2 Samuel 14

Matthew^{(i) 1} When Ioab the sonne of Zaruiah perceyued that the kynges herte was turned againe to Absalom, ² he sent to Thekoa, and fet thence a wyse woman, and sayde vnto her: feyne thy selfe to be a mourner, and put on mournyng apparell. And annoynt not thy selfe wyth oyle. But be as a woman that had long tyme mourned for the death of some bodye. ³ And go to the kynge & speake of thys maner vnto him. And so Ioab taught her what she shulde saye. ⁴ And when the wyfe of Thekoa was come to speake wyth the kynge, she fell on her face to the grounde & dyd obeysaunce & sayd: help me O kynge. ⁵ And the kynge sayde vnto her: what ayleth the? & she aunswered. I am a wydow, and myne husbande is deade. ⁶ And thy handmayde had two sonnes which fought together in the feldes where was no man to go betwene them, & the one slewe the other. ⁷ And beholde, the whole kynred arose agaynst thy handmayde & sayde: delyuer vs hym that smote hys brother: that we may kil him for the soule of hys brother whome he slue, for we wyl destroy the heyre also. And so they shal quenche my sparkle whiche is lefte that he shall stere vp neyther name or yssue vpon the earth vnto my husbande. ⁸ And the kynge sayde vnto the wyfe: go home to thyne house, & I wyll geue a charge for the. ⁹ And the woman of Thekoa sayde vnto the kynge. My Lorde Kynge, the trespace be on me, and on my fathers house, and the kynge and his seate be gyltelesse. ¹⁰ And then sayde the kynge: yf any man saye ought vnto the, bryng hym to me, & he shall no more trouble the. ¹¹ Then sayde she: let the kynge remember hys Lorde God, that the next of the bloude gather not on heapes together to destroye, and that they slaye not my sonne. And he sayde: as sure as the Lorde lyueth, there shall not one hearre of thy sonnes head fal to the earthe. ¹² Then the woman sayd: let thyne handmaid speake one worde more vnto my Lorde the kynge: & he sayde: saye on. ¹³ And the woman sayde: wherfore then hast thou determined on thys same maner agaynst the people of God? that the kyng shuld speake thys thing and be fautye therein, so that the kynge shulde not fet home agayne hys banyshed. ¹⁴ For we must nedes dye and perish as water spylt on the ground whiche cannot be gathered vp agayne & God wyl not take awaye the lyfe but fynde the meanes that the banyshed be not vtterly expelled from hym. ¹⁵ And nowe concernynge that I am come to speake of thys thinge vnto the kinge my Lorde in the presence of the people: thy handmayde thought: suerlye I wyll speake vnto the kynge, paraduenture the kynge wyl here the request of his handmayde. ¹⁶ And the king shal heare his handmayde & deliuer her oute of the hand of the man that wolde haue destroied me & my sonne also oute of the enheritaunce of God. ¹⁷ Then thine handmaid sayd: I praye God that the worde of my Lorde the kinge maye be immutable. For my Lord the kynge is as an angell of God, in hearinge of good or bad: and therfore the Lorde thy God be with the. ¹⁸ Then the kyng aunswered & sayd vnto the woman: hyde not from me I pray the the thing that I shall aske the. And the woman saide: let my Lorde the kyng say on. ¹⁹ Then said the king: Is not the hand of Ioab with the in all this matter? And the woman aunswered and said: as sure as thy soule liueth my Lorde kinge, it is neyther on the right hande nor on the lefte, that my Lorde the kinge hath spoken. For thy seruaunt Ioab he bad me, and he put all these wordes euen in the mouthe of thyne handemayde. ²⁰ And the turnynge of my tale another waye, that made thy seruaunte Ioab. And so I se that my Lorde is wise euen as an Angell of God, to vnderstande all thinges that are in the earth. ²¹ Then sayd the kinge to Ioab, beholde I am content to do this thinge. Go therfore fet home the lad Absalom. ²² And Ioab fell to the grounde on his face, & bowed him selfe and blessed the kinge and saide: now thy seruaunt knoweth that I haue founde grace in the sight of my Lorde the kyng in that he hath fulfylled the request of his seruaunt. ²³ And so Ioab arose & went to Gesur & broughte Absalom to Ierusalem. ²⁴ Then sayde the kinge: let hym turne to hys owne house, but se that he come not in my presence. And so Absalom went to his owne house, but came not in the kinges presence. ²⁵ Moreouer in all Israel there was not so goodlye a man as Absalom, or so greatly praysed, from the soole of hys fote to the toppe of his head there was no blemesh in him. ²⁶ And when he shaued hys head (for at euery yeres end he shaued it because it was heuye on hym, & therfore he shaued it) the hearre therof wayed .ij. hundred cicles weyght of the kynges weight. ²⁷ And this Absalom had thre sonnes borne hym & one doughter named Thamar, whiche was a fayre woman to loke vpon. ²⁸ When Absalom had dwelt two yeare in Ierusalem wythoute comyng into the kynges presence ²⁹ he sente for Ioab, to haue sente hym to the kynge. But he wolde not come to hym. And he sent agayne, & for all that he wolde not come. ³⁰ Then he said vnto hys seruauntes: behold, Ioab hath a parcell of lande fast by myne, & hath barley there in. Go and set it on fyre. And Absaloms seruauntes went and set it on fyre. ³¹ Then Ioab arose & came to Absalom vnto hys house, & sayde vnto hym: wherfore haue thy seruauntes burnt my feld wyth fyre? ³² And Absalom said to Ioab: beholde, I sente for the desyringe the to come, because I wolde haue sente the to the Kinge, for to saye: Wherfore am I come from Gesur: It had bene as good for me to haue bidden there styll. Now therfor let me come to the kynges presence, or els yf there be any trespace in me, kyll me. ³³ And Ioab wente to the King & tolde him. And he sent for Absalom, whiche when he was come, fell to the grounde on hys face before the Kynge. And the kynge kissed him.