ISV(i)
4 When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, prostrating herself to address him, “Help, your majesty!”
5 The king asked her, “What’s your problem?”
“I’ve been a widowed woman ever since my husband died,” she answered. 6 “Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him. 7 Now please pay attention closely! My whole family is attacking your humble servant! They’re saying, ‘Turn over the one who attacked his brother and we’ll put him to death in retribution for his brother, whose life he took. That way, we’ll kill the heir also!’ They’re going to extinguish the only light left in my family, leaving my late husband neither an ongoing name nor a survivor on the face of the earth!”
8 Then the king replied to the woman, “Go home and I’ll issue a special order just for you.”
9 But the woman from Tekoa told the king, “Your majesty, let any guilt for this be on me and on my ancestors’ household, and not on my king or his throne!”
10 The king replied, “Bring anyone who talks to you about this to me, and he certainly won’t be bothering you anymore!”
11 Then she said, “Your majesty, please remember the LORD your God, so that blood avengers don’t do any more damage! Otherwise, they’ll destroy my son!”
So he promised, “As the LORD lives, not even a single hair from your son’s head will fall to the ground!”
5 The king asked her, “What’s your problem?”
“I’ve been a widowed woman ever since my husband died,” she answered. 6 “Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him. 7 Now please pay attention closely! My whole family is attacking your humble servant! They’re saying, ‘Turn over the one who attacked his brother and we’ll put him to death in retribution for his brother, whose life he took. That way, we’ll kill the heir also!’ They’re going to extinguish the only light left in my family, leaving my late husband neither an ongoing name nor a survivor on the face of the earth!”
8 Then the king replied to the woman, “Go home and I’ll issue a special order just for you.”
9 But the woman from Tekoa told the king, “Your majesty, let any guilt for this be on me and on my ancestors’ household, and not on my king or his throne!”
10 The king replied, “Bring anyone who talks to you about this to me, and he certainly won’t be bothering you anymore!”
11 Then she said, “Your majesty, please remember the LORD your God, so that blood avengers don’t do any more damage! Otherwise, they’ll destroy my son!”
So he promised, “As the LORD lives, not even a single hair from your son’s head will fall to the ground!”