Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king longed for Absalom in his heart,

And he sent messengers to Tikoa, and called a wise woman from there, saying to her, Pretend to be mourning, put on mourning clothes, do not anoint yourself, but pretend to be a woman who mourns for a long time.

Go in to meet the king and say this to him. So Joab taught the woman what to say.

The woman of Tikoa came to the king and prostrated herself on the ground, saying, “O king, please save me.”.

Wang asked her, “What’s up with you?”? She replied, “The maid is indeed a widow, and my husband has died.”.

I have two sons who were fighting in the field all day without anyone to persuade me, so I killed one of them.

Now the whole family has risen up and attacked the maidservant, saying, Give up the one who killed his brother, so that we can put him to death, repay him for killing his brother, and destroy the one who inherited the inheritance. In this way, they will extinguish all the remaining charcoal from me and leave no name with my husband in this world.

The king said to the woman, “Go home.”. I will give orders for you.

And the woman of Tikoa said to the king, My lord the king, may this sin be on me and my father’s house, and have nothing to do with the king and his throne.

The king said, Whatever troubles you, bring him to me, and he will no longer disturb you.

The woman said, May the king remember the Lord your God, and not let the avenger of blood destroy him, or they may destroy my son. The king said, As the living Lord liveth, not a single hair of your son shall fall to the ground.

The woman said, “My lord, the king, let my servant say one more word.”. Wang said, speak up.

The woman said, Why did the king also intend to harm the people of God? If the king does not bring back the fugitive, his words will prove himself wrong.

We are all destined to die, like water splashed on the ground that cannot be retrieved. God does not take people’s lives, but tries to prevent those who flee from becoming unable to be driven back.

I came to tell this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. The maid thought, why not tell the king these words, or perhaps the king will fulfill what the maid asked for.

Man will destroy me and my son together from God’s inheritance, and the king will answer and rescue me from his hands.

The maid thought again, “My lord the king’s words will comfort me.”. Because my lord the king is able to discern right from wrong, just like the messengers of God. May the Lord your God be with you.

The king said to the woman, ‘I have a question for you, don’t hide anything from me.’. The woman said, May my lord the king speak.

The king said, Are these words not Joab’s idea? The woman said, I swear before my lord the king that his words are right, not turning to the right or to the left, as Joab the king’s servant commanded me. He taught me these words.

King’s servant Joab did this to save this matter. My Lord’s wisdom is like the wisdom of an angel of God, able to know all things in the world.

The king said to Joab, I have agreed to this matter with you. You can go and bring back the young man Absalom.

And Joab bowed down to the ground with his face, giving thanks to the king, and said, Since the king has agreed to my servant’s request, my servant knows today that he has found favor in the sight of my lord the king.

So Joab got up and went to Geshur, bringing Absalom back to Jerusalem.

The king said, Let him go back to his own house and not see my face. Absalom returned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.

There is no one in all Israel who is as beautiful and praised as Absalom, without any blemish from the soles of his feet to his head.

His hair is very heavy, and he cuts it every year at the end of the year. What was cut off was weighed according to the king’s scale, weighing two hundred shekels.

Absalom gave birth to three sons and one daughter. My daughter’s name is Tama, she is a handsome woman.

Absalom lived in Jerusalem for a full two years and did not see the king’s face.

Absalom sent someone to call Joab to bring him to the king, but Joab refused to come. The second time someone was sent to call him, he still refused to come.

So Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab has a field that is close to mine, with barley in it. Go and set it on fire.”. So Absalom’s servants went and set fire to the field.

So Joab got up and went to Absalom’s house, asking him, “Why did your servant set fire to my field?”?

Absalom replied to Joab, “I have sent someone to invite you, so that you can go to the king and say on my behalf, ‘Why have I returned from Geshur?'”? Why not stay there. Now allow me to meet the king. If I am guilty, let the king kill me.

So Joab went to the king and reported these words to him, and the king called Absalom. Absalom came to the king and fell to the ground before him, and the king kissed him.