2 Samuel 14

1 Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the heart of the king had been turned toward Absalom,

Y conociendo Joab, hijo de Sarvia, que el corazón del rey estaba con Absalom,

2 so he sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her: “Feign that you are in mourning, and put on the clothing of one who mourns. And do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you may be like a woman who is still grieving for someone who died some time ago.

Envió Joab a Tecua, y tomó de allá una mujer astuta, y le dijo: Yo te ruego que te enlutes, y te vistas de ropas de luto, y no te unjas con óleo, antes sé como una mujer que ha mucho tiempo que trae luto por algún muerto.

3 And you shall enter to the king, and you shall speak words to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

Y entrando al rey, habla con él de esta manera. Entonces puso Joab las palabras en su boca.

4 And so, when the woman of Tekoa had entered to the king, she fell before him on the ground, and she reverenced, and she said, “Save me, O king.”

Entró pues aquella mujer de Tecua al rey, y postrándose sobre su rostro en tierra hizo reverencia, y dijo: Oh rey, salva.

5 And the king said to her, “What problem do you have?” And she responded: “Alas, I am a woman who is a widow. For my husband has died.

Y el rey le dijo: ¿Qué has? Y ella respondió: Yo soy de cierto una mujer viuda, y mi marido es muerto.

6 And your handmaid had two sons. And they quarreled against one another in the field. And there was no one there who would be able to stop them. And one struck the other, and killed him.

Y tu sierva tenía dos hijos, y los dos riñeron en el campo: y no habiendo quien los despartiese, hirió el uno al otro, y le mató.

7 And behold, the whole family, rising up against your handmaid, said: ‘Deliver him who struck down his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and so that we may do away with the heir.’ And they are seeking to extinguish my spark that is left, so that there may not survive a name for my husband, nor a remnant upon the earth.”

Y, he aquí, toda la parentela se ha levantado contra tu sierva, diciendo: Entrega al que mató a su hermano, para que le matemos por la vida de su hermano, a quien él mató; y quitemos también el heredero. Así apagarán el ascua que me ha quedado, no dejando a mi marido nombre ni reliquia sobre la tierra.

8 And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”

Entonces el rey dijo a la mujer. Vete a tu casa, que yo mandaré acerca de ti.

9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “May the iniquity be upon me, my lord, and upon the house of my father. But may the king and his throne be innocent.”

Y la mujer de Tecua dijo al rey: Rey, señor mío, la maldad sea sobre mí, y sobre la casa de mi padre; y el rey y su trono sea sin culpa.

10 And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”

Y el rey dijo: Al que hablare contra ti, tráele a mí, que no te tocará más.

11 And she said, “Let the king remember the Lord his God, so that close blood relatives may not be multiplied in order to take revenge, and so that they may by no means kill my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair from your son shall fall to the ground.”

Y ella dijo: Yo te ruego, oh rey, que te acuerdes de Jehová tu Dios, que no hagas multiplicar los vengadores de la sangre, para echar a perder y destruir a mi hijo. Y él respondió: Vive Jehová, que no caerá ni aun un cabello de la cabeza de tu hijo en tierra.

12 Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

Y la mujer dijo: Yo te ruego que hable tu criada una palabra a mi señor el rey. Y él dijo: Habla.

13 And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?

Entonces la mujer dijo: ¿Por qué pues piensas tú otro tanto contra el pueblo de Dios? que hablando el rey esta palabra es como culpado: por cuanto el rey no hace volver su fugitivo.

14 We are all dying, and we are all like waters that flow into the ground and do not return. God does not will to lose a soul. Instead, he renews his efforts, thinking that what has been rejected might not perish altogether.

Porque muriendo morimos, y somos como aguas derramadas por tierra, que nunca más son tornadas a coger, ni Dios le quitará la vida: mas piensa pensamientos para no echar de sí al desechado.

15 Therefore, now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, in the presence of the people. And your handmaid said: I will speak to the king, for perhaps there may be some way for the king to accomplish the word of his handmaid.

Y que yo he venido ahora para decir esto al rey, mi señor, es porque el pueblo me ha puesto miedo. Mas tu sierva dijo en sí: Ahora yo hablaré al rey, quizá hará el rey la palabra de su sierva.

16 And the king listened, and he freed his handmaid from the hand of all who were willing to take away me and my son together, from the inheritance of God.

Porque el rey oirá para librar a su sierva de mano del hombre que me quiere raer a mí y a mi hijo juntamente de la heredad de Dios.

17 Therefore, let your handmaid speak, so that the word of my lord the king may be like a sacrifice. For even like an Angel of God, so is my lord the king, so that he is moved by neither a blessing, nor a curse. Then too, the Lord your God is with you.”

Tu sierva pues dice: Que sea ahora la palabra de mi señor el rey para descanso: pues que mi señor el rey es como un ángel de Dios para escuchar lo bueno y lo malo; y Jehová tu Dios sea contigo.

18 And in response, the king said to the woman, “You shall not conceal from me a word of what I ask you.” And the woman said to him, “Speak, my lord the king.”

Entonces el rey respondió, y dijo a la mujer: Yo te ruego que no me encubras nada de lo que yo te preguntare. Y la mujer dijo: Diga mi señor el rey.

19 And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “By the welfare of your soul, my lord the king, it is neither to the left, nor to the right, in all these things that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab himself instructed me, and he himself placed all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

Y el rey dijo: ¿No ha sido la mano de Joab contigo en todas estas cosas? Y la mujer respondió, y dijo: Viva tu alma, rey señor mío, que no hay porque ir a mano derecha, ni a mano izquierda de todo lo que mi señor el rey ha hablado: porque tu siervo Joab él me mandó, y él puso en la boca de tu sierva todas estas palabras.

20 Thus did I turn to this figure of speech, because your servant Joab instructed it. But you, my lord the king, are wise, just as an Angel of God has wisdom, so that you understand all that is upon the earth.”

Y que yo volviese la forma de las palabras, Joab tu siervo lo ha hecho. Mas mi señor es sabio conforme a la sabiduría de un ángel de Dios, para saber lo que se hace en la tierra.

21 And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”

Entonces el rey dijo a Joab: He aquí, yo hago esto. Vé, y haz volver al mozo Absalom.

22 And falling to the ground upon his face, Joab reverenced, and he blessed the king. And Joab said: “Today your servant has understood that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king. For you have accomplished the word of your servant.”

Y Joab se postró en tierra sobre su rostro, e hizo reverencia, y bendijo al rey; y dijo Joab: Hoy ha entendido tu siervo, que he hallado gracia en tus ojos, rey señor mío; pues que ha hecho el rey la palabra de su siervo.

23 Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.

Y levantóse Joab, y fue a Gessur, y volvió a Absalom a Jerusalem.

24 But the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” And so, Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

Y el rey dijo: Váyase a su casa, y no vea mi rostro. Y Absalom se volvió a su casa, y no vio el rostro del rey.

25 Now in all of Israel, there was no man so handsome, and so very stately as Absalom. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there was no blemish in him.

No había varón tan hermoso en todo Israel como Absalom, para alabar en gran manera: desde la planta de su pie hasta la mollera no había en él mácula.

26 And when he shaved off his hair, for he shaved it off once a year, because his long hair was burdensome to him, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, by the public weights.

Y cuando trasquilaba su cabeza (lo cual era cada año al cabo del año, que él se trasquilaba, porque le hacía molestia el cabello, y le trasquilaba, ) pesaba el cabello de su cabeza doscientos siclos de peso real.

27 Then three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, of elegant form, whose name was Tamar.

Y naciéronle a Absalom tres hijos, y una hija que se llamaba Tamar: la cual fue hermosa de ver.

28 And Absalom remained for two years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the face of the king.

Y estuvo Absalom dos años de tiempo en Jerusalem, que nunca vio el rostro del rey.

29 And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,

Y envió Absalom por Joab para enviarle al rey: mas no quiso venir a él; ni aunque envió por él la segunda vez, quiso venir.

30 he said to his servants: “You know that the field of Joab, the one that is near my field, has a harvest of barley. Therefore, go and set it on fire.” And so, the servants of Absalom set fire to the grain field. And the servants of Joab, arriving with their garments torn, said, “The servants of Absalom have set fire to part of the field!”

Entonces dijo a sus siervos: Bien sabéis las tierras de Joab junto a mi lugar, donde tiene sus cebadas: id, y pegádle fuego. Y los siervos de Absalom pegaron fuego a las tierras.

31 And Joab rose up, and he went to Absalom at his house, and he said, “Why have your servants set fire to my grain field?”

Y levantóse Joab, y vino a Absalom a su casa, y díjole: ¿Por qué han puesto fuego tus siervos a mis tierras?

32 And Absalom responded to Joab: “I sent to you, begging that you might come to me, and that I might send you to the king, and that you might say to him: ‘Why was I brought from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there.’ I beg you, therefore, that I may see the face of the king. And if he is mindful of my iniquity, let him put me to death.”

Y Absalom respondió a Joab: He aquí, yo he enviado por ti, diciendo, que vinieses acá, para que yo te enviase al rey, a que le dijeses: ¿Para qué vine de Gessur? Mejor me fuera estarme aun allá. Vea yo ahora la cara del rey: y si hay en mi pecado, máteme.

33 And so, Joab, entering to the king, reported everything to him. And Absalom was summoned. And he entered to the king, and he reverenced on the face of the earth. And the king kissed Absalom.

Vino pues Joab al rey: e hízoselo saber: y llamó a Absalom, el cual vino al rey, e inclinó su rostro a tierra delante del rey: y el rey besó a Absalom.