Ii Samuelis 14

1 Intelligens autem Ioab filius Sarviæ, quod cor regis versum esset ad Absalom,

Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart desired to see 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:

So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought to him. He said to her, “Please pretend you are a mourner and put on mourning clothes. Please do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead.

3 et ingredieris ad regem, et loqueris ad eum sermones huiuscemodi. Posuit autem Ioab verba in ore eius.

Then go to the king and speak to him about what I will describe.” So Joab told her the words she was to say to the king.

4 Itaque cum ingressa fuisset mulier Thecuitis ad regem, cecidit coram eo super terram, et adoravit, et dixit: Serva me rex.

When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she lay facedown on the ground and said, “Help me, king.”

5 Et ait ad eam rex: Quid causæ habes? Quæ respondit: Heu, mulier vidua ego sum: mortuus est enim vir meus.

The king said to her, “What is wrong?” She answered, “The truth is that 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.

I, your servant, had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.

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.

Now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, 'Give into our hand the man who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death, to pay for the life of his brother whom he killed.' So they would also destroy the heir. Thus they will put out the burning coal that I have left, and they will leave for my husband neither name nor descendant on the surface of the earth.”

8 Et ait rex ad mulierem: Vade in domum tuam, et ego iubebo pro te.

So the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will command something to be done for you.”

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.

The woman of Tekoa replied to the king, “My master, king, may the guilt be on me and on my father's family. The king and his throne are guiltless.”

10 Et ait rex: Qui contradixerit tibi, adduc eum ad me, et ultra non addet ut tangat te.

The king replied, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.”

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, “Please, may the king call to mind Yahweh your God, so that the avenger of blood will not destroy anyone further, so that they will not destroy my son.” The king replied, “As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

12 Dixit ergo mulier: Loquatur ancilla tua ad dominum meum regem verbum. Et ait: Loquere.

Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a further word to my master the king.” He said, “Speak on.”

13 Dixitque mulier: Quare cogitasti huiuscemodi rem contra populum Dei, et locutus est rex verbum istud, ut peccet, et non reducat eiectum suum?

So the woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in saying this thing, the king is like someone who is guilty, because the king has not brought back home again his banished son.

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 we all must die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life; instead, he finds a way for those who were driven away to be restored.

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.

Now then, seeing that I have come to speak this thing to my master the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. So your servant said to herself, 'I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.

16 Et audivit rex, ut liberaret ancillam suam de manu omnium, qui volebant de hereditate Dei delere me, et filium meum simul.

Perhaps the king will listen to me and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together, out of the inheritance God gave us.'

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 prayed, 'Yahweh, please let the word of my master the king give me relief, for as an angel of God, so is my master the king in telling good from evil.' May Yahweh 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 answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I will ask you.” The woman replied, “Let my master the king now speak.”

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,

The king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As you live, my master the king, no one can escape to the right hand or to the left from anything that my master the king has spoken. It was your servant Joab who commanded me and told me to say these things that your servant has spoken.

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.

Your servant Joab has done this to change the course of what is happening. My master is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God, and he knows everything that is happening in the land.”

21 Et ait rex ad Ioab: Ecce placatus feci verbum tuum: vade ergo, et revoca puerum Absalom.

So the king said to Joab, “Look now, I will do this thing. Go then, and bring the young man Absalom back.”

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.

So Joab lay facedown on the ground in honor and gratitude to the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my master, king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.”

23 Surrexit ergo Ioab et abiit in Gessur, et adduxit Absalom in Ierusalem.

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

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.

The king said, “He may return to his own house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.

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 praised for his handsomeness more than Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 Et quando tondebat capillum (semel autem in anno tondebatur, quia gravabat eum cæsaries) ponderabat capillos capitis sui ducentis siclis, pondere publico.

When he cut the hair of his head at the end of every year, because it was heavy on him, he weighed his hair; it would weigh about two hundred shekels, which is measured by the weight of the king's standard.

27 Nati sunt autem Absalom filii tres: et filia una nomine Thamar, elegantis formæ.

To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

28 Mansitque Absalom in Ierusalem duobus annis, et faciem regis non vidit.

Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without seeing the king's face.

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 word for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. So Absalom sent word a second time, but Joab still did 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 Absalom said to his servants, “See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set 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 arose and came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set 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.

Absalom answered Joab, “Look, I sent word to you saying, 'Come here so I may send you to the king to say, “Why did I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me see the king's face, and if I am guilty, let him kill me.”'”

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 told him. When the king called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed low to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.