

And Ioab rose and came to Abessalom at the house and said to him, "Why have your servants burned my portion with fire?"

And Abessalom said to Ioab, "Behold, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, and I will send you to the king, saying: Why did I come from Gedsour? It would have been good for me still to be there.' And now, behold, I have not seen the king's face; and if there is injustice in me, then put me to death."

And Ioab went in to the king and reported to him. And he called Abessalom, and he came in to the king and did obeisance to him and fell on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Abessalom.