1 Joab, filho de Sarvia, percebendo que o coração do rei {se voltava de novo} para Absalão,2 mandou vir de Técua uma mulher habilidosa e disse-lhe: Põe-te de luto; toma vestes de luto e não te unjas, para pareceres uma mulher que chora um morto há muito tempo.3 Virás então ter com o rei e lhe falarás assim e assim. E Joab sugeriu-lhe o que ela devia dizer.4 A mulher veio, pois, de Técua, e apresentou-se ao rei; lançou-se por terra e prostrou-se, dizendo: Salva-me, ó rei, salva-me!5 O rei disse-lhe: Que tens? Ai de mim, disse ela, sou uma viúva. Meu marido morreu.6 Tua serva tinha dois filhos. Brigaram no campo, e não havendo quem os separasse, um deles feriu o outro e matou-o.7 E eis que agora se levanta contra a tua serva toda a família, dizendo-lhe: dá-nos o fratricida, para o matarmos em castigo do sangue do irmão que ele matou, e exterminaremos o herdeiro. Querem assim apagar a última brasa que me resta, de modo que não se conserve de meu marido nem nome, nem posteridade na terra.8 O rei disse à mulher: Volta para a tua casa; tomarei providências a teu respeito.9 Mas a mulher de Técua disse ao rei: Sobre mim, e não sobre a casa de meu pai recaia a culpa; o rei e o seu trono serão inocentes.10 O rei disse-lhe: Se alguém te ameaçar, traze-o à minha presença, e ele não te incomodará mais.11 Ela ajuntou: Queira o rei lembrar-se do Senhor, seu Deus, para que o vingador do sangue não agrave a desgraça, matando o meu filho! Pela vida de Deus, disse ele, não cairá um só cabelo da cabeça de teu filho!12 A mulher então disse: Permite que a tua serva diga uma palavra ao rei, meu senhor? Fala.13 Por que, pois, pensas fazer o mesmo contra o povo do Senhor? Pronunciando essa sentença, o rei se confessa culpado, pelo fato de não se lembrar daquele que desterrou.14 Quando morremos, somos como a água que não mais se pode recolher, uma vez derramada por terra. Deus não faz voltar uma alma. Cuide, pois, o rei, que o banido não fique mais exilado longe dele.15 Se eu vim falar desse assunto ao rei, foi porque o povo me aterrou. A tua serva disse: falarei ao rei: talvez o rei faça o que eu lhe pedir;16 sim, o rei me ouvirá e livrar-me-á da mão do homem que procura excluir-nos, a mim o meu filho, da herança do Senhor.17 Que o rei, ajuntou ela, se digne pronunciar uma palavra de paz, porque o rei, meu senhor, é como um anjo de Deus para discernir o bem do mal. Que o senhor, teu Deus, seja contigo!18 O rei disse à mulher: Não me escondas nada do que te vou perguntar. A mulher respondeu: Que o rei, meu senhor, fale.19 Não anda a mão de Joab contigo em tudo isso? Por tua vida, respondeu-lhe ela, não se pode desviar para nenhum lado o que o rei acaba de dizer! Sim, foi o teu servo Joab quem me deu instruções e sugeriu à tua serva tudo o que ela disse.20 Foi para dar a esse assunto uma nova feição que Joab fez isso. Porém tu, ó rei, meu senhor, és tão sábio como um anjo de Deus, para saber tudo o que se passa na terra!21 O rei disse a Joab: A coisa está decidida. Vai, traze o jovem Absalão!22 Joab prostrou-se com o rosto por terra, e abençoou o rei, dizendo: Agora o teu servo reconhece que ganhou o teu favor, ó rei, meu senhor, pois que o rei cumpriu o desejo de seu servo!23 Joab foi a Gessur e trouxe Absalão para Jerusalém.24 Mas o rei disse: Que ele vá para a sua casa, pois não será admitido à minha presença! Absalão retirou-se para a sua casa, e não se apresentou diante do rei.25 Não havia em todo o Israel homem mais belo que Absalão, e que fosse tão admirado como ele. Da cabeça aos pés, não havia nele defeito algum.26 Quando cortava o cabelo - o que fazia a cada ano, porque sua cabeleira se tornava por demais pesada -, o peso deste era de duzentos siclos, pelo peso real.27 Nasceram-lhe três filhos e uma filha, chamada Tamar, que era de grande beleza.28 Absalão permaneceu em Jerusalém dois anos antes de ser admitido à presença do rei.29 Mandou chamar Joab para mandá-lo ao rei, mas ele não quis vir. Chamou-o uma segunda vez, e ele recusou-se de novo.30 Disse então Absalão aos seus servos: Vedes o campo de Joab ao lado do meu, semeado de cevada? Ide e lançai-lhe fogo. Os servos de Absalão incendiaram o campo. Os servos de Joab foram ter com ele, rasgadas as suas vestes, e disseram-lhe: Os homens de Absalão incendiaram o teu campo.31 Joab foi então à casa de Absalão, e disse: Por que incendiaram os teus homens o meu campo?32 Absalão respondeu: Eu te mandara chamar, dizendo: vem, pois quero enviar-te ao rei para dizer-lhe: por que vim eu de Gessur? Seria melhor ter ficado lá. Quero ser admitido à presença do rei; se sou culpado, que me matem!33 Joab foi ter com o rei e contou-lhe tudo. Absalão foi chamado, entrou à presença do rei e prostrou-se diante dele com o rosto por terra. E o rei o beijou.

1 And when now Joab the son of Zeruyah perceived that the heart of the king was turned toward Abshalom:2 Then sent Joab to Tekoa’, and he fetched thence a wise woman, and said to her, Feign. I pray thee, as though thou mournest, and do put on mourning garments, and anoint thyself not with oil; but be as a woman that hath these many days been mourning for the dead.3 And thou must come to the king and speak with him after these words: and Joab put the words into her mouth.4 And the woman from Tekoa’ spoke to the king, and fell on her face to the ground, and bowed herself, and said, Help, O king!5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she said, Truly, I am a widow–woman; since my husband is dead.6 And thy hand–maid had two sons, and they two quarreled together in the field, and there was no one between them to help either; so the one smote the other, and slew him.7 And, behold, the whole family is risen up against thy handmaid, and they said, Give up the slayer of his brother, that we may have him put to death, for the life of his brother whom he hath killed; and we will destroy also the heir: and thus they will quench my coal which is remaining, so as not to allow to my husband either name or remainder upon the face of the earth.8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will issue my charge concerning thee.9 Then said the woman of Tekoa unto the king, On me, my Lord, O king, be the iniquity, and on my father’s house: and may the king and his throne be guiltless.10 And the king said, Whosoever speaketh aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.11 Then said she, Let the king, I pray thee, remember the Lord thy God, so as not to suffer the avenger of the blood to cause yet more destruction, and that they may not destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord liveth, there shall not fall one hair of thy son to the earth.12 Then said the woman, Let thy hand–maid, I pray thee, speak unto my Lord the king one word. And he said, Speak on.13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? and since the king doth speak this thing, he is as a guilty man, if the king do not permit his banished one to return home.14 For we must needs die, and are as water which is spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and yet doth God not take away life; and he deviseth thoughts, so that the banished one may not remain banished from him.15 And now that I am come to speak unto my Lord the king of this thing, happened because the people made me afraid; and therefore thy hand–maid said, I will still speak unto the king; perhaps the king may act in accordance with the word of his hand–maid.16 For the king may hear me, to deliver his hand–maid out of the hand of the man that desireth to exterminate me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.17 And thy hand–maid said, May the word of my Lord the king now become the means of giving repose; for as an angel of God, so is my Lord the king to comprehend the good and the bad: and may the Lord thy God be with thee.18 Then answered the king and said unto the woman, Conceal not, I pray thee, from me a word concerning what I am going to ask thee. And the woman said, Let my Lord the king but speak.19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my Lord, O king! none can turn to the right or to the left from all that my Lord the king hath spoken; for it was thy servant Joab who hath bidden me, and it was he that hath put in the mouth of thy hand–maid all these words.20 In order to change the appearance 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 that is done on the earth.21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold, now, thou hast done this thing: go then, bring back the young man Abshalom.22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself, and blessed the king: and Joab said, Today is thy servant convinced that I have found grace in thy eyes, my Lord, O king; since the king hath acted in accordance with the word of thy servant.23 And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Abshalom to Jerusalem.24 And the king said, Let him repair to his own house, but my face he shall not see. So Abshalom repaired to his own house, but the king’s face he did not see.25 And like Abshalom there was no man as handsome in all Israel, so that he was greatly praised: from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head there was no blemish on him.26 And when he shaved off the hair of his head and it was at the end of every year that he shaved it off; because it was too heavy on him, so that he had to shave it off: he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.27 And there was born unto Abshalom three sons and one daughter, whose name was Thamar: this one was a woman of handsome appearance.28 And Abshalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and the king’s face he did not see.29 Abshalom sent out therefore for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again the second time; but he would not come.30 He thereupon said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is alongside of mine, and he hath barley there: go and set it on fire. And Abshalom’s servants set the field on fire.31 Then did Joab arise, and he went to Abshalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set the field belonging to me on fire?32 And Abshalom said to Joab, Behold, I had sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it would be better for me were I yet there: and now let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him put me to death.33 So Joab went to the king, and told it to him: and he called for Abshalom, who came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Abshalom.