Now Joabthe sonof Zeruiahperceivedthatthe king's heart was towardAbsalom. And Joabsentto Tekoah, and fetchedthencea wisewoman, and saiduntoher, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put onnowmourningapparel, and anointnotthyself with oil, but beas a womanthathad a longtimemournedforthe dead: And cometothe king, and speakonthismanneruntohim. So Joabputthe wordsin her mouth. And when the womanof Tekoahspoketothe king, she fellonher faceto the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. And the kingsaidunto her, Whataileth thee? And she answered, I am indeeda widowwoman, and mine husbandis dead. And thy handmaidhad twosons, and they twostrove togetherin the field, and there was noneto partthem, but the onesmotethe other, and slewhim. And, behold, the wholefamilyis risenagainstthine handmaid, and they said, Deliverhim that smotehis brother, that we may killhim, for the lifeof his brotherwhomhe slew; and we will destroythe heiralso: and so they shall quenchmy coalwhichis left, and shall notleaveto my husband neither namenor remainderuponthe earth. And the kingsaiduntothe woman, Goto thine house, and Iwill give chargeconcerningthee. And the womanof Tekoahsaiduntothe king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be onme, and onmy father's house: and the kingand his throne be guiltless. And the kingsaid, Whosoever saith aught untothee, bringhim tome, and he shall nottouchthee anymore. Then saidshe, I pray thee, let the kingrememberthe LORDthy God, that thou wouldest notsuffer the revengersof bloodto destroyany more, lest they destroymy son. And he said, As the LORDliveth, there shall notone hairof thy sonfallto the earth. Then the womansaid, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one worduntomy lordthe king. And he said, Say on. And the womansaid, Whereforethen hast thou thoughtsucha thing againstthe peopleof God? for the kingdoth speakthisthingas one which is faulty, in that the kingdoth notfetch home againhis banished. Forwe must needs die, and are as waterspilton the ground, whichcannotbe gathered upagain; neitherdoth Godrespect any person: yet doth he devisemeans, that his banishedbe not expelledfromhim. Nowtherefore thatI am cometo speakof thisthinguntomy lordthe king, it is becausethe peoplehave made me afraid: and thy handmaidsaid, I will nowspeakuntothe king; it may bethat the kingwill performthe requestof his handmaid. Forthe kingwill hear, to deliverhis handmaidout of the handof the man that would destroyme and my sontogetherout of the inheritanceof God. Then thine handmaidsaid, The wordof my lordthe kingshall nowbecomfortable: foras an angelof God, so is my lordthe kingto discerngoodand bad: therefore the LORDthy Godwill bewiththee. Then the kingansweredand saiduntothe woman, Hidenotfromme, I pray thee, the thingthatIshall askthee. And the womansaid, Let my lordthe kingnowspeak. And the kingsaid, Is not the handof Joabwiththee in allthis? And the womanansweredand said, As thy soulliveth, my lordthe king, none can turnto the righthand or to the leftfrom aughtthatmy lordthe kinghath spoken: forthy servantJoab, hebademe, and heputallthesewordsin the mouthof thine handmaid: Tofetch aboutthis formof speechhath thy servantJoabdonethisthing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdomof an angelof God, to knowall things that are in the earth. And the kingsaiduntoJoab, Beholdnow, I have donethisthing: gotherefore, bringthe young manAbsalomagain. And Joabfellto the groundonhis face, and bowed himself, and thankedthe king: and Joabsaid, Todaythy servantknoweththatI have foundgracein thy sight, my lord, O king, in thatthe kinghath fulfilledthe requestof his servant. So Joabaroseand wentto Geshur, and broughtAbsalomto Jerusalem. And the kingsaid, Let him turntohis own house, and let him notseemy face. So Absalomreturnedtohis own house, and sawnotthe king's face. But in allIsraelthere wasnoneto be so muchpraisedas Absalomfor his beauty: from the soleof his footeven tothe crown of his headthere wasnoblemishin him. And when he polledhis head, (for it wasat every year's endthathe polled it : because the hair was heavyonhim, therefore he polledit:) he weighedthe hairof his headat two hundredshekelsafter the king's weight. And unto Absalomthere were bornthreesons, and onedaughter, whose name was Tamar: shewasa womanof a faircountenance. So Absalomdwelttwo full yearsin Jerusalem, and sawnotthe king's face. Therefore AbsalomsentforJoab, to have senthim tothe king; but he wouldnotcometohim: and when he sentagainthe second time, he wouldnotcome. Therefore he saiduntohis servants, See, Joab's fieldis nearmine, and he hath barleythere; goand setit on fire. And Absalom's servantssetthe fieldon fire. Then Joabarose, and cametoAbsalomunto his house, and saiduntohim, Whereforehave thy servantssetmy fieldon fire? And AbsalomansweredJoab, Behold, I sentuntothee, saying, Comehither, that I may sendthee tothe king, to say, Wherefoream Icomefrom Geshur? it had been goodfor me to have been therestill: nowtherefore let me seethe king's face; and ifthere be any iniquityin me, let him killme. So Joabcametothe king, and toldhim: and when he had calledforAbsalom, he cametothe king, and bowedhimself onhis faceto the groundbeforethe king: and the kingkissedAbsalom.