The Wise Woman’s Parable

4

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!"

5

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

6

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.

7

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."

8

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

9

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."

10

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

11

"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."

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options