Year of the Bible
2 Samuel 14
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Commentary on the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 14:
David’s military commander, Joab, realizes that having the Crown Prince in exile is not beneficial for the kingdom, so he orchestrates a situation where a woman makes an appeal to the King that would relate to what happened to Prince Absalom. King David allows Absalom to return to Jerusalem but will not meet with him. As Absalom grows in status, his need to see the King, and to be seen with the King, increases. He takes drastic measures to get Joab’s attention and succeeds in getting into the palace. The chapter ends with father and son meeting, but there is no expression of remorse, thanksgiving, or joy at the reunion.
The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 14:
David Is Persuaded to Bring Absalom Back
1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart went out to Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments; do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead; 3 and go to the king, and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, “Help, O king.” 5 And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 And your handmaid had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field; there was no one to part them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 And now the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew’; and so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon the face of the earth.”
8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” 9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” 10 The king said, “If any one says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” 11 Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood slay no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
12 Then the woman said, “Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” 13 And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 We must all die, we are like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; but God will not take away the life of him who devises means not to keep his banished one an outcast. 15 Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid; and your handmaid thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16 For the king will hear, and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’ 17 And your handmaid thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest’; for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”
18 Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” 19 The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who bade me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid. 20 In order to change the course of affairs your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”
21 Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and blessed the king; and Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom dwelt apart in his own house, and did not come into the king’s presence.
25 Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight. 27 There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.
David Forgives Absalom
28 So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. 30 Then 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. 31 Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king; and if there is guilt in me, let him kill me.’ ” 33 Then Joab went to the king, and told him; and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
David, possibly from guilt over his own sin, had failed to discipline Amnon and Absalom. This lack of discipline allows pride and rebellion to dominate Absalom. Lord, what are you trying to show me from this passage about my responsibility to lead those of whom you've put me in charge?
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Joab, hijo de Seruyá, supo que el corazón
del rey estaba contra Absalón.
2 Así que envió a unos a Tecoa para que trajeran
de allí a una mujer sabia, a la que le
dio este encargo:
–Finge que estás en duelo, ponte
vestidos de duelo, no te perfumes con
óleo para que parezcas una mujer que
llora por su difunto desde hace tiempo
3 y preséntate así ante el rey diciéndole
estas palabras –y Joab le fue indicando
lo que debía decir.
4 Vino, pues, donde el rey la mujer de
Tecoa, se postró rostro en tierra ante él
y le dijo:
–Sálvame, mi rey.
5 Él le contestó:
–¿Qué problema tienes?
Ella le dijo:
–¡Ay! Soy una mujer viuda; mi marido
ha muerto. 6 Tu sierva tenía dos hijos
que riñeron en el campo y nadie pudo
intervenir para separarlos. Uno de ellos
hirió a su hermano y lo mató. 7 Y ahora
toda la familia se encara contra tu sierva
diciendo: «Entréganos al asesino de
su hermano para que, vengando al hermano
muerto, lo matemos; así haremos
desaparecer al enemigo». Pero sólo van
a conseguir apagar la brasa que me queda
y dejar a mi marido sin apellido y sin
descendiente sobre la tierra.
8 El rey respondió a la mujer:
–Vete a tu casa y yo me encargaré
de ti.
9 La mujer de Tecoa dijo al rey:
–Señor y rey mío, caiga sobre mí y
sobre la casa de mi padre toda la culpa.
El rey y su trono queden inocentes.
10 Pero el rey le dijo:
–Si alguien te dice algo hazlo llegar
ante mí, y no te volverá a molestar.
11 Ella repuso:
–Que el rey invoque al Señor, tu
Dios, para que el vengador de sangre no
aumente mi desgracia haciendo desaparecer
a mi hijo.
El rey le dijo:
–¡Vive el Señor que no caerá en tierra
un solo cabello de tu hijo!
12 La mujer repuso:
–Permite a tu sierva decir todavía
una palabra a mi señor.
Él dijo:
–Habla.
13 Entonces la mujer respondió:
–¿Por qué has pensado tales cosas
en contra del pueblo de Dios? Por las
palabras que ahora ha pronunciado, el
rey se hace culpable al no permitir que
vuelva el que tiene desterrado. 14 Todos
hemos de morir; somos como el agua
que se derrama en la tierra y no puede
recogerse de nuevo, porque Dios no va
a devolver la vida. Piense el rey la manera
de que el desterrado no siga lejos.
15 En verdad, he venido a decir al rey
todo esto porque el pueblo me ha apremiado
y tu sierva ha pensado: «Hablaré
al rey; quizás él atienda los ruegos de su
sierva. 16 El rey escuchará a su sierva y la
librará de la mano del que hoy pretende
hacernos desaparecer de la heredad
de Dios a mí y a mi hijo». 17 Y tu sierva
dijo para sí: «Que la palabra del rey, mi
señor, traiga la serenidad. El rey, mi señor,
es como un ángel de Dios que sabe
discernir el bien del mal. Que el Señor,
tu Dios, esté contigo».
18 El rey respondió a la mujer:
–No me ocultes nada de lo que voy
a preguntarte.
La mujer contestó:
–Hable mi señor, el rey.
19 Dijo el rey:
–¿No está la mano de Joab contigo
en todo esto?
Respondió la mujer:
–Por tu vida, oh rey, mi señor, que
has acertado; en lo que dices no hay
error ni a derecha ni a izquierda. Tu
siervo Joab es quien me ha dado instrucciones
y ha puesto en la boca de tu
sierva todas estas palabras. 20 Para no
enfrentarse con este caso, tu siervo Joab
ha hecho todo esto. Pero mi señor tiene
sabiduría como la de un ángel de Dios y
sabe todo lo que sucede en la tierra.
21 Entonces el rey dijo a Joab:
–Bien. Voy a actuar según la palabra
dada. Vete y trae al joven Absalón.
22 Joab se postró rostro en tierra,
bendijo al rey y le dijo:
–Hoy ha sabido tu siervo que ha encontrado
gracia a tus ojos, señor y rey
mío, pues el rey ha cumplido lo que tu
siervo había pedido.
23 Se levantó Joab y se dirigió a Guesur
para traer a Absalón a Jerusalén.
24 Pero el rey dijo:
–Que regrese a su casa, pues no
debe ver mi rostro.
Así Absalón regresó a su casa sin ver
el rostro del rey.
25 No había en Israel un hombre tan
célebre por su belleza como Absalón.
Desde la planta de los pies hasta lo más
alto de la cabeza no tenía ningún defecto.
26 Solía cortarse el pelo una vez al año
porque le pesaba mucho. Cuando se lo
cortaba, el cabello cortado pesaba doscientos
siclos en peso regio. 27 Le nacieron
a Absalón tres hijos y una hija llamada
Tamar, que era una mujer muy bella.
28 Absalón permaneció en Jerusalén
dos años sin ver el rostro del rey. 29 Después
llamó a Joab para enviarlo al rey,
pero Joab no quiso ir a casa de Absalón.
Le volvió a llamar por segunda vez pero
Joab tampoco quiso. 30 Entonces Absalón
dijo a sus servidores:
–¿Veis el campo de Joab que está
junto al mío y que tiene la cebada a punto
para la siega? Id y prendedle fuego.
Fueron los servidores de Absalón y
prendieron fuego al campo. 31 Entonces
Joab se levantó, vino a casa de Absalón
y le dijo:
–¿Por qué tus siervos han prendido
fuego a mi campo?
32 Absalón le respondió:
–Mira, te he mandado venir porque
quiero enviarte al rey para que le digas:
«¿Para qué he venido de Guesur? Habría
sido mejor quedarme allí. Ahora
necesito ver el rostro del rey y, si hay alguna
culpa en mí, que me haga morir».
33 Joab se presentó al rey y se lo comunicó.
Entonces el rey llamó a Absalón,
que entró y, cayendo rostro en tierra,
se postró ante él. Y el rey le besó.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
David, posiblemente por la culpa de su propio pecado, no había castigado a Amnón y Absalón. Esta falta de disciplina permite que el orgullo y la rebelión dominen a Absalón. Señor, ¿qué intentas mostrarme en este pasaje sobre mi responsabilidad de dirigir a los que has puesto bajo mi mando?
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