The Daily Audio Bible

14 Forsooth Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood, that the heart of the king was turned to(ward) Absalom;

² and he sent to Tekoah, and took from thence a wise woman, and he said to her, Feign thee to mourn, and be thou clothed with a cloak of dole, and be thou not anointed with oil, that thou be as a woman by mourning now in full much time a dead man (so that thou be like a woman now after a great deal of time mourning for her husband).

³ And thou shalt enter to the king, and thou shalt speak to him such manner words. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴ Therefore when the woman of Tekoah had entered to the king, she felled before him on the earth, and worshipped, and said, O! king, keep thou me. (And so when the woman from Tekoah had entered before the king, she fell on the ground before him, and honoured him, and said, O! king, help thou me.)

⁵ And the king said to her, What hast thou of cause? And she answered, Alas! I am a woman widow, for mine husband is dead; (And the king said to her, What is thy problem? And she answered, Alas! I am a widow woman, for my husband is dead;)

⁶ and twain sons were of thine handmaid, which debated against themselves in the field, and none was that might forbid them, and the one smote the tother, and killed him. (and thy servantess had two sons, who raged against each other out in the field, and no one could separate them, and one of them struck the other, and killed him.)

⁷ And lo! all the kindred riseth against thine handmaid, and saith, Give thou him to us that killed his brother, that we slay him, for the life of his brother whom he killed, and that we do away the heir; and they seek to quench my spark that is left, that the name dwell not to mine husband, and that remnants be not to him on earth. (And lo! all the kinsmen riseth against thy servantess, and saith, Give thou to us he who killed his brother, so that we can kill him for taking his brother’s life, and so that we can do away the heir; yea, they seek to quench what is left of my spark, so that my husband’s name not remain, and that there be no remnant of him left here on the earth.)

⁸ And the king said to the woman, Go into thine house, and I shall (give a) command for thee.

⁹ And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My lord the king, this wickedness be on me, and on the house of my father; forsooth (let) the king and his throne be innocent/be guiltless.

¹⁰ And the king said, Bring thou him to me, that against-saith thee, and he shall no more add to (it,) that he touch thee.

¹¹ And she said, The king have mind on his Lord God, and the next (kins)men of blood to take vengeance be not multiplied, and they shall not slay my son. And the king said, The Lord liveth, for none of the hairs of thy son shall fall upon the earth. (And she said, May the king pray to the Lord his God, that the kinsmen who be next of blood, and who desire vengeance, be not able to take it, and so they shall not kill my son. And the king said, As the Lord liveth, none of the hairs of thy son shall fall on the ground!)

¹² Therefore the woman said, Thine handmaid speak a word to my lord the king (And the woman said, May thy servantess speak a word to my lord the king?). And the king said, Speak thou.

¹³ And the woman said, Why hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? and the king spake this word, that he do sin, and bring not again his son (who is) cast out? (And the woman said, Why then hast thou done this same thing against the people of God? and so by speaking this word, the king hath sinned, for he hath not brought back his own son who is cast out.)

¹⁴ All we die, and as waters that shall not turn again, we slide into the earth; and God will not that a soul perish, but he withdraweth, and thinketh, lest he perish utterly, which is cast away. (We shall all die, and we shall slide into the earth, like water that shall not return; but God desireth that no soul perish, but he withdraweth, and thinketh, lest he, who is cast away, utterly perish.)

¹⁵ Now therefore come thou, that I speak to my lord the king this word, while the people is present; and thine handmaid said, I shall speak to the king, if in any manner the king do the word of his handmaid. (And so now, I have come that I may speak of this thing to my lord the king, because the people have threatened me; and so thy servantess said to herself, I shall speak to the king, if by any chance the king will do what I request.)

¹⁶ And the king heard the words, that he should deliver his handmaid from the hands of all men, that would do away me, and my son together, from the heritage of the Lord. (And for the king to hear these words, so that he might deliver his servantess from the hands of all those who would do away me, and my son, from the Lord’s inheritance.)

¹⁷ Therefore thine handmaid say, that the word of my lord the king be made as sacrifice, that is, that the sentence given of him be pleasant to God, as sacrifice pleaseth God (And so thy servantess said to herself, that the words of my lord the king would be like a sacrifice, that is, that his judgement would be pleasing to God, like a sacrifice pleaseth God); for as an angel of the Lord, so is my lord the king, that he be not moved by blessing neither by cursing. Wherefore and thy Lord God is with thee.

¹⁸ And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide thou not from me the word which I ask thee (Hide thou not from me what I ask thee). And the woman said to him, Speak thou, my lord the king.

¹⁹ And the king said, Whether the hand of Joab is with thee in all these things? The woman answered, and said, By the health of thy soul, my lord the king, neither to the left side neither to the right side is anything of all these things, which my lord the king hath spoken. For thy servant Joab himself commanded to me, and he putted all these words into the mouth of thine handmaid,

²⁰ that I should turn the figure of this word (so that I might help straighten out this matter); for thy servant Joab commanded this thing. Forsooth thou, my lord the king, art wise, as an angel of God that hath wisdom, that thou understand all things on (the) earth.

²¹ And (later,) the king said to Joab, Lo! I am pleased, and I have done thy word; therefore go thou, and again-call thou the child Absalom. (And later, the king said to Joab, Lo! I grant thy request; go thou, and bring back the young man Absalom.)

²² And Joab felled upon his face to the earth, and he worshipped, and blessed the king; and Joab said, Thy servant hath understood today, that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord (the) king, for thou hast done the word of thy servant. (And Joab fell down on the ground, or the floor, and he honoured the king, and blessed him; and Joab said, Thy servant knoweth today, that I have found favour in thine eyes, my lord the king, for thou hast granted my request.)

²³ Therefore Joab rose up, and went into Geshur, and brought Absalom into Jerusalem. (And so Joab rose up, and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.)

²⁴ And the king said, Turn he again into his house, and see not he my face. Therefore Absalom turned again into his house, and saw not the face of the king. (And the king said, Go he back to his own house, for he shall not come before me, or into my presence. And so Absalom returned to his own house, and did not come before the king.)

²⁵ Soothly no man in all Israel was so fair as Absalom, and full comely; from the step of the foot unto the top, there was no wem in him (there was no flaw, or blemish, on him);

²⁶ and inasmuch as he clipped more his hairs, by so much the more they waxed; but he was clipped once in the year, for his hair grieved him. And when he clipped the hairs, he weighed the hairs of his head by two hundred shekels by common weight (And when he cut his hair, the hairs of his head weighed two hundred shekels by common weight).

²⁷ And three sons, and a daughter, Tamar by name, (and she was) of seemly shape, or excellent form, were born to Absalom.

²⁸ And Absalom dwelled in Jerusalem two years, and he saw not the face of the king. (And Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never came before the king.)

²⁹ Therefore he sent to Joab, that he should send him to the king; and Joab would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and Joab would not come, (And so he sent for Joab, so that he could take a message to the king; but Joab would not come to him. And when he had sent for him a second time, and Joab would still not come,)

³⁰ Absalom said to his servants, Ye know the field of Joab beside my field, (the field of his) having ripe barley; therefore go ye, and burn ye it [up] with fire. Therefore the servants of Absalom burnt the (barley) corn with fire. (Absalom said to his servants, Ye know Joab’s field beside my field, the one with the ripe barley; go ye, and burn it down. And so Absalom’s servants burned down the crop.)

³¹ And Joab rose up, and came to Absalom into his house, and said, Why have thy servants burnt [up] my (barley) corn with fire? (And Joab rose up, and came to Absalom at his house, and said, Why have thy servants burned down my crop?)

³² And Absalom answered to Joab, I sent to thee, and besought that thou shouldest come to me, and that I should send thee to the king, that thou shouldest say to him, Why came I from Geshur? It was better to me to have been there; therefore I beseech, that I see the face of the king, that if he is mindful of my wickedness, slay he me. (And Absalom answered to Joab, I sent for thee, and desired that thou wouldest come to me, so that I could send thee to the king, and thou couldest say to him for me, Why did I come back from Geshur? It was better for me to have stayed there; and so I beseech thee, let me go before the king, and if he thinketh on my wickedness, then let him kill me.)

³³ (So) Joab entered to the king, and told to him. And Absalom was called, and he entered to the king, and he worshipped on the face of [the] earth before him (and honouring him, he bowed low to the ground before him), and the king kissed Absalom.

15 Therefore after these things, Absalom made a chariot to him, and (had) knights and fifty men, that should go before him. (And so after these things, Absalom got a chariot and horses for himself, and had fifty men who went before him.)

² And Absalom rose early, and stood beside the entering of the gate in the way; and Absalom called to him each man, that had a cause, [(or) a need,] that he should come to the doom of the king, and Absalom said, Of what city art thou? Which answered, and said, Of one lineage of Israel I am, thy servant. (And Absalom would rise up early, and stand beside the entrance to the city gate on the road; and then he would call over each man who had a case, or a dispute, that should have gone before the king for judgement, and Absalom would say, Of what city art thou? And each one would answer, and say, I, thy servant, am from such and such tribe of Israel.)

³ And Absalom answered to him, Thy words seem to me good and just, but none is ordained of the king to hear thee. (And then Absalom would say to him, Thy words seem good and just to me, but no one is ordained by the king to hear thee.)

⁴ And Absalom said, Who shall ordain me judge on the land, that all men that have (a) cause come to me, and I deem justly? (And Absalom would add, Who shall ordain me judge over the land, so that all who have a case, or a dispute, can come before me, and I shall give them justice?)

⁵ But when a man came to Absalom to greet him, he held forth his hand, and took, and kissed that man; (And whenever a man came to Absalom to greet him, he would stretch out his hand, and take hold of him, and kiss him;)

⁶ and Absalom did this to all Israel, that came to doom to be heard of the king (and Absalom did this for all of Israel who came to the king for a judgement); and (so) Absalom stole the hearts of [the] men of Israel.

⁷ But after four years, Absalom said to king David, I shall go, and shall yield my vows, which I vowed to the Lord in Hebron; (And after four years, Absalom said to King David, I shall now go to Hebron, and yield my vows, which I vowed to the Lord;)

⁸ for thy servant vowing vowed, when he was in Geshur of Syria, and said, If the Lord bringeth again me into Jerusalem, I shall make sacrifice to the Lord. (for thy servant made a vow, when he was in Geshur of Syria, and said, If the Lord bringeth me back again to Jerusalem, I shall go and make sacrifice to the Lord in Hebron.)

⁹ And the king said to him, Go thou in peace. And Absalom rose up, and went into Hebron (And so Absalom rose up, and went to Hebron).

¹⁰ Forsooth Absalom sent spyers into all the lineage[s] of Israel, and said, Anon as ye hear the sound of [the] clarion, say ye, Absalom shall reign in Hebron. (But Absalom also sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel, who said, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, say ye, Absalom is king in Hebron.)

¹¹ And two hundred men called (out) of Jerusalem went forth with Absalom, and went with simple heart, and utterly they knew not the cause. (And Absalom invited two hundred men to go out of Jerusalem with him, and they went innocently, that is, in good faith, and utterly knew nothing about his true intentions.)

¹² Also Absalom called (for) Ahithophel of Giloh, the counsellor of David, from his city Giloh. And when he offered sacrifices, a strong swearing together was made, and the people running together was increased with Absalom. (And Absalom summoned Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city of Giloh. And so while he offered his sacrifices, the conspiracy strengthened, and the number of people joining Absalom increased.)

¹³ Therefore a messenger came to David, and said, With all [the] heart all Israel followeth Absalom,

¹⁴ And David said to his servants that were with him in Jerusalem, Rise ye up, and flee we; for none escaping shall be to us from the face of Absalom; therefore haste ye to go out, lest he come, and occupy us, and fulfill upon us his falling, and smite the city with sharpness of [the] sword. (And David said to his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Rise ye up, and flee we; for there shall be no escape for us from Absalom; and so haste ye to go out, lest he come, and occupy us, and fulfill his falling on us, that is, that he destroy us, and strike down the people of the city with the sharpness of his sword.)

¹⁵ And the servants of the king said to him, We thy servants shall perform gladly all things (We thy servants shall gladly do all things), whatever our lord the king shall command.

¹⁶ Then the king went out, and all his house, upon their feet; and the king left ten women concubines, that is, secondary wives, to keep the house. (Then the king departed, and all his household followed him; but the king left ten of his concubines, or his secondary wives, to look after the palace.)

¹⁷ And (so) the king went out, and all Israel, upon their feet, and the king stood far from the house (and they stopped far away from the palace).

¹⁸ And all his servants went beside him, and the legions of Cherethites and of Pelethites, and all the strong fighting men of Gath, six hundred men, that followed him from Gath, went on foot before the king.

¹⁹ And the king said to Ittai of Gath, Why comest thou with us? Turn thou again, and dwell with the (new) king, for thou art a pilgrim, and wentest out from thy place.

²⁰ Thou camest yesterday, and today thou art compelled to go out with us. Soothly I shall go, whither I shall go; (but thou) turn again, and lead again thy brethren with thee, and the Lord do mercy and truth with thee, for thou hast showed to me grace and faith. (Thou camest but yesterday, and so today, art thou compelled to go out with us? Nay! Truly I shall go, wherever I shall go; but thou return, and take thy kinsmen with thee, and may the Lord show kindness and truth to thee, for thou hast shown favour and faith to me.)

²¹ And Ittai answered to the king, and said, (As) The Lord liveth, and (as) my lord the king liveth, for in whatever place thou shalt be, my lord the king, either in death either in life, there thy servant shall be.

²² And David said to Ittai, Come thou, and pass forth. And Ittai of Gath passed forth, and the king, and all men that were with him, and the tother multitude. (And David said to Ittai, Then come thou, and let us go. And so Ittai the Gittite, and the king, and the men who were with him, and all the other people, went forth.)

18 When Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples over the strand of Cedron, where was a yard, or a garden, into which he entered, and his disciples.

² And Judas, that betrayed him, knew the place, for oft Jesus came thither with his disciples.

³ Therefore when Judas had taken a company of knights, and ministers of the bishops and of the Pharisees, he came thither with lanterns, and brands, and arms.

⁴ And so Jesus witting all things that were to come on him, went forth, and said to them, Whom seek ye?

⁵ They answered to him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them, I am. And Judas that betrayed him, stood with them.

⁶ And when he said to them, I am, they went aback, and fell down on the earth.

⁷ And again he asked them, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

⁸ He answered to them, I said to you, that I am; therefore if ye seek me, suffer ye these to go away.

⁹ That the word which he said should be fulfilled, For I lost not any of them, which thou hast given to me.

¹⁰ Therefore Simon Peter had a sword, and drew it out [Therefore Simon Peter having a sword, drew it out], and smote the servant of the bishop, and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus.

¹¹ Therefore Jesus said to Peter, Put thou thy sword into thy sheath [Send thou the sword into the sheath]; wilt thou not, that I drink the cup, that my Father gave to me?

¹² Therefore the company of knights, and the tribune, and the ministers of the Jews, took Jesus, and bound him,

¹³ and led him first to Annas [and led him to Annas first]; for he was [the] father of Caiaphas' wife, that was bishop of that year.

¹⁴ And it was Caiaphas, that gave counsel to the Jews, that it speedeth, that one man die for the people.

¹⁵ But Simon Peter followed Jesus, and another disciple; and that disciple was known to the bishop. And he entered [in] with Jesus, into the hall of the bishop;

¹⁶ but Peter stood at the door withoutforth. Therefore that other disciple, that was known to the bishop, went out, and said to the woman that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

¹⁷ And the damsel, keeper of the door, said to Peter, Whether thou art also of this man's disciples? He said, I am not.

¹⁸ And the servants and [the] ministers stood at the coals, for it was cold, and they warmed them(selves); and Peter was with them, standing and warming him(self).

¹⁹ And the bishop asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his teaching.

²⁰ Jesus answered to him, I have spoken openly to the world; I taught evermore in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither all the Jews came together, and in huddles I spake nothing^[a].

²¹ What askest thou me? ask them that heard me, what I have spoken to them; lo! they know, what things I have said.

²² When he had said these things, one of the ministers standing nigh, gave a buffet to Jesus, and said [saying], Answerest thou so to the bishop?

²³ Jesus answered to him, If I have spoken evil, bear thou witnessing of evil; but if I said well, why smitest thou me?

²⁴ And Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the bishop.

⁹⁷ [Mem]. Lord, how loved I thy law; all day it is my thinking. (Lord, how I love thy Law! I think about it all day long.)

⁹⁸ Above mine enemies thou madest me prudent by thy commandment; for it is to me [into] without end. (By thy commandments, thou hast made me more prudent than all my enemies; for thy commandments shall be with me forever.)

⁹⁹ I understood over all men teaching me; for thy witnessings is my thinking. (I have more understanding than all those who teach me; because I think about thy teachings.)

¹⁰⁰ I understood above eld men; for I sought thy commandments. (I have more understanding than the old men, that is, the elders; because I have kept thy precepts.)

¹⁰¹ I forbade my feet from all evil way; that I keep thy words (so that I obey thy commands).

¹⁰² I bowed not from thy dooms; for thou hast set law to me. (I turned not away from thy judgements; for thou thyself hast taught me.)

¹⁰³ Thy speeches be full sweet to my cheeks; above honey to my mouth. (Thy words be exceedingly sweet to my taste; yea, sweeter in my mouth than honey.)

¹⁰⁴ I understood of thy behests; therefore I hated all the ways of wickedness. (I gained understanding through thy precepts; and now I hate all wicked ways.)

¹⁰⁵ [Nun]. Thy word is a lantern to my feet; and (a) light to my paths.

¹⁰⁶ I swore, and purposed steadfastly; to keep the dooms of thy rightfulness. (I swore, and steadfastly purposed, to obey thy righteous judgements.)

¹⁰⁷ I am made low by all things; Lord, quicken thou me by thy word. (I am brought down so very low, that is, I am greatly afflicted; Lord, grant thou me life according to thy word.)

¹⁰⁸ Lord, make thou well pleasing the willful things of my mouth; and teach thou me thy dooms. (Lord, accept thou the willing offerings, or the tributes, from my mouth; and teach thou me thy judgements.)

¹⁰⁹ My soul is ever[more] in mine hands; and I forgat not thy law. (My life is in my hands forevermore/My life is always in my hands; yet I never forget thy Law.)

¹¹⁰ Sinners setted a snare to me; and I erred not from thy commandments. (Sinners set a snare for me; but I did not stray from thy precepts.)

¹¹¹ I purchased thy witnessings by heritage [into] without end; for those be the full joying of mine heart. (Thy teachings be my inheritance forever; yea, they be the full out joy of my heart.)

¹¹² I bowed mine heart to do thy justifyings [into] without end; for reward. (I committed my heart to follow thy statutes; for they be my reward forever/for they shall be my reward until the day I die.)

⁸ Better is a little with rightfulness, than many fruits with wickedness.

⁹ The heart of a man shall dispose his way; but it pertaineth to the Lord to (ad)dress his steps. (A person’s heart shall ordain his way; but it pertaineth to the Lord to direct his steps.)