1Joab son of Zeruiah saw that the king longed in his heart for Absalom,
2so he sent for a wise woman from Tekoah and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner; put on mourning garb, go without anointing yourself, and behave like a woman who has been bereaved these many days.
3Then go to the king and repeat what I tell you.” He told her exactly what she was to say.
4When the woman from Tekoah came into the king's presence, she bowed to the ground in homage and cried, “Help, your majesty!”
5The king asked, “What is it?” She answered, “Sir, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6I had two sons; they came to blows out in the country where there was no one to part them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7Now, sir, the kinsmen have confronted me with the demand, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother, so that we can put him to death for taking his brother's life, and so cut off the succession.’ If they do this, they will stamp out my last live ember and leave my husband without name or descendant on the earth.”
8“Go home,” said the king to the woman, “and I shall settle your case.”
9But the woman continued, “The guilt be on me, your majesty, and on my father's house; let the king and his throne be blameless.”
10The king said, “If anyone says anything more to you, bring him to me and he will not trouble you again.”
11Then the woman went on, “Let your majesty call upon the LORD your God, to prevent the next-of-kin from doing their worst and destroying my son.” The king swore, “As the LORD lives, not a hair of your son's head shall fall to the ground.”
12The woman then said, “May I add one word more, your majesty?” “Say on,” said the king.
13So she continued, “How then could it enter your head to do this same wrong to God's people? By the decision you have pronounced, your majesty, you condemn yourself in that you have refused to bring back the one you banished.
14We shall all die; we shall be like water that is spilt on the ground and lost; but God will spare the man who does not set himself to keep the outlaw in banishment.
15“I came to say this to your majesty because the people have threatened me: I thought, ‘If I can only speak to the king, perhaps he will attend to my case;
16for he will listen, and he will save me from anyone who is seeking to cut off me and my son together from God's own possession.’
17I thought too that the words of my lord the king would be a comfort to me; for your majesty is like the angel of God and can decide between right and wrong. May the LORD your God be with you!”
18The king said to the woman, “Tell me no lies: I shall now ask you a question.” “Let your majesty speak,” she said.
19The king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind you in all this?” “Your life upon it, sir!” she answered. “When your majesty asks a question, there is no way round it, right or left. Yes, your servant Joab did prompt me; it was he who put the whole story into my mouth.
20He did it to give a new turn to this affair. Your majesty is as wise as the angel of God and knows all that goes on in the land.”
21The king said to Joab, “You have my consent; go and bring back the young man Absalom.”
22Then Joab humbly prostrated himself, took leave of the king with a blessing, and said, “Now I know that I have found favour with your majesty, because you have granted my humble petition.”
23Joab went at once to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24But the king said, “Let him go to his own quarters; he shall not come into my presence.” So Absalom repaired to his own quarters and did not enter the king's presence.
25In all Israel no man was so much admired for his beauty as Absalom; from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he was without flaw.
26When he cut his hair (as had to be done every year, for he found it heavy), it weighed two hundred shekels by the royal standard.
27Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who became a very beautiful woman.
28Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two whole years without entering the king's presence.
29Then he summoned Joab, intending to send a message by him to the king, but Joab refused to come; he sent for him a second time, but he still refused.
30Absalom said to his servants, “You know that Joab has a field next to mine with barley growing in it; go and set fire to it.” When Absalom's servants set fire to the field,
31Joab promptly came to Absalom in his own quarters and demanded, “Why have your servants set fire to my field?”
32Absalom answered, “I had sent for you to come here, so that I could ask you to give the king this message from me: ‘Why did I leave Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there. Let me now come into your majesty's presence and, if I have done any wrong, put me to death.’”
33When Joab went to the king and told him, he summoned Absalom, who came and prostrated himself humbly, and the king greeted him with a kiss.