1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart [was inclined] toward Absalom.
1洗魯雅的兒子約押，知道王心裡想念押沙龍，
2So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there and said to her, 'Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead many days;
2就打發人往提哥亞去，從那裡叫了一個聰明的婦人來，對他說：請你假裝居喪的，穿上孝衣，不要用膏抹身，要裝作為死者許久悲哀的婦人；
3then go to the king and speak to him in this manner.' So Joab put the words in her mouth.
3進去見王，對王如此如此說。於是約押將當說的話教導了婦人。
4Now when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself and said, 'Help, O king.'
4提哥亞婦人到王面前，伏地叩拜，說：王啊，求你拯救！
5The king said to her, 'What is your trouble?' And she answered, 'Truly I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
5王問他說：你有甚麼事呢？回答說：婢女實在是寡婦，我丈夫死了。
6'Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled together in the field, and there was no one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him.
6我有兩個兒子，一日在田間爭鬥，沒有人解勸，這個就打死那個。
7'Now behold, the whole family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and destroy the heir also.' Thus they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.'
7現在全家的人都起來攻擊婢女，說：你將那打死兄弟的交出來，我們好治死他，償他打死兄弟的命，滅絕那承受家業的。這樣，他們要將我剩下的炭火滅盡，不與我丈夫留名留後在世上。
8Then the king said to the woman, 'Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.'
8王對婦人說：你回家去罷！我必為你下令。
9The woman of Tekoa said to the king, 'O my lord, the king, the iniquity is on me and my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless.'
9提哥亞婦人又對王說：我主我王，願這罪歸我和我父家，與王和王的位無干。
10So the king said, 'Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.'
10王說：凡難為你的，你就帶他到我這裡來，他必不再攪擾你。
11Then 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 he said, 'As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.'
11婦人說：願王記念耶和華─你的神，不許報血仇的人施行滅絕，恐怕他們滅絕我的兒子。王說：我指著永生的耶和華起誓：你的兒子連一根頭髮也不致落在地上。
12Then the woman said, 'Please let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king.' And he said, 'Speak.'
12婦人說：求我主我王容婢女再說一句話。王說：你說罷！
13The woman said, 'Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, [in that] the king does not bring back his banished one.
13婦人說：王為何也起意要害神的民呢？王不使那逃亡的人回來，王的這話就是自證己錯了！
14'For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him.
14我們都是必死的，如同水潑在地上，不能收回。神並不奪取人的性命，乃設法使逃亡的人不致成為趕出、回不來的。
15'Now the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your maidservant said, 'Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his maidservant.
15我來將這話告訴我主我王，是因百姓使我懼怕。婢女想，不如將這話告訴王，或者王成就婢女所求的。
16'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy both me and my son from the inheritance of God.'
16人要將我和我兒子從神的地業上一同除滅，王必應允救我脫離他的手。
17'Then your maidservant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.''
17婢女又想，我主我王的話必安慰我；因為我主我王能辨別是非，如同神的使者一樣。惟願耶和華─你的 神與你同在！
18Then the king answered and said to the woman, 'Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you.' And the woman said, 'Let my lord the king please speak.'
18王對婦人說：我要問你一句話，你一點不要瞞我。婦人說：願我主我王說。
19So the king said, 'Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?' And the woman replied, 'As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant;
19王說：你這些話莫非是約押的主意麼？婦人說：我敢在我主我王面前起誓：王的話正對，不偏左右，是王的僕人約押吩咐我的，這些話是他教導我的。
20in order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.'
20王的僕人約押如此行，為要挽回這事。我主的智慧卻如神使者的智慧，能知世上一切事。
21Then the king said to Joab, 'Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.'
21王對約押說：我應允你這事。你可以去，把那少年人押沙龍帶回來。
22Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, 'Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.'
22約押就面伏於地叩拜，祝謝於王，又說：王既應允僕人所求的，僕人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩了。
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
23於是約押起身往基述去，將押沙龍帶回耶路撒冷。
24However the king said, 'Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face.' So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king's face.
24王說：使他回自己家裡去，不要見我的面。押沙龍就回自己家裡去，沒有見王的面。
25Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him.
25以色列全地之中，無人像押沙龍那樣俊美，得人的稱讚，從腳底到頭頂毫無暇疵。
26When he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut [it], for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king's weight.
26他的頭髮甚重，每到年底剪髮一次；所剪下來的，按王的平稱一稱，重二百舍客勒。
27To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.
27押沙龍生了三個兒子，一個女兒。女兒名叫他瑪，是個容貌俊美的女子。
28Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face.
28押沙龍住在耶路撒冷足有二年，沒有見王的面。
29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
29押沙龍打發人去叫約押來，要託他去見王，約押卻不肯來。第二次打發人去叫他，他仍不肯來。
30Therefore he said to his servants, 'See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.' So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
30所以押沙龍對僕人說：你們看，約押有一塊田，與我的田相近，其中有大麥，你們去放火燒了。押沙龍的僕人就去放火燒了那田。
31Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, 'Why have your servants set my field on fire?'
31於是約押起來，到了押沙龍家裡，問他說：你的僕人為何放火燒了我的田呢？
32Absalom answered Joab, 'Behold, I sent for you, saying, 'Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, 'Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there.'' Now therefore, let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.'
32押沙龍回答約押說：我打發人去請你來，好託你去見王，替我說：我為何從基述回來呢？不如仍在那裡。現在要許我見王的面；我若有罪，任憑王殺我就是了。
33So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
33於是約押去見王，將這話奏告王，王便叫押沙龍來。押沙龍來見王，在王面前俯伏於地，王就與押沙龍親嘴。