Ii Samuelis 14
1 Intelligens autem Ioab filius Sarviæ, quod cor regis versum esset ad Absalom,
Now it was clear to Joab, the son of Zeruiah, that the king's heart was turning to Absalom.
2 misit Thecuam, et tulit inde mulierem sapientem: dixitque ad eam: Lugere te simula, et induere veste lugubri, et ne ungaris oleo, ut sis quasi mulier iam plurimo tempore lugens mortuum:
And Joab sent to Tekoa and got from there a wise woman, and said to her, Now make yourself seem like one given up to grief, and put on the clothing of sorrow, not using any sweet oil for your body, but looking like one who for a long time has been weeping for the dead:
3 et ingredieris ad regem, et loqueris ad eum sermones huiuscemodi. Posuit autem Ioab verba in ore eius.
And come to the king and say these words to him. So Joab gave her words to say.
4 Itaque cum ingressa fuisset mulier Thecuitis ad regem, cecidit coram eo super terram, et adoravit, et dixit: Serva me rex.
And the woman of Tekoa came to the king, and falling on her face, gave him honour and said, Give me help, O king.
5 Et ait ad eam rex: Quid causæ habes? Quæ respondit: Heu, mulier vidua ego sum: mortuus est enim vir meus.
And the king said to her, What is your trouble? And her answer was, Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
6 Et ancillæ tuæ erant duo filii: qui rixati sunt adversum se in agro, nullusque erat, qui eos prohibere posset: et percussit alter alterum, et interfecit eum.
And I had two sons, and the two of them had a fight in the field, and there was no one to come between them, and one with a blow put the other to death.
7 Et ecce consurgens universa cognatio adversum ancillam tuam, dicit: Trade eum, qui percussit fratrem suum, ut occidamus eum pro anima fratris sui, quem interfecit, et deleamus heredem: et quærunt extinguere scintillam meam, quæ relicta est, ut non supersit viro meo nomen, et reliquiæ super terram.
And now all the family is turned against me, your servant, saying, Give up him who was the cause of his brother's death, so that we may put him to death in payment for the life of his brother, whose life he took; and we will put an end to the one who will get the heritage: so they will put out my last burning coal, and my husband will have no name or offspring on the face of the earth.
8 Et ait rex ad mulierem: Vade in domum tuam, et ego iubebo pro te.
And the king said to the woman, Go to your house and I will give orders about this.
9 Dixitque mulier Thecuitis ad regem: In me, domine mi rex, sit iniquitas, et in domum patris mei: rex autem et thronus eius sit innocens.
And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, may the sin be on me and on my family, and may the king and the seat of his kingdom be clear of sin!
10 Et ait rex: Qui contradixerit tibi, adduc eum ad me, et ultra non addet ut tangat te.
And the king said, If anyone says anything to you, make him come to me, and he will do you no more damage.
11 Quæ ait: Recordetur rex Domini Dei sui, ut non multiplicentur proximi sanguinis ad ulciscendum, et nequaquam interficiant filium meum. Qui ait: Vivit Dominus, quia non cadet de capillis filii tui super terram.
Then she said, Let the king keep in mind the Lord your God, so that he who gives punishment for blood may be kept back from further destruction and that no one may send death on my son. And he said, By the living Lord, not a hair of your son's head will come to the earth.
12 Dixit ergo mulier: Loquatur ancilla tua ad dominum meum regem verbum. Et ait: Loquere.
Then the woman said, Will the king let his servant say one word more? And he said, Say on.
13 Dixitque mulier: Quare cogitasti huiuscemodi rem contra populum Dei, et locutus est rex verbum istud, ut peccet, et non reducat eiectum suum?
And the woman said, Why have you had such a thought about the people of God? (for in saying these very words the king has put himself in the wrong because he has not taken back the one whom he sent far away.)
14 Omnes morimur, et quasi aquæ dilabimur in terram, quæ non revertuntur: nec vult Deus perire animam, sed retractat cogitans ne penitus pereat qui abiectus est.
For death comes to us all, and we are like water drained out on the earth, which it is not possible to take up again; and God will not take away the life of the man whose purpose is that he who has been sent away may not be completely cut off from him.
15 Nunc igitur veni, ut loquar ad dominum meum regem verbum hoc, præsente populo. Et dixit ancilla tua: Loquar ad regem, si quo modo faciat rex verbum ancillæ suæ.
And now it is my fear of the people which has made me come to say these words to my lord the king: and your servant said, I will put my cause before the king, and it may be that he will give effect to my request.
16 Et audivit rex, ut liberaret ancillam suam de manu omnium, qui volebant de hereditate Dei delere me, et filium meum simul.
For the king will give ear, and take his servant out of the power of the man whose purpose is the destruction of me and my son together from the heritage of God.
17 Dicat ergo ancilla tua, ut fiat verbum domini mei regis sicut sacrificium. Sicut enim Angelus Dei, sic est dominus meus rex, ut nec benedictione, nec maledictione moveatur: unde et Dominus Deus tuus est tecum.
Then your servant said, May the word of my lord the king give me peace! for my lord the king is as the angel of God in his hearing of good and bad: and may the Lord your God be with you!
18 Et respondens rex, dixit ad mulierem: Ne abscondas a me verbum, quod te interrogo. Dixitque ei mulier: Loquere domine mi rex.
Then the king said to the woman, Now give me an answer to the question I am going to put to you; keep nothing back. And the woman said, Let my lord the king say on.
19 Et ait rex: Numquid manus Ioab tecum est in omnibus istis? Respondit mulier, et ait: Per salutem animæ tuæ, domine mi rex, nec ad sinistram, nec ad dexteram est ex omnibus his, quæ locutus est dominus meus rex: servus enim tuus Ioab, ipse præcepit mihi, et ipse posuit in os ancillæ tuæ omnia verba hæc,
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman in answer said, By the life of your soul, my lord the king, it is not possible for anyone to go to the right hand or to the left from anything said by the king: your servant Joab gave me orders, and put all these words in my mouth:
20 ut verterem figuram sermonis huius, servus tuus Ioab præcepit istud: tu autem domine mi rex, sapiens es, sicut habet sapientiam Angelus Dei, ut intelligas omnia super terram.
This he did, hoping that the face of this business might be changed: and my lord is wise, with the wisdom of the angel of God, having knowledge of everything on earth.
21 Et ait rex ad Ioab: Ecce placatus feci verbum tuum: vade ergo, et revoca puerum Absalom.
And the king said to Joab, See now, I will do this thing: go then and Come back with the young man Absalom.
22 Cadensque Ioab super faciem suam in terram, adoravit, et benedixit regi: et dixit Ioab: Hodie intellexit sevus tuus, quia inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, domine mi rex: fecisti enim sermonem servi tui.
Then Joab, falling down on his face on the earth, gave the king honour and blessing; and Joab said, Today it is clear to your servant that I have grace in your eyes, my lord king, because the king has given effect to the request of his servant.
23 Surrexit ergo Ioab et abiit in Gessur, et adduxit Absalom in Ierusalem.
So Joab got up and went to Geshur and came back again to Jerusalem with Absalom.
24 Dixit autem rex: Revertatur in domum suam, et faciem meam non videat. Reversus est itaque Absalom in domum suam, et faciem regis non vidit.
And the king said, Let him go to his house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom went back to his house and did not see the face of the king.
25 Porro sicut Absalom, vir non erat pulcher in omni Israel, et decorus nimis: a vestigio pedis usque ad verticem non erat in eo ulla macula.
Now in all Israel there was no one so greatly to be praised for his beautiful form as Absalom: from his feet to the crown of his head he was completely beautiful.
26 Et quando tondebat capillum (semel autem in anno tondebatur, quia gravabat eum cæsaries) ponderabat capillos capitis sui ducentis siclis, pondere publico.
And when he had his hair cut, (which he did at the end of every year, because of the weight of his hair; ) the weight of the hair was two hundred shekels by the king's weight.
27 Nati sunt autem Absalom filii tres: et filia una nomine Thamar, elegantis formæ.
And Absalom was the father of three sons and of one daughter named Tamar, who was very beautiful.
28 Mansitque Absalom in Ierusalem duobus annis, et faciem regis non vidit.
For two full years Absalom was living in Jerusalem without ever seeing the face of the king.
29 Misit itaque ad Ioab, ut mitteret eum ad regem: qui noluit venire ad eum. Cumque secundo misisset, et ille noluisset venire ad eum,
Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
30 dixit servis suis: Scitis agrum Ioab iuxta agrum meum, habentem messem hordei: ite igitur, et succendite eum igni. Succenderunt ergo servi Absalom segetem igni. Et venientes servi Ioab, scissis vestibus suis, dixerunt: Succenderunt servi Absalom partem agri igni.
So he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley in it; go and put it on fire. And Absalom's servants put the field on fire.
31 Surrexitque Ioab, et venit ad Absalom in domum eius, et dixit: Quare succenderunt servi tui segetem meam igni?
Then Joab came to Absalom in his house and said to him, Why have your servants put my field on fire?
32 Et respondit Absalom ad Ioab: Misi ad te obsecrans ut venires ad me, et mitterem te ad regem, et diceres ei: Quare veni de Gessur? Melius mihi erat ibi esse: obsecro ergo ut videam faciem regis: quod si memor est iniquitatis meæ, interficiat me.
And Absalom's answer was, See, I sent to you saying, Come here, so that I may send you to the king to say, Why have I come back from Geshur? it would be better for me to be there still: let me now see the king's face, and if there is any sin in me, let him put me to death.
33 Ingressus itaque Ioab ad regem, nunciavit ei omnia: vocatusque est Absalom, et intravit ad regem, et adoravit super faciem terræ coram eo: osculatusque est rex Absalom.
So Joab went to the king and said these words to him: and when the king had sent for him, Absalom came, and went down on his face on the earth before the king: and the king gave him a kiss.
