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1 Now Yoav Ben Tzeruyah perceived that the lev HaMelech was toward Avshalom. 2 And Yoav sent to Tekoa, and brought from there an isha chachamah, and said unto her, now, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with shemen, but be as an isha that had a long time mourned for the dead;
3 And come to HaMelech, and speak on this manner unto him. So Yoav put the devarim in her peh (mouth).
4 And when the isha of Tekoa spoke to HaMelech, she fell on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said, Hoshi'ah (help), O Melech. 5 And HaMelech said unto her, What troubleth thee? She answered, I am indeed an almanah, and mine ish is dead. 6 And thy shifchah had two banim, and they two fought together in the sadeh, and there was none to separate them, but the one struck the other, and killed him. 7 And, hinei, kol hamishpakhah is risen against thine shifchah (handmaid), and they said, Deliver him that struck his brother, that we may kill him, for the nefesh of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the yoresh (heir) also; and so they shall quench my burning coal remaining, and shall not leave to my ish shem nor she'erit upon ha'adamah.
8 And HaMelech said to the isha, Go to thine bais; I will give charge concerning thee. 9 And the isha of Tekoa said unto HaMelech, Adoni, O Melech, the avon (guilt) be on me, and on my bais avi; and HaMelech and his kisse be guiltless. 10 And HaMelech said, Whoever saith anything unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. 11 Then said she, Now, let HaMelech remember Hashem Eloheicha, that thou wouldest not suffer the Go'el HaDahm to destroy any more, lest they destroy beni (my son). And he said, As Hashem liveth, there shall not one hair of thy ben fall to the ground.
12 Then the isha said, Let thine shifchah, now, speak one word unto adoni Ha-Melech. And he said, Say on.
13 And the isha said, why then hast thou thought such a thing against the Am Elohim? For HaMelech doth speak this thing as one which is guilty, in that HaMelech doth not bring back home again his banished. 14 For we must needs die, are as mayim spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; yet Elohim doth not take away nefesh; but devises means, so that His banished be not expelled from Him. 15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto adoni HaMelech, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy shifchah thought, I will now speak unto HaMelech; it may be that HaMelech will perform the request of his amah (servant). 16 For HaMelech will hear, to deliver his amah (servant) out of the palm of the ish that would destroy me and beni (my son) together out of the nachalat Elohim. 17 Then thine shifchah said, The devar adoni HaMelech shall now be as menuchah (rest, comfort); for as a malach HaElohim, so is adoni HaMelech to discern the tov and the rah; therefore Hashem Eloheicha will be with thee.
18 Then HaMelech answered and said unto the isha, Hide not from me, now, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the isha said, Let adoni HaMelech now speak.
19 And HaMelech said, Is not the yad Yoav with thee in all this? And the isha answered and said, As thy nefesh liveth, adoni HaMelech, none can turn to the right or to the left from anything that adoni HaMelech hath spoken; for thy eved Yoav, he instructed me, and he put all these devarim in the peh (mouth) of thine shifchah (handmaid); 20 To bring about this matter for discussion hath thy eved Yoav done this thing; and adoni is chacham, according to the chochmat malach HaElohim, to know all things that are in ha'aretz.
21 And HaMelech said unto Yoav, Hinei now, I have granted this thing; go therefore, bring the na'ar Avshalom back!
22 And Yoav fell to the ground on his face, and prostrated himself, and put a bracha on HaMelech; and Yoav said, Today thy eved knoweth that I have found chen in thy sight, adoni, O Melech, in that HaMelech hath fulfilled the request of his eved.
23 So Yoav arose and went to Geshur, and brought Avshalom to Yerushalayim. 24 And HaMelech said, Let him turn to his own bais, and let him not see my face. So Avshalom returned to his own bais, and saw not the face of HaMelech.
25 But in kol Yisroel there was none ish yafeh to be so much praised as Avshalom; from the sole of his regel even to the crown of his head there was no mum (blemish) in him. 26 And when he cut the hair of his rosh, (for it was from time to time that he cut it; because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the se'ar (hair) of his rosh at two hundred shekels after the royal standard.
27 And unto Avshalom there were born three banim, and one bat, whose shem was Tamar; she was an isha of a fair countenance.
28 So Avshalom dwelt two full shanim in Yerushalayim, and saw not the face of HaMelech. 29 Therefore Avshalom sent for Yoav, to have sent him to HaMelech; but he would not come to him; and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30 Therefore he said unto his avadim, See, the allotted land of Yoav is near mine, and he hath se'orim (barley) there; go and kindle it with eish. And the avadim of Avshalom set eish to the allotted land.
31 Then Yoav arose, and came to Avshalom unto his bais, and said unto him, Why have thy avadim set eish to my allotted land? 32 And Avshalom answered Yoav, Hinei, I sent unto thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to HaMelech, to say, why am I come from Geshur? It had been tov (better) for me to have been there still; now therefore let me see the face of HaMelech; and if there be any avon (iniquity) in me, let him kill me.
33 So Yoav came to HaMelech, and told him; and when he had called for Avshalom, he came to HaMelech, and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before HaMelech; and HaMelech kissed Avshalom.