The Reign of David

The king got up, tore his clothes and lay on the ground, while all his servants stood by with their clothes torn too.

But then Yonadav, the son of Shim'ah, David's brother, spoke up; he said, "My lord shouldn't think they have killed all the young men, the king's sons. Only Amnon is dead; for Avshalom has meant to do this ever since the day he raped his sister Tamar.

So my lord the king shouldn't take it as seriously as if all the king's sons are dead; only Amnon is dead."

However, Avshalom took flight. The young man keeping watch looked up and saw many people coming along the road behind him on the hillside.

Yonadav said to the king, "Here, the king's sons have come; it's just as your servant said."

The moment he finished speaking, the king's sons came, cried out and wept; and the king too, with all his servants, cried out in great pain.

Avshalom fled and went to Talmai the son of 'Ammihud, king of G'shur. David mourned for his son every day.

So Avshalom fled, went to G'shur and stayed there three years.

But as King David became reconciled to the death of his son Amnon, he was increasingly filled with longing to see Avshalom.

Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah perceived that the king missed Avshalom;

so Yo'av sent to T'koa, brought from there a clever woman and said to her, "Please, pretend you're a mourner. Put on mourning clothes, and don't anoint yourself with oil, but appear to be a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

Go in to the king and speak to him in this fashion -" and then Yo'av told her just what to say.

When the woman of T'koa spoke to the king, she fell down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself, and said, "King, help!"

The king said to her, "What's the trouble?"She answered, "I'm a widow. After my husband died,

my two sons were out in the field; and they got into a fight with each other. There was no one to separate them, and one hit the other and killed him.

Now the whole family has come against me, your servant; they're saying, 'Hand over the one who hit his brother, so that we can put him to death for killing his brother.'They want to destroy the heir as well and thus quench my one remaining coal; then my husband will have neither name nor survivor anywhere on earth."

The king said to the woman, "Go back home; I myself will decide what to do about you."

The woman of T'koa said to the king, "My lord, king, let the guilt be on me and my father's family; the king and his throne be guiltless."

The king answered, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me; and he won't bother you any more."

"Please," she said, "let the king swear by ADONAI your God that the blood avengers won't do any more destroying, so they won't destroy my son." He said, "As ADONAI lives, not one of your son's hairs will fall to the ground."

Then the woman said, "Please allow your servant to say something else to my lord the king.""Go on," he replied.

The woman said, "Why is it, then, that you have produced a situation exactly like this against God's people? By saying what you have said, the king has virtually incriminated himself - in that the king does not bring home again the son he banished.

For we will all die someday; we'll be like water spilled on the ground that can't be gathered up again; and God makes no exception for anyone. The king should think of some way to keep the son he banished from being forever an outcast.

Now the reason I came to speak about this matter to my lord the king is that the people were intimidating me; so your servant said, 'I will speak now to the king; maybe the king will do what his servant is asking.

For the king will listen and rescue his servant from the hands of those who would destroy me and my son together from our share of God's inheritance.'