The Second Book of Kingdoms, Chapter 14ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ Β′ ΙΔ′

καὶ ἔγνω Ιωαβ υἱὸς Σαρουιας ὅτι ἡ καρδία τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπὶ Αβεσσαλωμ

And Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king was toward Absalom.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ιωαβ εἰς Θεκωε καὶ ἔλαβεν ἐκεῖθεν γυναῖκα σοφὴν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτήν πένθησον δὴ καὶ ἔνδυσαι ἱμάτια πενθικὰ καὶ μὴ ἀλείψῃ ἔλαιον καὶ ἔσῃ ὡς γυνὴ πενθοῦσα ἐπὶ τεθνηκότι τοῦτο ἡμέρας πολλὰς

And Joab sent to Tekoa and took from there a wise woman, and said to her, 'Mourn, please, and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, and be like a woman who has been mourning over one who has died many days for this.'

καὶ ἐλεύσῃ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ λαλήσεις πρὸς αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καὶ ἔθηκεν Ιωαβ τοὺς λόγους ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς

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

καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ Θεκωῖτις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν γῆν καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπεν Σῶσον βασιλεῦ σῶσον

And the Tekoite woman went in to the king and fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance to him, and said, 'Save, O king, save!'

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεύς τί ἐστίν σοι ἡ δὲ εἶπεν καὶ μάλα γυνὴ χήρα ἐγώ εἰμι καὶ ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀνήρ μου

And the king said to her, 'What is the matter with you?' And she said, 'Truly I am a widow woman, and my husband has died.'

καί γε τῇ δούλῃ σου δύο υἱοί καὶ ἐμαχέσαντο ἀμφότεροι ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν καὶ ἔπαισεν ὁ εἷς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐθανάτωσεν αὐτόν

'And indeed your servant had two sons, and the two of them quarreled in the field, and there was no one to deliver between them; and the one struck his brother and killed him.'

καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπανέστη ὅλη ἡ πατριὰ πρὸς τὴν δούλην σου καὶ εἶπαν δὸς τὸν παίσαντα τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ θανατώσομεν αὐτὸν ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ οὗ ἀπέκτεινεν καὶ ἐξαροῦμεν καί γε τὸν κληρονόμον ὑμῶν καὶ σβέσουσιν τὸν ἄνθρακά μου τὸν καταλειφθέντα ὥστε μὴ θέσθαι τῷ ἀνδρί μου κατάλειμμα καὶ ὄνομα ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς

'And behold, the whole clan rose up against your servant and said, "Give up the one who struck his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and we will destroy even your heir"; and so they would quench my coal that is left, so as to leave my husband neither remnant nor name on the face of the earth.'

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς ὑγιαίνουσα βάδιζε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου κἀγὼ ἐντελοῦμαι περὶ σοῦ

And the king said, 'Go in good health to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.'

καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ Θεκωῖτις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπ᾿ ἐμέ κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ ἡ ἀνομία καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ἀθῷος

And the Tekoite woman said to the king, 'Upon me, my lord the king, be the guilt, and upon the house of my father; but the king and his throne be guiltless.'

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς τίς ὁ λαλῶν πρὸς σέ καὶ ἄξεις αὐτὸν πρὸς ἐμέ καὶ οὐ προσθήσει ἔτι ἅψασθαι αὐτοῦ

And the king said, 'Whoever speaks against you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you again.'

καὶ εἶπεν μνημονευσάτω δὴ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν κύριον θεὸν αὐτοῦ πληθυνθῆναι ἀγχιστέα τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ διαφθεῖραι καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξάρωσιν τὸν υἱόν μου καὶ εἶπεν ζῇ κύριος εἰ πεσεῖται ἀπὸ τῆς τριχὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν

And she said, 'Let the king please remember the LORD his God, that the avenger of blood not multiply to destroy, and that they not destroy my son.' And he said, 'As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.'

καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή λαλησάτω δὴ ἡ δούλη σου πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα ῥῆμα καὶ εἶπεν λάλησον

And the woman said, 'Let your servant please speak a word to my lord the king.' And he said, 'Speak.'

καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή ἵνα τί ἐλογίσω τοιοῦτο ἐπὶ λαὸν θεοῦ ἦ ἐκ στόματος τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ λόγος οὗτος ὡς πλημμέλεια τοῦ μὴ ἐπιστρέψαι τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἐξωσμένον αὐτοῦ

And the woman said, 'Why have you devised such a thing against the people of God? Indeed, from the mouth of the king this word comes as a fault, in that the king does not bring back his own banished one.'

ὅτι θανάτῳ ἀποθανούμεθα καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ καταφερόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὃ οὐ συναχθήσεται καὶ λήμψεται ὁ θεὸς ψυχήν καὶ λογιζόμενος τοῦ ἐξῶσαι ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐξωσμένον

'For we shall surely die, and we are like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up; yet God will not take away a life, but devises means that the banished one be not cast out from him.'

καὶ νῦν ὃ ἦλθον λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν κύριόν μου τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ὅτι ὄψεταί με ὁ λαός καὶ ἐρεῖ ἡ δούλη σου λαλησάτω δὴ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἴ πως ποιήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ

'And now, that which I came to speak to the king my lord, this word — because the people will see me — and your servant said, "Let me speak to the king; perhaps the king will do the word of his servant."'

ὅτι ἀκούσει ὁ βασιλεὺς ῥύσασθαι τὴν δούλην αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ζητοῦντος ἐξᾶραί με καὶ τὸν υἱόν μου ἀπὸ κληρονομίας θεοῦ

'For the king will hear, to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who seeks to remove me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'

καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή εἴη δὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς θυσίαν ὅτι καθὼς ἄγγελος θεοῦ οὕτως ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀκούειν τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρόν καὶ κύριος ὁ θεός σου ἔσται μετὰ σοῦ

And the woman said, 'May the word of my lord the king now be for a peace-offering; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to hear the good and the evil; and the LORD your God be with you.'

καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα μὴ δὴ κρύψῃς ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐγὼ ἐπερωτῶ σε καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή λαλησάτω δὴ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεύς

And the king answered and said to the woman, 'Please do not hide from me a word that I ask you.' And the woman said, 'Let my lord the king please speak.'

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς μὴ ἡ χεὶρ Ιωαβ ἐν παντὶ τούτῳ μετὰ σοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ εἰ ἔστιν εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ ἢ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερὰ ἐκ πάντων ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεύς ὅτι ὁ δοῦλός σου Ιωαβ αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατό μοι καὶ αὐτὸς ἔθετο ἐν τῷ στόματι τῆς δούλης σου πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους

And the king said, 'Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?' And the woman answered the king, 'As your soul lives, my lord the king, there is no turning to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab, he it was who commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.'

ἕνεκεν τοῦ περιελθεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου ἐποίησεν ὁ δοῦλός σου Ιωαβ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον καὶ ὁ κύριός μου σοφὸς καθὼς σοφία ἀγγέλου τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ γνῶναι πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ

'It was to change the face of this matter that your servant Joab did this thing; and my lord is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are on the earth.'

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ιωαβ ἰδοὺ δὴ ἐποίησά σοι κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου τοῦτον πορεύου ἐπίστρεψον τὸ παιδάριον τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ

And the king said to Joab, 'Behold now, I have done this according to your word; go, bring back the young man Absalom.'

καὶ ἔπεσεν Ιωαβ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ προσεκύνησεν καὶ εὐλόγησεν τὸν βασιλέα καὶ εἶπεν Ιωαβ σήμερον ἔγνω ὁ δοῦλός σου ὅτι εὗρον χάριν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ ὅτι ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν λόγον τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ

And Joab fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance and blessed the king, and Joab said, 'Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has done the word of his servant.'

καὶ ἀνέστη Ιωαβ καὶ ἐπορεύθη εἰς Γεδσουρ καὶ ἤγαγεν τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ εἰς Ιερουσαλημ

And Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου μὴ βλεπέτω καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν Αβεσσαλωμ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως οὐκ εἶδεν

And the king said, 'Let him turn aside to his own house, and let him not see my face.' And Absalom turned aside to his own house, and did not see the face of the king.

καὶ ὡς Αβεσσαλωμ οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ ἐν παντὶ Ισραηλ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα ἀπὸ ἴχνους ποδὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕως κορυφῆς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ μῶμος

And like Absalom there was no man in all Israel so highly praised for beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

καὶ ἐν τῷ κείρεσθαι αὐτὸν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας ὡς ἂν ἐκείρετο ὅτι κατεβαρύνετο ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν καὶ κειρόμενος αὐτὴν ἔστησεν τὴν τρίχα τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ διακοσίους σίκλους ἐν τῷ σίκλῳ τῷ βασιλικῷ

And when he cut the hair of his head — and it happened from year to year, whenever he would cut it, because it grew heavy upon him — when he cut it, he would weigh the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the royal shekel.

καὶ ἐτέχθησαν τῷ Αβεσσαλωμ τρεῖς υἱοὶ καὶ θυγάτηρ μία καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῇ Θημαρ αὕτη ἦν γυνὴ καλὴ σφόδρα καὶ γίνεται γυνὴ τῷ Ροβοαμ υἱῷ Σαλωμων καὶ τίκτει αὐτῷ τὸν Αβια

And there were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Tamar; she was a very beautiful woman, and she became wife to Rehoboam son of Solomon and bore him Abia.

καὶ ἐκάθισεν Αβεσσαλωμ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ δύο ἔτη ἡμερῶν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως οὐκ εἶδεν

And Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem two full years, and did not see the face of the king.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Αβεσσαλωμ πρὸς Ιωαβ τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαι αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἐκ δευτέρου πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν παραγενέσθαι

And Absalom sent to Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him; and he sent a second time to him, but he would not come.

καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ ἴδετε ἡ μερὶς ἐν ἀγρῷ τοῦ Ιωαβ ἐχόμενά μου καὶ αὐτῷ κριθαὶ ἐκεῖ πορεύεσθε καὶ ἐμπρήσατε αὐτὴν ἐν πυρί καὶ ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὰς οἱ παῖδες Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ παραγίνονται οἱ δοῦλοι Ιωαβ πρὸς αὐτὸν διερρηχότες τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπαν ἐνεπύρισαν οἱ δοῦλοι Αβεσσαλωμ τὴν μερίδα ἐν πυρί

And Absalom said to his servants, 'See, the plot of Joab's in the field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.' And Absalom's servants burned them; and Joab's servants came to him with their garments torn, and said, 'Absalom's servants have set the plot on fire.'

καὶ ἀνέστη Ιωαβ καὶ ἦλθεν πρὸς Αβεσσαλωμ εἰς τὸν οἶκον καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν ἵνα τί οἱ παῖδές σου ἐνεπύρισαν τὴν μερίδα τὴν ἐμὴν ἐν πυρί

And Joab arose and came to Absalom at the house and said to him, 'Why have your servants set my plot on fire?'

καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ πρὸς Ιωαβ ἰδοὺ ἀπέστειλα πρὸς σὲ λέγων ἧκε ὧδε καὶ ἀποστελῶ σε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα λέγων ἵνα τί ἦλθον ἐκ Γεδσουρ ἀγαθόν μοι ἦν τοῦ ἔτι εἶναί με ἐκεῖ καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως οὐκ εἶδον εἰ δέ ἐστιν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικία καὶ θανάτωσόν με

And Absalom said to Joab, 'Behold, I sent to you, saying, "Come here, and I will send you to the king to say, Why did I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be still 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.'

καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ιωαβ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κατεφίλησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ

And Joab went in to the king and reported to him; and he called for Absalom, and he came in to the king and did obeisance to him and fell on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.