撒母耳记下 14
1 洗鲁雅的儿子约押,知道王心里想念押沙龙,
Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom.
2 就打发人往提哥亚去,从那里叫了一个聪明的妇人来,对她说,请你假装居丧的,穿上孝衣,不要用膏抹身,要装作为死者许久悲哀的妇人。
So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.
3 进去见王,对王如此如此说。于是约押将当说的话教导了妇人。
Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 提哥亚妇人到王面前,伏地叩拜,说,王阿,求你拯救。
When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, "Help me, O king!"
5 王问她说,你有什么事呢?回答说,婢女实在是寡妇,我丈夫死了。
The king asked her, "What is troubling you?" She said, "I am indeed a widow; my husband is dead.
6 我有两个儿子,一日在田间争斗,没有人解劝,这个就打死那个。
I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.
7 现在全家的人都起来攻击婢女,说,你将那打死兄弟的交出来,我们好治死他,偿他打死兄弟的命,灭绝那承受家业的。这样,他们要将我剩下的炭火灭尽,不与我丈夫留名留后在世上。
Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."
8 王对妇人说,你回家去吧。我必为你下令。
The king said to the woman, "Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf."
9 提哥亚妇人又对王说,我主我王,愿这罪归我和我父家,与王和王的位无干。
But the woman from Tekoa said to him, "My lord the king, let the blame rest on me and on my father's family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt."
10 王说,凡难为你的,你就带他到我这里来,他必不再搅扰你。
The king replied, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you again."
11 妇人说,愿王记念耶和华你的神,不许报血仇的人施行灭绝,恐怕他们灭绝我的儿子。王说,我指着永生的耶和华起誓,你的儿子连一根头发也不至落在地上。
She said, "Then let the king invoke the LORD his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed." "As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground."
12 妇人说,求我主我王容婢女再说一句话。王说,你说吧。
Then the woman said, "Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." "Speak," he replied.
13 妇人说,王为何也起意要害神的民呢?王不使那逃亡的人回来,王的这话就是自证己错了。
The woman said, "Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?
14 我们都是必死的,如同水泼在地上,不能收回。神并不夺取人的性命,乃设法使逃亡的人不至成为赶出回不来的。
Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.
15 我来将这话告诉我主我王,是因百姓使我惧怕。婢女想,不如将这话告诉王,或者王成就婢女所求的。
"And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, 'I will speak to the king; perhaps he will do what his servant asks.
16 人要将我和我儿子从神的地业上一同除灭,王必应允救我脱离他的手。
Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from the inheritance God gave us.'
17 婢女又想,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。
"And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'"
18 王对妇人说,我要问你一句话,你一点不要瞒我。妇人说,愿我主我王说。
Then the king said to the woman, "Do not keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you." "Let my lord the king speak," the woman said.
19 王说,你这些话莫非是约押的主意吗?妇人说,我敢在我主我王面前起誓,王的话正对,不偏左右,是王的仆人约押吩咐我的,这些话是他教导我的。
The king asked, "Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.
20 王的仆人约押如此行,为要挽回这事。我主的智慧却如神使者的智慧,能知世上一切事。
Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God--he knows everything that happens in the land."
21 王对约押说,我应允你这事。你可以去,把那少年人押沙龙带回来。
The king said to Joab, "Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."
22 约押就面伏于地叩拜,祝谢于王,又说,王既应允仆人所求的,仆人今日知道在我主我王眼前蒙恩了。
Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request."
23 于是约押起身往基述去,将押沙龙带回耶路撒冷。
Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 王说,使他回自己家里去,不要见我的面。押沙龙就回自己家里去,没有见王的面。
But the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
25 以色列全地之中,无人像押沙龙那样俊美,得人的称赞,从脚底到头顶毫无瑕疵。
In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.
26 他的头发甚重,每到年底剪发一次。所剪下来的,按王的平称一称,重二百舍客勒。
Whenever he cut the hair of his head--he used to cut his hair from time to time when it became too heavy for him--he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.
27 押沙龙生了三个儿子,一个女儿。女儿名叫他玛,是个容貌俊美的女子。
Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. The daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.
28 押沙龙住在耶路撒冷足有二年,没有见王的面。
Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face.
29 押沙龙打发人去叫约押来,要托他去见王,约押却不肯来。第二次打发人去叫他,他仍不肯来。
Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.
30 所以押沙龙对仆人说,你们看,约押有一块田,与我的田相近,其中有大麦,你们去放火烧了。押沙龙的仆人就去放火烧了那田。
Then he said to his servants, "Look, 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.
31 于是约押起来,到了押沙龙家里,问他说,你的仆人为何放火烧了我的田呢?
Then Joab did go to Absalom's house and he said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"
32 押沙龙回答约押说,我打发人去请你来,好托你去见王,替我说,我为何从基述回来呢?不如仍在那里。现在要许我见王的面。我若有罪,任凭王杀我就是了。
Absalom said to Joab, "Look, I sent word to you and said, 'Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!" 'Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death."
33 于是约押去见王,将这话奏告王,王便叫押沙龙来。押沙龙来见王,在王面前俯伏于地,王就与押沙龙亲嘴。
So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.