撒母耳記下 14

1 洗魯雅的兒子約押，知道王心裏想念押沙龍，

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

2 就打發人往提哥亞去，從那裏叫了一個聰明的婦人來，對她說：「請你假裝居喪的，穿上孝衣，不要用膏抹身，要裝作為死者許久悲哀的婦人；

And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman who has a long time mourned for the dead.

3 進去見王，對王如此如此說。」於是約押將當說的話教導了婦人。

And go in to the king, and speak on this manner to him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 提哥亞婦人到王面前，伏地叩拜，說：「王啊，求你拯救！」

And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.

5 王問她說：「你有甚麼事呢？」回答說：「婢女實在是寡婦，我丈夫死了。

And the king said to her, What troubles thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

6 我有兩個兒子，一日在田間爭鬥，沒有人解勸，這個就打死那個。

And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him.

7 現在全家的人都起來攻擊婢女，說：『你將那打死兄弟的交出來，我們好治死他，償他打死兄弟的命，滅絕那承受家業的。』這樣，他們要將我剩下的炭火滅盡，不與我丈夫留名留後在世上。」

And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

8 王對婦人說：「你回家去吧！我必為你下令。」

And the king said to the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

9 提哥亞婦人又對王說：「我主我王，願這罪歸我和我父家，與王和王的位無干。」

And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.

10 王說：「凡難為你的，你就帶他到我這裏來，他必不再攪擾你。」

And the king said, Whoever says anything to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

11 婦人說：「願王記念耶和華－你的上帝，不許報血仇的人施行滅絕，恐怕他們滅絕我的兒子。」王說：「我指着永生的耶和華起誓：你的兒子連一根頭髮也不致落在地上。」

Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood not destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah lives, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

12 婦人說：「求我主我王容婢女再說一句話。」王說：「你說吧！」

Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

13 婦人說：「王為何也起意要害上帝的民呢？王不使那逃亡的人回來，王的這話就是自證己錯了！

And the woman said, Why then have thou devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as he who is guilty, in that the king does not fetch home again his banished one.

14 我們都是必死的，如同水潑在地上，不能收回。上帝並不奪取人的性命，乃設法使逃亡的人不致成為趕出、回不來的。

For we must die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, neither does God take away life, but devises means that he who is banished be not an outcast from him.

15 我來將這話告訴我主我王，是因百姓使我懼怕。婢女想，不如將這話告訴王，或者王成就婢女所求的。

Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. And thy handmaid said, I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.

16 人要將我和我兒子從上帝的地業上一同除滅，王必應允救我脫離他的手。

For the king will hear to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

17 婢女又想，我主我王的話必安慰我；因為我主我王能辨別是非，如同上帝的使者一樣。惟願耶和華－你的上帝與你同在！」

Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be gracious, for as an agent of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. And Jehovah thy God be with thee.

18 王對婦人說：「我要問你一句話，你一點不要瞞我。」婦人說：「願我主我王說。」

Then the king answered and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, anything that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

19 王說：「你這些話莫非是約押的主意嗎？」婦人說：「我敢在我主我王面前起誓：王的話正對，不偏左右，是王的僕人約押吩咐我的，這些話是他教導我的。

And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken, for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid.

20 王的僕人約押如此行，為要挽回這事。我主的智慧卻如上帝使者的智慧，能知世上一切事。」

Thy servant Joab has done this thing to change the face of the matter. And my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an agent of God, to know all things that are on the earth.

21 王對約押說：「我應允你這事。你可以去，把那少年人押沙龍帶回來。」

And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing. Go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.

22 約押就面伏於地叩拜，祝謝於王，又說：「王既應允僕人所求的，僕人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩了。」

And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today thy servant knows that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.

23 於是約押起身往基述去，將押沙龍帶回耶路撒冷。

So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 王說：「使他回自己家裏去，不要見我的面。」押沙龍就回自己家裏去，沒有見王的面。

And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and did not see the king's face.

25 以色列全地之中，無人像押沙龍那樣俊美，得人的稱讚，從腳底到頭頂毫無瑕疵。

Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 他的頭髮甚重，每到年底剪髮一次；所剪下來的，按王的平稱一稱，重二百舍客勒。

And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight.

27 押沙龍生了三個兒子，一個女兒。女兒名叫她瑪，是個容貌俊美的女子。

And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of a fair countenance.

28 押沙龍住在耶路撒冷足有二年，沒有見王的面。

And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the king's face.

29 押沙龍打發人去叫約押來，要託他去見王，約押卻不肯來。第二次打發人去叫他，他仍不肯來。

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 所以押沙龍對僕人說：「你們看，約押有一塊田，與我的田相近，其中有大麥，你們去放火燒了。」押沙龍的僕人就去放火燒了那田。

Therefore he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

31 於是約押起來，到了押沙龍家裏，問他說：「你的僕人為何放火燒了我的田呢？」

Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my field on fire?

32 押沙龍回答約押說：「我打發人去請你來，好託你去見王，替我說：『我為何從基述回來呢？不如仍在那裏。』現在要許我見王的面；我若有罪，任憑王殺我就是了。」

And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It were better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me see the king's face, and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.

33 於是約押去見王，將這話奏告王，王便叫押沙龍來。押沙龍來見王，在王面前俯伏於地，王就與押沙龍親嘴。

So Joab came to the king, and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.