约押设计让押沙龙返回
洗鲁雅的儿子约押知道王心里想念押沙龙。
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
2他派人往提哥亚去，从那里叫了一个有智慧的妇人来，对她说：“请你装作居丧的人，穿上丧服，不用膏抹身，装作为死者悲哀多日的妇人。And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
3你到王那里，对王如此如此说。”于是约押把当说的话放在她口中。And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4提哥亚妇人到王面前☛“到王面前”：有古卷是“奏告王”。，脸伏于地叩拜，说：“王啊，求你拯救！”And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5王对她说：“你有什么事呢？”她说：“我实在是个寡妇，我丈夫死了。And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
6婢女有两个儿子，二人在田间打架，没有人从中劝解，一个击杀另一个，把他打死了。And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
7看哪，全家族都起来攻击婢女，说：‘把那打死兄弟的交出来，我们好处死他，为他所打死的兄弟偿命，灭绝那承受家业的。’这样，他们要把我剩下的炭火灭尽，不给我丈夫留名或留后在地面上。”And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
8王对妇人说：“你回家去吧！我必为你下个命令。”And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9提哥亚妇人又对王说：“我主我王，愿这罪孽归我和我的父家，与王和王的位无关。”And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
10王说：“有人说话难为你，你就带他到我这里来，他必不再搅扰你。”And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
11妇人说：“愿王对耶和华－你的神发誓，不许报血仇的人施行毁灭，免得他们灭绝我的儿子。”王说：“我指着永生的耶和华起誓：你的儿子连一根头发也不致落在地上。”Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
12妇人说：“求我主我王容许婢女再说一句话。”王说：“你说吧！”Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13妇人说：“王为何起意做这事，要害神的百姓呢？王不使那逃亡的人回来，王说这话就证实自己错了！And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
14我们都必死，如同水泼在地上，不能收回。神不会让人不死，但仍设法☛“但仍设法”：七十士译本是“愿王设法”。使逃亡的人不致成为赶出、回不来的人。For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
15现在我来将这话告诉我主我王，是因百姓使我惧怕。婢女想：‘不如告诉王，或者王会成就使女所求的。Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16人要把我和我儿子从神的地业上一同除灭，王必应允救使女脱离他的手。’For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17婢女想：‘我主我王的话必安慰我’；因为我主我王能辨别是非，如同神的使者一样。惟愿耶和华－你的神与你同在！”Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.
18王回答妇人说：“我问你一句话，你一点也不可瞒我。”妇人说：“我主我王，请说。”Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
19王说：“这一切莫非是约押的手指使你的吗？”妇人回答说：“我敢在我主我王面前起誓：我主我王所说的一切不偏左右，这是王的仆人约押吩咐我的，这一切话是他放在婢女口中的。And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
20王的仆人约押做这事，为要扭转局面。我主的智慧却如神使者的智慧，能知地上一切的事。”To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21王对约押说：“看哪，我应允这事。你去，把那年轻人押沙龙带回来。”And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
22约押脸伏于地叩拜，为王祝福，说：“王既应允仆人这件事，仆人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩宠了。”And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
23于是约押起身往基述去，把押沙龙带回耶路撒冷。So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24王说：“让他回自己的家去，不要来见我的面。”押沙龙就回自己的家去，没有见王的面。And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
大卫饶恕押沙龙
25全以色列中，无人像押沙龙那样俊美，得人称赞，从脚底到头顶毫无瑕疵。But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26他的头发很重，每到年底剪发一次，所剪下来的，按王的秤称一称，重二百舍客勒。And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
27押沙龙生了三个儿子，一个女儿。女儿名叫她玛，是个容貌美丽的女子。And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28押沙龙住在耶路撒冷，足足有二年没有见王的面。So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
29押沙龙派人去叫约押来，要托他到王那里去，约押却不肯来。押沙龙第二次派人去叫他，他仍不肯来。Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30于是押沙龙对仆人说：“你们看，约押有一块田靠近我的田，其中有大麦，你们去放火把它烧了。”押沙龙的仆人就去放火烧了那田。☛七十士译本在此加：“约押的仆人来到约押那里，衣服撕裂，说：‘押沙龙的仆人放火烧了你的田。’”Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
31于是约押起来，到了押沙龙家里，对他说：“你的仆人为何放火烧我的田呢？”Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
32押沙龙对约押说：“看哪，我派人去请你来，好托你到王那里去，说：‘我为何从基述回来呢？我仍在那里比较好。’现在让我去见王的面；我若有罪孽，就任凭王杀了我吧。”And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
33于是约押到王那里，奏告王，王就叫押沙龙来。押沙龙到王那里，在王面前脸伏于地，王就亲吻押沙龙。So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.