2Samuel 14

 

וַיֵּדַע יוֹאָב בֶּן־צְרֻיָה כִּי־לֵב הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם׃   14:1

2Sam. 14:1   Now Joab son of Zeruiah understood that the heart of the king was with Absalom.

וַיִּשְׁלַח יוֹאָב תְּקוֹעָה וַיִּקַּח מִשָּׁם אִשָּׁה חֲכָמָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ הִתְאַבְּלִי־נָא וְלִבְשִׁי־נָא בִגְדֵי־אֵבֶל   14:2 וְאַל־תָּסוּכִי שֶׁמֶן וְהָיִית כְּאִשָּׁה זֶה יָמִים רַבִּים מִתְאַבֶּלֶת עַל־מֵת׃

2Sam. 14:2   So Joab sent to Tekoa and got a wise woman from there, and he said to her, ‘Be a mourner, I pray you, and put on, I pray you, clothes of mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil, and become like a woman who is mourning this many days over a death,

וּבָאת אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדִבַּרְתְּ אֵלָיו כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיָּשֶׂם יוֹאָב אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים בְּפִיהָ׃   14:3

2Sam. 14:3   and, going to the king, then say to him like this word.  And Joab put the words in her mouth.

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה הַתְּקֹעִית אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתִּפֹּל עַל־אַפֶּיהָ אַרְצָה וַתִּשְׁתָּחוּ וַתֹּאמֶר הוֹשִׁעָה הַמֶּלֶךְ׃   14:4

2Sam. 14:4   When the woman Tekoitess spoke to the king, then she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!”

וַיֹּאמֶר־לָהּ הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־לָּךְ וַתֹּאמֶר אֲבָל אִשָּׁה־אַלְמָנָה אָנִי וַיָּמָת אִישִׁי׃   14:5

2Sam. 14:5   And the king said to her, “What is your purpose?”  And she said, “Indeed I am a widow, as my husband has died.”

וּלְשִׁפְחָתְךָ שְׁנֵי בָנִים וַיִּנָּצוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם בַּשָּׂדֶה וְאֵין מַצִּיל בֵּינֵיהֶם וַיַּכּוֹ הָאֶחָד אֶת־הָאֶחָד וַיָּמֶת אֹתוֹ׃   14:6

2Sam. 14:6   “And two sons were your handmaid’s, and the two of them strove together in the field and there was none to intervene between them, and smote him, one the other, and killed him.”

וְהִנֵּה קָמָה כָל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה עַל־שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וַיֹּאמְרוּ תְּנִי אֶת־מַכֵּה אָחִיו וּנְמִתֵהוּ בְּנֶפֶשׁ אָחִיו אֲשֶׁר הָרָג   14:7 וְנַשְׁמִידָה גַּם אֶת־הַיּוֹרֵשׁ וְכִבּוּ אֶת־גַּחַלְתִּי אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאָרָה לְבִלְתִּי שׂוֹם־לְאִישִׁי שֵׁם וּשְׁאֵרִית עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

2Sam. 14:7   “Now, behold, the whole family has risen up against your handmaid, and they say, “Deliver who slew his brother so we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew.  Thus they would also destroy the heir and quench my ember who is left alive, not setting a name or residue for my husband on the face of the earth.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה לְכִי לְבֵיתֵךְ וַאֲנִי אֲצַוֶּה עָלָיִךְ׃   14:8

2Sam. 14:8   And the king said to the woman, “Go to your house and I will give a charge concerning you.”

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה הַתְּקוֹעִית אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלַי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הֶעָוֺן וְעַל־בֵּית אָבִי וְהַמֶּלֶךְ וְכִסְאוֹ נָקִי׃   14:9

2Sam. 14:9   And the woman, the Tekoitess, said to the king, “The iniquity is on me, my lord, O king, and on the house of my father, and the king and his throne are guiltless.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְדַבֵּר אֵלַיִךְ וַהֲבֵאתוֹ אֵלַי וְלֹא־יֹסִיף עוֹד לָגַעַת בָּךְ׃   14:10

2Sam. 14:10   And the king said, “If anyone speaks to you, then bring him to me and he will not continue to lay a hand on you again.”

וַתֹּאמֶר יִזְכָּר־נָא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵהַרְבִית גֹּאֵל הַדָּם לְשַׁחֵת וְלֹא יַשְׁמִידוּ אֶת־בְּנִי וַיֹּאמֶר   14:11 חַי־יְהוָה אִם־יִפֹּל מִשַּׂעֲרַת בְּנֵךְ אָרְצָה׃

2Sam. 14:11   And she said, “I pray, let the King remember the Lord, your God, Who is the Authority of the avenger of blood to destroy, and let them not destroy my son.”  And he said, “As the Lord lives, if any from the hair of your son shall fall to the earth.”

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה תְּדַבֶּר־נָא שִׁפְחָתְךָ אֶל־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּבָר וַיֹּאמֶר דַּבֵּרִי׃   14:12

2Sam. 14:12   Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak, I pray you, to my lord, the king, a word.”  And he said, “Speak.”

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה וְלָמָּה חָשַׁבְתָּה כָּזֹאת עַל־עַם אֱלֹהִים וּמִדַּבֵּר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כְּאָשֵׁם לְבִלְתִּי   14:13 הָשִׁיב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־נִדְּחוֹ׃

2Sam. 14:13   So the woman said, “Then why do you devise like that against the people of God?  As by the king speaking this word, he is like one who is guilty, in the king not bringing home his withdrawn one.”

כִּי־מוֹת נָמוּת וְכַמַּיִם הַנִּגָּרִים אַרְצָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֵאָסֵפוּ וְלֹא־יִשָּׂא אֱלֹהִים נֶפֶשׁ וְחָשַׁב מַחֲשָׁבוֹת   14:14 לְבִלְתִּי יִדַּח מִמֶּנּוּ נִדָּח׃

2Sam. 14:14   “For surely we must die, and like water spilling out to the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, and God will not stir up life.  So let him devise plans to not cast out the withdrawn from him.””

וְעַתָּה אֲשֶׁר־בָּאתִי לְדַבֵּר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲדֹנִי אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כִּי יֵרְאֻנִי הָעָם וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁפְחָתְךָ   14:15 אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אוּלַי יַעֲשֶׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דְּבַר אֲמָתוֹ׃

2Sam. 14:15   “So now that I have come to speak this thing to the king, my lord, because the people have made me afraid, then your handmaid thought, “I must speak now to the king; maybe he will grant the request of his maidservant.”

כִּי יִשְׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהַצִּיל אֶת־אֲמָתוֹ מִכַּף הָאִישׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד אֹתִי וְאֶת־בְּנִי יַחַד מִנַּחֲלַת אֱלֹהִים׃   14:16

2Sam. 14:16   “For the king will hear, delivering his maidservant from the hand of the men plucking me down, and my son together, from the inheritance of God.”

וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁפְחָתְךָ יִהְיֶה־נָּא דְּבַר־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ לִמְנוּחָה כִּי כְּמַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים כֵּן אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ לִשְׁמֹע   14:17ַ הַטּוֹב וְהָרָע וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יְהִי עִמָּךְ׃

2Sam. 14:17   Then your handmaid thought, “Let, please, the word of my lord, the king, be comforting, for like the angel of God, so is my lord, the king, discerning the good and the evil, and the Lord, your God, be with you.”

וַיַּעַן הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַל־נָא תְכַחֲדִי מִמֶּנִּי דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁאֵל אֹתָךְ וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה   14:18 יְדַבֶּר־נָא אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

2Sam. 14:18   Then the king responded and he said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me a thing that I am asking you.”  And the woman said, “Let my lord, the king, speak now.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲיַד יוֹאָב אִתָּךְ בְּכָל־זֹאת וַתַּעַן הָאִשָּׁה וַתֹּאמֶר חֵי־נַפְשְׁךָ אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־אִשׁ   14:19 לְהֵמִין וּלְהַשְׂמִיל מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי־עַבְדְּךָ יוֹאָב הוּא צִוָּנִי וְהוּא שָׂם בְּפִי שִׁפְחָתְךָ אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃

2Sam. 14:19   And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?  And the woman answered and said, “As your soul lives, my lord, O king, not one turning to the right or to the left from anything that my lord, the king, has spoken, for it is your servant, Joab.  He bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.”

לְבַעֲבוּר סַבֵּב אֶת־פְּנֵי הַדָּבָר עָשָׂה עַבְדְּךָ יוֹאָב אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַאדֹנִי חָכָם כְּחָכְמַת מַלְאַךְ    14:20 הָאֱלֹהִים לָדַעַת אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ׃

2Sam. 14:20   “Your servant, Joab, did this thing in order to turn about the appearance of the matter, and my lord is wise, with the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing all that is on the earth.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־יוֹאָב הִנֵּה־נָא עָשִׂיתִי אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וְלֵךְ הָשֵׁב אֶת־הַנַּעַר אֶת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם׃   14:21

2Sam. 14:21   Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I fulfill this request.  So go bring back the young man, Absalom.”

וַיִּפֹּל יוֹאָב אֶל־פָּנָיו אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיְבָרֶךְ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב הַיּוֹם יָדַע עַבְדְּךָ כִּי־מָצָאתִי חֵן   14:22 בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דְּבַר עַבְדּוֹ׃

2Sam. 14:22   And Joab fell to his face to the ground and prostrated himself and blessed the king.  And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.”

וַיָּקָם יוֹאָב וַיֵּלֶךְ גְּשׁוּרָה וַיָּבֵא אֶת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃   14:23

2Sam. 14:23   Then Joab rose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ יִסֹּב אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וּפָנַי לֹא יִרְאֶה וַיִּסֹּב אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא רָאָה׃   14:24

2Sam. 14:24   But the king had said, “Let him turn to his house, and let him not see my face.” So Absalom turned to his house and he did not see the face of the king.

וּכְאַבְשָׁלוֹם לֹא־הָיָה אִישׁ־יָפֶה בְּכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַלֵּל מְאֹד מִכַּף רַגְלוֹ וְעַד קָדְקֳדוֹ לֹא־הָיָה בוֹ מוּם׃   14:25

2Sam. 14:25   Now there was not a man as handsome as Absalom in all Israel, to be praised as much.  From the sole of his feet and up to the top of his head there was not a blemish on him.

וּבְגַלְּחוֹ אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ וְהָיָה מִקֵּץ יָמִים לַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר יְגַלֵּחַ כִּי־כָבֵד עָלָיו וְגִלְּחוֹ וְשָׁקַל אֶת־שְׂעַר רֹאשׁוֹ   14:26 מָאתַיִם שְׁקָלִים בְּאֶבֶן הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

2Sam. 14:26   And in his shaving his head -- now it was at the end of year to year that he shaved because it was too heavy on him so he shaved it -- then he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels in the weights of the king.

So Absalom shaved his head annually, because it became too heavy.  How does that jibe with the commandment to not round off the edge of the head (see my remarks about Levi. 19:27)?  According to this verse, if absalom shaved his head, the cited commandment doesn’t seem to mean not cutting one’s hair.

וַיִּוָּלְדוּ לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם שְׁלוֹשָׁה בָנִים וּבַת אַחַת וּשְׁמָהּ תָּמָר הִיא הָיְתָה אִשָּׁה יְפַת מַרְאֶה׃   14:27

2Sam. 14:27   And three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, and her name was Tamar.  She was a woman of fine appearance.                                     [Return to 2Sam. 18:18]

וַיֵּשֶׁב אַבְשָׁלוֹם בִּירוּשָׁלִַם שְׁנָתַיִם יָמִים וּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא רָאָה׃   14:28

2Sam. 14:28   And Absalom dwelled in Jerusalem two years of days and he did not see the face of the king.

וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־יוֹאָב לִשְׁלֹחַ אֹתוֹ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֹא אָבָה לָבוֹא אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁלַח עוֹד שֵׁנִית וְלֹא   14:29 אָבָה לָבוֹא׃

2Sam. 14:29   Then Absalom sent to Joab to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him, so he sent yet again, and he was still not willing to come.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־עֲבָדָיו רְאוּ חֶלְקַת יוֹאָב אֶל־יָדִי וְלוֹ־שָׁם שְׂעֹרִים לְכוּ (וְהוֹצִּתֵיהָ) [וְהַצִּיתוּהָ] בָאֵשׁ   14:30

  וַיַּצִּתוּ עַבְדֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶת־הַחֶלְקָה בָּאֵשׁ׃

2Sam. 14:30   Then he said to his servants, “See, the field of Joab is near mine, and there is barley of his.  Go and set it on fire.”  So the servants of Absalom set the field on fire.

The word in parentheses has the wrong form, caused by a misplaced yad and vav.  The correct form is in the brackets.

וַיָּקָם יוֹאָב וַיָּבֹא אֶל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם הַבָּיְתָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לָמָּה הִצִּיתוּ עֲבָדֶךָ אֶת־הַחֶלְקָה אֲשֶׁר־לִי   14:31

 בָּאֵשׁ׃

2Sam. 14:31   Then Joab arose and came to Absalom at home and said to him, “Why did your servants set the field that is mine on fire?”

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־יוֹאָב הִנֵּה שָׁלַחְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר בֹּא הֵנָּה וְאֶשְׁלְחָה אֹתְךָ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר   14:32 לָמָּה בָּאתִי מִגְּשׁוּר טוֹב לִי עֹד אֲנִי־שָׁם וְעַתָּה אֶרְאֶה פְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאִם־יֶשׁ־בִּי עָוֺן וֶהֱמִתָנִי׃

2Sam. 14:32   And Absalom said to Joab, “Behold, I sent to you saying, ‘Come here that I may send you to the king to say, ‘Why did I come from Geshur?  It was better for me while I was there.’  So now let me see the face of the king, and if there is iniquity in me, then let him kill me.”

וַיָּבֹא יוֹאָב אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּגֶּד־לוֹ וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לוֹ עַל־אַפָּיו אַרְצָה   14:33 לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשַּׁק הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם׃

2Sam. 14:33   So Joab went to the king and told to him.  Then he called to Absalom, and he came to the king and bowed down to him on his face to the ground before the king, and the king gave a kiss to Absalom.

 

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