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1 Samuel 9

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ Now it happened while they were on the way [back home], that the [exaggerated] report came to David, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left."

² Then the king stood and tore his clothes and lay on the ground [in mourning]; and all his servants were standing by with their clothes torn.

³ But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord assume that all the king's sons have been put to death; for only Amnon is dead. This act of revenge has been on Absalom's mind since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.

⁴ So now, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart that all the king's sons are dead; for Amnon alone is dead."

⁵ Now Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch looked up, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.

⁶ And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming. It has turned out just as your servant said."

⁷ And when he finished speaking, the king's sons came, and they raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.

⁸ But Absalom fled and went to [his mother's father] Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David[7] mourned for his son every day.

⁹ So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there for three years.

¹⁰ And the heart of King David longed to go to Absalom; for he was comforted regarding Amnon, since he was dead.

¹¹ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom.

¹² So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there and told her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothes, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has for many days been in mourning for the dead.

¹³ Then go to the king and speak to him in this way." So Joab[1] told her what to say.

¹⁴ When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she bowed with her face to the ground and lay herself down, and said, "Help, O king."

¹⁵ The king asked her, "[2] What is the matter?" She said, "Truly I am a widow; my husband is dead.

¹⁶ Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled and fought in the field. There was no one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him.

¹⁷ Now behold, the entire family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother, so that we may[3] put him to death [to pay] for the life of his brother whom he killed and destroy the heir also.' By doing this they will extinguish my coal that is left, leaving my husband without a name or a remnant (heir) on the face of the earth."

¹⁸ Then David said to the woman, "Go to your home, and I will give orders concerning you."

¹⁹ The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, the guilt is on me and on my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless."

²⁰ The king said, "If anyone speaks to you [about this matter], bring him to me [for judgment], and he will not touch you again."

²¹ Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And David said, "As the LORD lives, not a single hair [from the head] of your son shall fall to the ground."

²² Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak one more word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

²³ The woman said, "Now why have you planned such a thing against God's people? For in speaking this word the king is like a guilty man, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

²⁴ For we will certainly die and are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not [simply] take away life, but devises plans so that the one who is banished is not driven away from Him.

²⁵ Now I came to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. So your maidservant thought, 'I will just speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his maidservant requests.

²⁶ For the king will hear and save his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'

²⁷ Then your maidservant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for my lord the king is as the angel of God to discern good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'"

#	AMP
1	Now it happened while they were on the way [back home], that the [exaggerated] report came to David, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left."
2	Then the king stood and tore his clothes and lay on the ground [in mourning]; and all his servants were standing by with their clothes torn.
3	But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord assume that all the king's sons have been put to death; for only Amnon is dead. This act of revenge has been on Absalom's mind since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.
4	So now, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart that all the king's sons are dead; for Amnon alone is dead."
5	Now Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch looked up, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.
6	And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming. It has turned out just as your servant said."
7	And when he finished speaking, the king's sons came, and they raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
8	But Absalom fled and went to [his mother's father] Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David[7] mourned for his son every day.
9	So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there for three years.
10	And the heart of King David longed to go to Absalom; for he was comforted regarding Amnon, since he was dead.
11	Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom.
12	So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there and told her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothes, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has for many days been in mourning for the dead.
13	Then go to the king and speak to him in this way." So Joab[1] told her what to say.
14	When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she bowed with her face to the ground and lay herself down, and said, "Help, O king."
15	The king asked her, "[2] What is the matter?" She said, "Truly I am a widow; my husband is dead.
16	Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled and fought in the field. There was no one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him.
17	Now behold, the entire family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother, so that we may[3] put him to death [to pay] for the life of his brother whom he killed and destroy the heir also.' By doing this they will extinguish my coal that is left, leaving my husband without a name or a remnant (heir) on the face of the earth."
18	Then David said to the woman, "Go to your home, and I will give orders concerning you."
19	The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, the guilt is on me and on my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless."
20	The king said, "If anyone speaks to you [about this matter], bring him to me [for judgment], and he will not touch you again."
21	Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And David said, "As the LORD lives, not a single hair [from the head] of your son shall fall to the ground."
22	Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak one more word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."
23	The woman said, "Now why have you planned such a thing against God's people? For in speaking this word the king is like a guilty man, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
24	For we will certainly die and are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not [simply] take away life, but devises plans so that the one who is banished is not driven away from Him.
25	Now I came to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. So your maidservant thought, 'I will just speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his maidservant requests.
26	For the king will hear and save his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'
27	Then your maidservant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for my lord the king is as the angel of God to discern good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'"

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1 Samuel 9

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