2 Samuel 14

1 Joab, hijo de Sarvia, sabía que el rey seguía pensando en Absalón.

And Joab the son of Saruia knew that the heart of the king was toward Abessalom.

2 Entonces Joab envió un mensajero a Tecoa para que trajera a una mujer sabia que vivía allí. Y le dijo: “Finge estar de luto. Ponte ropa de luto y no uses aceites perfumados. Ponte como una mujer que lleva mucho tiempo de luto por los muertos.

And Joab sent to Thecoe, and took thence a cunning woman, and said to her, Mourn, I pray you, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint you not with oil, and you shall be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus for many days.

3 Luego ve al rey y dile esto”. Entonces Joab le indicó lo que debía decir.

And you shall go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 Cuando la mujer de Tecoa fue a ver al rey, se inclinó hacia el suelo en señal de respeto y dijo: “¡Por favor, ayúdeme, Su Majestad!”

So the woman of Thecoe went in to the king and fell upon her face to the earth, and did him obeisance, and said, Help, O king, help.

5 “¿Qué pasa?”, le preguntó el rey. “Lamentablemente soy viuda. Mi marido ha muerto”, respondió ella.

And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

6 “Su Majestad, yo tenía dos hijos. Se pelearon fuera, y no había nadie para detenerlos. Uno de ellos golpeó al otro y lo mató.

And moreover your handmaid had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one struck the other his brother, and killed him.

7 Ahora toda la familia está en mi contra, y me dicen: ‘Entrega a tu hijo, que ha matado a su hermano, para que lo condenemos a muerte por haber asesinado a su hermano. Así tampoco heredará nada’. Con esto apagarían el último tizón de esperanza que tengo para continuar con el nombre de mi marido y su familia en el mundo”.

And behold the whole family rose up against your handmaid, and they said, Give up the one that struck his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and we will take away even your heir: so they will quench my coal that is left, so as not to leave my husband remnant or name on the face of the earth.

8 “Vete a casa”, le dijo el rey a la mujer, “y yo mismo me encargaré de que se resuelva tu caso”.

And the king said to the woman, Go in peace to your house, and I will give commandment concerning you.

9 “Gracias, Su Majestad”, dijo la mujer. “Yo y mi familia asumiremos la culpa, y que Su Majestad y su familia sean considerados inocentes”.

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

10 “Si alguien se queja de ello, tráemelo aquí y no volverá a molestarte”, le dijo el rey.

And the king said, Who was it that spoke to you? you shall even bring him to me, and [one] shall not touch him any more.

11 “Por favor, Majestad”, continuó la mujer, “¡jura por el Señor, tu Dios, que impedirás que la persona que quiere vengar el asesinato lo empeore matando a mi hijo!” “Vive el Señor”, prometió, “ni un solo pelo de la cabeza de tu hijo caerá al suelo”.

And she said, Let now the king remember concerning his Lord God in that the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and let them not take away my son. And he said, [As] the lord lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground.

12 “¿Podría pedir otra cosa, Su Majestad?”, preguntó la mujer. “Adelante”, respondió él.

And the woman said, Let now your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

13 “¿Por qué has tramado algo similar contra el pueblo de Dios?”, preguntó la mujer. “Ya que Su Majestad acaba de decidir mi caso por lo que dijo, ¿no se ha condenado a sí mismo porque se niega a traer de vuelta al hijo que desterró?

And the woman said, Why have you devised this thing against the people of God? or [is] this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression, so that the king should not bring back his banished?

14 Sí, todos tenemos que morir. Somos como el agua derramada en el suelo que no se puede volver a recoger. Pero eso no es lo que hace Dios. Por el contrario, él obra para que todo aquel que es desterrado pueda volver a casa con él.

For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as he devises to thrust forth from him his outcast.

15 Por eso he venido a explicarle esto a Su Majestad, porque alguien me ha asustado. Así que he pensado que es mejor hablar con el rey, y que tal vez me conceda mi petición.

And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, [the reason is] that the people will see me, and your handmaid will say, Let one now speak to my lord the king, if perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid;

16 Tal vez el rey me escuche y me salve del hombre que quiere separarnos a mí y a mi hijo del pueblo elegido por Dios.

for the king will hear. Let him rescue his handmaid out of the hand of the man that seeks to cast out me and my son from the inheritance of God.

17 Y pensé: ‘Que lo que diga Su Majestad me traiga la paz, pues Su Majestad es capaz de distinguir entre el bien y el mal, como un ángel de Dios. Que el Señor, tu Dios, esté contigo’”.

And the woman said, If now the word of my lord the king be gracious, —[well]: for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king, to hear good and evil: and the Lord your God shall be with you.

18 “Por favor, no te niegues a responder a la pregunta que voy a hacer”, le dijo el rey a la mujer. “Por favor, haga su pregunta, Su Majestad”, respondió ella.

And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray you, the matter which I ask you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king by all means speak.

19 “¿Todo esto es obra de Joab?”, preguntó el rey. La mujer respondió: “Como usted vive, Su Majestad, nadie puede ocultarle nada. Sí, fue Joab, tu oficial, quien me ordenó hacer esto; me dijo exactamente lo que tenía que decir.

And the king said, [Is] not the hand of Joab in all this matter with you? and the woman said to the king, [As] your soul lives, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

20 Lo hizo para mostrar el otro lado de la situación, pero Su Majestad es tan sabio como un ángel de Dios, y usted sabe todo lo que sucede en este país”.

In order that this form of speech might come about [it was] that your servant Joab has framed this matter: and my lord is wise as [is] the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

21 El rey le dijo a Joab: “Bien, lo haré. Ve y trae de vuelta al joven Absalón”.

And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done to you according to this your word: go, bring back the young man Abessalom.

22 Joab se inclinó con el rostro hacia el suelo en señal de respeto y bendijo al rey. “Hoy”, dijo Joab, “yo, tu siervo, sé que me apruebas, Su Majestad, porque has concedido mi petición”.

And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king, for my lord the king has performed the request of his servant.

23 Joab fue a Gesur y trajo a Absalón de vuelta a Jerusalén.

And Joab arose, and went to Gedsur, and brought Abessalom to Jerusalem.

24 Pero el rey dio esta orden: “Puede volver a su casa, pero no debe venir a verme”. Así que Absalón volvió a su casa, pero no fue a ver al rey.

And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face. And Abessalom returned to his house, and saw not the king's face.

25 Absalón era admirado como el hombre más apuesto de todo Israel. No tenía ni un solo defecto de la cabeza a los pies.

And there was not a man in Israel so very comely as Abessalom: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 Se cortaba el pelo todos los años porque se le ponía muy pesado: pesaba doscientos siclos reales.

And when he polled his head, (and it was at the beginning of every year that he polled it, because it grew, heavy upon him, ) even when he polled it, he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels according to the royal shekel.

27 Tenía tres hijos y una hija llamada Tamar, una mujer muy hermosa.

And there were born to Abessalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Themar: she was a very beautiful woman, and she becomes the wife of Roboam son of Solomon, and she bears to him Abia.

28 Absalón vivió en Jerusalén durante dos años, pero no se le permitió ver al rey.

And Abessalom remained in Jerusalem two full years, and he saw not the king's face.

29 Absalón llamó a Joab para que le permitiera ver al rey, para que Joab lo enviara al rey, pero Joab se negó a ir. Absalón volvió a llamar a Joab, pero éste siguió sin venir.

And Abessalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would not come to him: and he sent to him the second time, and he would not come.

30 Entonces Absalón les dijo a sus siervos: “Miren, el campo de Joab está al lado del mío, y tiene cebada creciendo allí. Vayan y préndanle fuego”. Los siervos de Absalón fueron y prendieron fuego al campo.

And Abessalom said to his servants, Behold, Joab's portion in the field [is] next to mine, and he has in it barley; go and set it on fire. And the servants of Abessalom set the field on fire: and the servants of Joab come to him with their clothes tore, and they said to him, The servants of Abessalom have set the field on fire.

31 Joab fue a la casa de Absalón y preguntó: “¿Por qué tus siervos incendiaron mi campo?”.

And Joab arose, and came to Abessalom into the house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?

32 “Mira” – dijo Absalón, – “te he mandado llamar diciendo: ‘Ven aquí. Quiero que vayas a ver al rey y le preguntes: ¿Por qué me he molestado en volver de Gesur? Hubiera sido mejor que me quedara allí’. Así que ve y haz que me vea el rey, y si soy culpable de algo, que me mate”.

And Abessalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come hither, and I will send you to the king, saying, Why did I come out of Gedsur? it would have been better for me to have remained there: and now, behold, I have not seen the face of the king; but if there is iniquity in me, then put me to death.

33 Así que Joab fue y le contó al rey lo que Absalón había dicho. Entonces David llamó a Absalón, quien vino y se inclinó con el rostro en el suelo ante él en señal de respeto. Entonces el rey besó a Absalón.

And Joab went in to the king, and brought him word: and he called Abessalom, and he went in to the king, and did him obeisance, and fell upon his face to the ground, even in the presence of the king; and the king kissed Abessalom.