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Nach YomiII Samuel · שמואל ב׳Chapter 14

II Samuel 14

שמואל ב׳ ׀ךק י׮ד

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: II Samuel | Chapter: 14 of 24 | Day: 90 of 742

Date: May 12, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

The fourteenth chapter of II Samuel orchestrates the staged return of Absalom from Geshur, and at its literary core stands a structural echo of Nathan’s parable from chapter 12. Just as the prophet had ambushed David’s moral judgment with the tale of the poor man’s lamb, Joab now constructs an even more elaborate ruse: a wise woman from Tekoa (אשה חכמה), draped in mourning, presenting a fictional capital case so that David will pronounce a ruling that he can then be turned to apply against himself. Radak and Rashi alike emphasize that Joab read the king’s heart (וידע יואב כי לב המלך על אבשלום) and dared not raise the matter directly, choosing instead the indirect path of parable. The chapter thus opens by signaling that David’s court has become a place where truth must be smuggled in through fiction, where the king is too compromised by his own grief and guilt to be addressed plainly.

Joab’s motives are rarely articulated by the text itself, but the classical commentators read them shrewdly. With Amnon dead and the tribal heir Chileab nowhere in view, Absalom is now the most prominent surviving son of David — strikingly handsome, politically charismatic, and the grandson of a foreign king through his mother Maacah of Geshur. Joab, the consummate political operator, sees that the dynasty’s stability requires the eventual heir to be present, not exiled. The wise woman’s parable (vv. 5-7) is finely tuned to David’s vulnerabilities: a widow’s lone surviving son, condemned to die at the hands of the kinsmen-redeemers, the family’s last ember (גחלתי אשך נשאךה) about to be extinguished. Each detail of the fiction maps onto David’s own situation — a father with one son slain by another, the surviving son threatened with death, the dynastic line at stake.

The legal-philosophical exchange that follows is the chapter’s intellectual center. The woman secures from David a binding oath against the avenger of blood (גואל הדם) — Rashi connects this to the Torah’s concern in Deuteronomy 19 that the ways to the cities of refuge be kept open lest the avenger overtake the unintentional killer — and only then springs the trap: “Why have you planned the like against the people of God?” (v. 13). The trap exposes a double standard: David has just sworn to protect a fictional fratricide who lacked witnesses and warning, yet he has banished his own son under those same evidentiary conditions. Verse 14, the woman’s most theologically dense pronouncement — “we are like water poured out on the ground” — invokes universal mortality and divine compassion to argue that the king must devise stratagems (וחשב מחשבות) so that no one remain banished (לבלתי ידח ממנו נדח). Metzudat David and Radak both read this as appealing to the divine attribute of seeking the return of the wayward, the very pattern God Himself models with sinners.

Yet David, having been moved to act, halts halfway. Absalom is brought from Geshur to Jerusalem, but the king decrees: “Let him turn aside to his own house; he shall not see my face” (v. 24). This partial pardon — neither full reconciliation nor full exile — is the chapter’s tragic hinge. For two years Absalom dwells in Jerusalem in a kind of quarantine of grace, close enough to inflame his ambitions but not close enough to bind him in filial duty. The chapter then pauses to describe Absalom’s physical perfection (v. 25): no man in Israel was so admired for beauty (להלל מאד), without blemish from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, his hair so heavy he had to cut it annually at two hundred shekels by the royal weight. Radak reads this descriptive interlude as the narrator’s diagnosis of what will go wrong: Absalom’s beauty bred his vanity, and his vanity bred the conviction that no son of David was more fit to rule than himself. Chazal’s tradition that he was a Nazirite makes the irony sharper still — the very hair that signaled consecration becomes the instrument of his vanity and ultimately his death.

The chapter ends with the famous burning of Joab’s barley field. When Joab refuses two summonses, Absalom orders his servants to set Joab’s adjacent field ablaze. This brutal piece of theater accomplishes its goal — Joab finally intervenes, and David receives Absalom with a kiss — but the gesture reveals everything that has gone wrong with this reconciliation. Absalom has learned that he can secure what he wants through coercion and destruction. The man who orchestrated his return has been treated to a foretaste of how Absalom treats those who help him; the kinsman who acted as Nathan-by-proxy in chapter 14 will be repaid in chapter 18 only by killing Absalom against David’s orders. The chapter’s deepest tragedy lies in its logic of half-measures: David could not bear to permanently banish his son, but he also could not bring himself to fully forgive. The two years “in his own house but not seeing the king’s face” hardened Absalom’s grievance into rebellion. The kiss of verse 33 ends the chapter on the surface of reconciliation, but the next chapter will reveal that beneath the kiss the revolt was already underway.

׀ךק י׮ד · Chapter 14

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֖דַע יוֹא֣֞ב ב֌ֶן֟׊ְךֻי֑֞ה כ֌֎י֟לֵ֥ב הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ עַל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃

English:

Joab son of Zeruiah could see that the king’s mind was on Absalom;

Joab perceives that David's heart yearns for Absalom yet the king cannot bring himself to summon him back. Metzudat David and Radak both note that Joab read this from David's mood and bearing, dared not raise the matter directly, and resolved to approach it through indirection — a strategy that will require an entire fictional apparatus.

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁלַրח יוֹא֞ב֙ ת֌ְק֔וֹע֞ה וַי֌֎ק֌ַ֥ח מ֎שׁ֌֖֞ם א֎שׁ֌֣֞ה חֲכ֞מ֑֞ה וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך אֵ֠לֶ֠יה֞ ה֎֜תְאַב֌ְל֎י֟נ֞֞א וְל֎בְשׁ֎י֟נ֣֞א ב֎גְדֵי֟אֵ֗בֶל וְאַל֟ת֌֞ס֙ו֌כ֎י֙ שֶׁ֔מֶן וְה֞י֎֕ית כ֌ְא֎שׁ֌֞֗ה זֶ֚ה י֞מ֎֣ים ךַב֌֎֔ים מ֎תְאַב֌ֶ֖לֶת עַל֟מֵ֜ת׃

English:

so Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a woman who was wise.awise I.e., in this context, quick-witted and resourceful. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; put on mourning clothes and don’t anoint yourself with oil; and act like a woman who has grieved a long time over a departed one.

Joab fetches a wise woman from Tekoa and stages her as a long-grieving mourner. Rashi and Radak transmit the rabbinic tradition (Menachot 85a) that Tekoa was renowned for olive oil and therefore for wisdom; the cosmetic detail of refusing to anoint with oil reinforces a credible appearance of prolonged mourning calculated to elicit royal compassion.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֎֌שְׁלַח יוֹא֞ב תְ֌קוֹע֞ה. א֞מְךו֌ ךַב֌וֹתֵינו֌ (מנחות ×€×” ב): כ֎֌י שֶׁמֶן זַי֎ת מ֞׊ו֌י שׁ֞ם, לְכ־ךְ ח־כְמ־ה מְ׊ו֌י֞ה שׁ֞ם:
Yoav sent to Tekuah. Our Rabbis said Because olive oil is found there, therefore wisdom is found there.1Menochos 85a.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

ו֌ב֞את֙ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וְד֎ב֌ַ֥ךְת֌ְ אֵל֖֞יו כ֌ַד֌֞ב֣֞ך הַז֌ֶ֑ה וַי֌֧֞שֶׂם יוֹא֛֞ב אֶת֟הַד֌ְב֞ך֎֖ים ב֌ְ׀֎֜יה֞׃

English:

Go to the king and say to him thus and thus.” And Joab told her what to say.btold her what to say Lit. “put words into her mouth.”

Joab feeds her the script — what Radak calls the general substance of the parable — relying on her own quick-wittedness to handle David's responses extemporaneously. The phrase 'put words in her mouth' signals that the entire performance is a constructed fiction designed to map onto David's situation with Amnon and Absalom.

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַ֠ת֌ֹ֠אמֶך ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞րה הַת֌ְקֹע֎ית֙ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וַת֌֎׀֌ֹ֧ל עַל֟אַ׀֌ֶ֛יה֞ אַ֖ךְ׊֞ה וַת֌֎שְׁת֌֑֞חו֌ וַת֌ֹ֖אמֶך הוֹשׁ֎֥ע֞ה הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃ {ס}        

English:

The Tekoite woman cameccame So many mss. and printed editions. Most mss. and printed editions read “said.” to the king, flung herself face down to the ground, and prostrated herself. She cried out, “Help, O king!”

She enters the throne room and falls on her face crying 'Help, O king!' — the conventional cry of one seeking royal justice. Radak preserves a tradition that her appeal at the gate was initially blocked, lending realism to her later complaint that 'the people frightened me.'

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֜אמֶך֟ל֥֞ה֌ הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ מַה֟ל֌֑֞ךְ וַת֌ֹ֗אמֶך אֲב֛֞ל א֎שׁ֌֞֜ה֟אַלְמ֞נ֥֞ה א־֖נ֮י וַי֌֥֞מׇת א֎ישׁ֎֜י׃

English:

The king asked her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Alas, I am a widow, my husband is dead.

She presents herself as a widow whose loss is fresh — Rashi glosses אבל as 'in truth.' Radak observes that her seemingly redundant 'and my husband died' is calculated: should her surviving son be killed, the day his death is announced will feel like the day she lost her husband all over again.
ךש׎יRashi
אֲב֞ל א֎ש֞֌ׁה אַלְמ֞נ֞ה א־נ֮י. אֲב֞ל, ׎בְ֌קו֌שְׁט֞א׎:
In truth, I am a widowed woman.אֲב֞ל means "In truth."

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

ו֌לְשׁ֎׀ְח֞֜תְך֞֙ שְׁנֵ֣י ב־נ֮֔ים וַי֌֎נ֌֞׊րו֌ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ ב֌ַשׂ֌֞דֶ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין מַ׊֌֎֖יל ב֌ֵינֵיהֶ֑ם וַי֌ַכ֌֧וֹ ה֞אֶח֛֞ד אֶת֟ה֞אֶח֖֞ד וַי֌֥֞מֶת אֹת֜וֹ׃

English:

Your maidservant had two sons. The two of them came to blows out in the fields where there was no one to stop them, and one of them struck the other and killed him.

The fictional case is constructed to mirror Amnon and Absalom: two brothers in an open field, no third party to intervene, one strikes the other dead. Metzudat David explains 'no one to save' as the absence of an outsider who could stop the blow — and crucially, with no witnesses or formal warning, the case lies outside the strict jurisdiction of the court.

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְה֎נ֌ֵה֩ ק־ֹמ־ה כׇ֜ל֟הַמ֌֎שְׁ׀֌֞ח֞֜ה עַל֟שׁ֎׀ְח֞תֶ֗ך֞ וַי֌ֹ֜אמְךו֌֙ ת֌ְנ֎֣י ׀ אֶת֟מַכ֌ֵ֣ה א־ח֮֗יו ו֌נְמ֎תֵ֙הו֌֙ ב֌ְנֶր׀ֶשׁ א־ח֮יו֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ה־׹־֔ג וְנַשְׁמ֎֖יד֞ה ג֌ַ֣ם אֶת֟הַי֌וֹךֵ֑שׁ וְכ֎ב֌֗ו֌ אֶת֟ג֌ַ֜חַלְת֌֎י֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך נ֎שְׁא֞֔ך֞ה לְב֎לְת֌֎֧י (שום) [שׂ֎ים֟]לְא֎ישׁ֎֛י שֵׁ֥ם ו֌שְׁאֵך֎֖ית עַל֟׀֌ְנֵ֥י ה֞אֲד֞מ֞֜ה׃ {×€}

English:

Then the whole clan confronted your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother, that we may put him to death for the slaying of his brother, even though we wipe out the heir.‘deven though we wipe out the heir Emendation yields “Thus they would destroy the [last] heir and
” Thus they would quench the last ember remaining to me, and leave my husband without name or remnant upon the earth.”

The whole clan demands the surviving son be handed over for blood vengeance, even though doing so will extinguish the family line. Radak sharply suggests that the kinsmen's real motive is inheritance — they want to seize her husband's estate — exposing the tension between pure justice and the avenger's mixed motives that Joab is preparing to exploit.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֧אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֛לֶךְ אֶל֟ה֞א֎שׁ֌֖֞ה לְכ֎֣י לְבֵיתֵ֑ךְ וַאֲנ֎֖י אֲ׊ַו֌ֶ֥ה ע֞ל֞֜י֎ךְ׃

English:

The king said to the woman, “Go home. I will issue an order in your behalf.”

David's first response is non-committal: go home, I will issue an order on your behalf. Radak reads this as a vague promise to instruct the clan to leave the boy alone, but the woman recognizes it as the kind of royal half-measure that will not survive contact with determined avengers — and she has only begun her advocacy.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֜אמֶך ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞րה הַת֌ְקוֹע֎ית֙ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ ע֞לַ֞י אֲדֹנ֎֥י הַמ֌ֶ֛לֶךְ הֶע֞וֺ֖ן וְעַל֟ב֌ֵ֣ית א־ב֑֮י וְהַמ֌ֶ֥לֶךְ וְכ֎סְא֖וֹ נ֞ק֎֜י׃ {ס}        

English:

And the Tekoite woman said to the king, “My lord king, may the guilt be on me and on my ancestral house; Your Majesty and his throne are guiltless.”

She presses for stronger commitment, asking that any blame fall on her ancestral house and not on the throne. Rashi reads this euphemistically as her veiled rebuke: if the king dismisses me with a vague order while my son gets killed, on whose head is that sin? She invites David to bind himself more firmly.
ךש׎יRashi
ע֞לַי אֲדֹנ֎י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ הֶע֞וֹן. כ֎֌נ֌ו֌י הו֌א ל֎כְבוֹדוֹ, כְ֌לוֹמַך אַת֞֌ה מַדְחֶה אוֹת֎י לֵאמֹך אֲנ֎י מְ׊ַוֶ֌ה ע֞לֶיך֞ וַאֲנ֎י אֵלֵךְ לְדַךְכ֎֌י, וְאַת֞֌ה לֹא תְ׊ַוֶ֌ה ע֞לַי, ו֌בְנ֎י יֵה֞ךֵג, עַל מ֮י הֶע֞וֹן הַזֶ֌ה:
My master the king, the sin is upon me. This is euphemistic for [the sake of] his honour in other words, "You are rebutting me [by] saying, 'I will command [someone] concerning you,' I will [then] go on my way and you will not command [anyone] concerning me, and my son will get murdered. Upon who is this sin?"

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֖אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ הַ֜מְדַב֌ֵրך אֵלַ֙י֎ךְ֙ וַהֲבֵאת֣וֹ אￜￜלַ֔י וְלֹא֟יֹס֎֥יף ע֖וֹד ל֞גַ֥עַת ב֌֞֜ךְ׃

English:

The king said, “If anyone says anything more to you, have him brought to me, and he will never trouble you again.”

David escalates: anyone who threatens her further is to be brought before him personally. Radak observes the grammatical irregularity — והבאתו addresses a male attendant who would assist the woman in summoning the troublemaker — but the legal substance is that David is now committing royal protection, not just royal sympathy.

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֩אמֶך֩ י֎זְכ֌ׇך֟נ֚֞א הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ אֶת֟יְהֹו֣֞ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יך֞ (מהךבית) [מֵהַךְב֌ַ֞ת] ג֌ֹאֵրל הַד֌֞ם֙ לְשַׁחֵ֔ת וְלֹ֥א יַשְׁמ֎֖ידו֌ אֶת֟ב֌ְנ֎֑י וַי֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ חַי֟יְהֹו֞֔ה א֎ם֟י֎׀֌ֹ֛ל מ֎שׂ֌ַעֲךַ֥ת ב֌ְנֵ֖ךְ א֞֜ךְ׊֞ה׃

English:

She replied, “Let Your Majesty be mindful of the ETERNAL your God and restrain the blood avenger bent on destruction, so that my son may not be killed.” And he said, “As GOD lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

She demands the strongest possible commitment: a binding oath in God's name restraining the avenger of blood. Rashi connects this to the Torah's concern in Deuteronomy 19 that the avenger's pursuit be limited; her phrase מהךבת גואל הדם invokes the legislative impulse to constrain blood vengeance. David swears: not a hair shall fall — the airtight oath Joab needed.
ךש׎יRashi
י֎זְכ֞֌ך נ֞א הַמֶ֌לֶךְ אֶת ה׳. שֶׁה֎קְ׀֎֌יד עַל אֹךֶךְ הַדֶ֌ךֶךְ לְהַ׊֎֌יל נְ׀֞שׁוֹת, שֶׁנֶ֌אֱמַך (דב׹ים יט:ו): ׎וְה֎ש֎֌ׂיגוֹ כ֎֌י י֎ךְבֶ֌ה הַדֶ֌ךֶךְ׎, וְזֶהו֌ מֵהַךְב֌וֹת גֹ֌אֵל הַד֞֌ם לְשַׁחֵת, וְאַת֞֌ה דוֹחֶה אוֹת֎י:
Please remember Adonoy. God was stringent concerning the distance [necessary] to save lives2When a person kills accidently, he must go to a city of refuge. These cities should never be too distant from any potential fugitive who may need to go there. as it is said, "He will overtake him because the way was long".3Devorim 19:5. This is [her reference with], "To avoid giving more [time] for the avenger to destroy," and you are pushing me [away].

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ ה֞֜א֎שׁ֌֞֔ה ת֌ְדַב֌ֶך֟נ֧֞א שׁ֎׀ְח֞תְך֛֞ אֶל֟אֲדֹנ֎֥י הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ ד֌֞ב֑֞ך וַי֌ֹ֖אמֶך ד֌ַב֌ֵ֜ך֎י׃ {ס}        

English:

Then the woman said, “Please let your maidservant say another word to my lord the king.” “Speak on,” said the king.

Having extracted the oath, the woman now requests permission to speak further. Radak notes the careful pivot: she will now begin to hint, by gradual indirection, at the real subject — Absalom — for which all of this has been prologue.

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞֔ה וְל֧֞מ֌֞ה ח֞שַׁ֛בְת֌֞ה כ֌֞זֹ֖את עַל֟עַ֣ם אֱלֹה֎֑ים ו֌מ֎ד֌ַב֌ֵ֚ך הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ הַד֌֞ב֞րך הַז֌ֶה֙ כ֌ְא֞שֵׁ֔ם לְב֎לְת֌֎֛י ה֞שׁ֎֥יב הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ אֶ֜ת֟נ֎ד֌ְח֜וֹ׃

English:

And the woman said, “Why then have you planned the like against God’s people? In making this pronouncement, Your Majesty condemns himself in that Your Majesty does not bring back his own banished one.

The trap snaps shut: 'Why then have you planned the like against the people of God?' Rashi unpacks the indictment — David has just protected a fratricide who killed without witnesses or warning, exposing as inconsistent his own continuing exile of Absalom, who killed Amnon under those same evidentiary conditions. The king's oath in her case has become his self-conviction in his own.
ךש׎יRashi
וְל֞מ֞֌ה ח֞שַׁבְת֞֌ה כ֞זֹאת. שֶׁח֞שַׁדְת֞֌ לְי֎שְׂך֞אֵל, שֶׁי֞֌בֹאו֌ לַהֲךוֹג אֶת הַשֵ֌ׁנ֎י בְ֌לֹא עֵד֎ים וְהַתְך֞א֞ה: ו֌מ֎דַ֌בֵ֌ך הַמֶ֌לֶךְ הַד֞֌ב֞ך הַזֶ֌ה כְ֌א֞שֵׁם. וְהַד֞֌ב֞ך הַזֶ֌ה שֶׁח֞ךַ׊ְת֞֌ לַאֲחֵך֎ים, שֶׁא֞מַךְת֞֌ ל֮י לֹא י֎׀֌וֹל מ֎שַ֌ׂעֲךַת בְ֌נֵךְ אַךְ׊֞ה, עַכְשׁ֞יו שֶׁאֲגַלֶ֌ה לְך־ שֶׁאֵין הַד֞֌ב֞ך הַזֶ֌ה אֶל֞֌א עַל שְׁנֵי ב֞֌נֶיך֞, אַל ת֎֌תְח֞ךֵט לֵאמֹך ד֎֌בַ֌ךְת֎֌י זֶה כְ֌א֞שֵׁם, וְה֮נְנ֮י חוֹזֵך ב֎֌י, לְב֎לְת֎֌י ה֞ש֎ׁיב הַמֶ֌לֶךְ אֶת אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם בְ֌נוֹ שֶׁנ֎֌דְח֞ה מ֎מֶ֌נ֌ו֌ ו֌ב֞ךַח לוֹ: ו֌מ֎דַ֌בֵ֌ך הַמֶ֌לֶךְ. אוקינו׮ן ׀ךלטי׎ש בלע׎ז:
Why did you think this. You suspected that a Jew could come to kill another [Jew] without witnesses and a warning. That which the king said he himself is guilty of. This thing that you have decided for others, that you said to me "hair from your son shall not fall to the ground." Now that I have revealed to you that this thing never happened, but it was only [a parable] to your two sons, do not reverse yourself saying, "I said this mistakingly and I have reconsidered" in order that the king not bring back his son, Avsholom that his been exiled from him and has fled. The king will say. Aucenon parleter in O.F.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

כ֌֎י֟מ֣וֹת נ֞מ֔ו֌ת וְכַמ֌ַ֙י֎ם֙ הַנ֌֎ג֌֞ך֎֣ים אַ֔ךְ׊֞ה אֲשֶׁ֖ך לֹ֣א יֵא֞סֵ֑׀ו֌ וְלֹ֜א֟י֎שׂ֌֞րא אֱלֹה֎ים֙ נֶ֔׀ֶשׁ וְח֞שַׁב֙ מַחֲשׁ֞ב֔וֹת לְב֎לְת֌֎֛י י֎ד֌ַ֥ח מ֎מ֌ֶ֖נ֌ו֌ נ֎ד֌֞֜ח׃

English:

We must all die; we are like water that is poured out on the ground and cannot be gathered up. God will not take away the life of one who makes plans so that no one may be kept banished.eGod will not 
 banished Meaning of Heb. uncertain. The apparent sense is: God will not punish you for bringing back the banished Absalom.

The woman's most theologically dense verse: we all die, like water poured on the ground that cannot be gathered, but God devises stratagems so that no one remain banished. Rashi reads it as arguing that Amnon's death is itself sufficient punishment; Radak hears an appeal to imitate the divine attribute of seeking the return of the wayward — God 'thinks thoughts' to retrieve the lost, and so should the king.
ךש׎יRashi
כ֎֌י מוֹת נ֞מו֌ת. וְדַיֵ֌ינו֌ בְ֌אוֹתוֹ עֹנֶשׁ: וְלֹא י֎ש֞֌ׂא אֱלֹה֎ים נֶ׀ֶשׁ. א֎ישׁ מ֮ן הַמ֎֌ית֞ה, לְ׀֎יכ֞ךְ וְח֞שַׁב הַמֶ֌לֶךְ מַחֲשׁ֞בוֹת לְב֎לְת֎֌י י֎דַ֌ח מ֎מֶ֌נ֌ו֌ נ֎ד֞֌ח:
We are [all] going to die. And that punishment is sufficent.4For Avsholom. God will not countenance anyone. a man from [avoiding] death. Therefore the king should devise means to avoid having his exiled one remain an outcast.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וְ֠עַת֌֞֠ה אֲשֶׁך֟ב֌֞֜את֎י לְדַב֌ֵ֚ך אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶրלֶךְ אֲדֹנ֎י֙ אֶת֟הַד֌֞ב֣֞ך הַז֌ֶ֔ה כ֌֎֥י יֵךְאֻ֖נ֎י ה֞ע֑֞ם וַת֌ֹրאמֶך שׁ֎׀ְח֞תְך֞֙ אֲדַב֌ְך֞ה֟נ֌֣֞א אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ או֌לַ֛י יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ אֶת֟ד֌ְבַ֥ך אֲמ֞ת֜וֹ׃

English:

And the reason I have come to say these things to the king, my lord, is that the people have frightened me. Your maidservant thought I would speak to Your Majesty; perhaps Your Majesty would act on his handmaid’s plea.

She now reframes: the parable was prompted by genuine fear (the people frightened me from approaching directly), and she had hoped the king would act on her plea. Rashi explains that כי י׹אוני העם means the people had warned her she would not be heard — a graceful cover that lets her pivot from fictional case to real petition without seeming presumptuous.
ךש׎יRashi
וְעַת֞֌ה אֲשֶׁך ב֞֌את֎י לְדַבֵ֌ך אֶל הַמֶ֌לֶךְ אֲדֹנ֎י אֶת הַד֞֌ב֞ך הַזֶ֌ה. בְ֌כ֎נ֌ו֌י ע֞לַי וְעַל בְ֌נ֎י: כ֎֌י יֵךְאו֌נ֎י ה֞ע֞ם. ה֎׀ְח֎ידו֌נ֎י מ֎לְ֌בַקֵ֌שׁ אֶת אֲדֹנ֎י עַל בְ֌נוֹ, ׀ֶ֌ן י֎כְעוֹס ע֞לַי: וַתֹ֌אמֶך ש֎ׁ׀ְח֞תְך֞ אֲדַבְ֌ך֞ה נ֞֌א. כְ֌ע֎נְי֞ן זֶה, או֌לַי יַעֲשֶׂה וְגוֹ׳:
And now I came to speak to my master, the king these words. As a parable about myself and my son Because the people frightened me. They frightened me [away] from imploring my master concerning [the plight of] his son lest he become angry with me. Your handmaiden said, "I will speak." In this way [with a parable], perhaps he will take action etc.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

כ֌֎֚י י֎שְׁמַ֣ע הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ לְהַ׊֌֎֥יל אֶת֟אֲמ֞ת֖וֹ מ֎כ֌ַ֣ף ה֞א֎֑ישׁ לְהַשְׁמ֎֚יד אֹת֎րי וְאֶת֟ב֌ְנ֎י֙ יַ֔חַד מ֎֜נ֌ַחֲלַ֖ת אֱלֹה֎֜ים׃

English:

For Your Majesty would surely agree to deliver his handmaid from the hands of anyone [who would seek to]fthe hands of anyone [who would seek to] Or “the man’s clutches—which would,” namely the blood avenger of v. 11. cut off both me and my son from the heritagegheritage I.e., people. of God.

She continues the cover, framing her appeal as one for deliverance from the avenger who would cut her and her son off from the inheritance of God. Metzudat David explains 'inheritance of God' as the heritage divinely allotted — the dynastic frame remains audible: she is also speaking, in the parable's logic, about the Davidic line itself.
ךש׎יRashi
כ֎֌י י֎שְׁמַע הַמֶ֌לֶךְ לְהַ׊֎֌יל אֶת אֲמ֞תוֹ מ֎כַ֌ף ה֞א֎ישׁ. הַב֞֌א לַהֲךוֹג אֶת בְ֌נ֎י, ו֌לְהַשְׁמ֎ידֵנו֌ יַחַד מ֎נַ֌חֲלַת אֱלֹה֎ים:
When the king hears [and agrees] to save his handmaiden from the [avenger] man's hand. who is coming to kill my son and to remove us both from the inheritance [given by] God.5All this is what the woman was conveying in her parable. This was all designed to be tolerable for the king to hear.

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ שׁ֎׀ְח֣֞תְך֞֔ י֎֜הְיֶה֟נ֌֛֞א ד֌ְבַך֟אֲדֹנ֎֥י הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ ל֎מְנֻח֑֞ה כ֌֎֣י ׀ כ֌ְמַלְאַ֣ךְ ה֞אֱלֹה֎֗ים כ֌ֵ֣ן אֲדֹנ֎րי הַמ֌ֶ֙לֶךְ֙ ל֎שְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ הַט֌֣וֹב וְה֞ך֞֔ע וַיהֹו֥֞ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יך֞ ×™Ö°×”ÖŽÖ¥×™ ע֎מ֌֞֜ךְ׃ {×€}

English:

Your maidservant thought, ‘Let the word of my lord the king provide comfort; for my lord the king is like an angel of God, understanding everything, good and bad.’ May the ETERNAL your God be with you.”

She concludes by flattering David as 'like an angel of God' to discern good and evil, expressing trust that his earlier word will bring rest. Rashi reads this as locking in the verdict: now that the king has decided in her case, no anger or hatred should reverse that good decision when the underlying matter (Absalom) becomes clear.
ךש׎יRashi
וַתֹ֌אמֶך ש֎ׁ׀ְח֞תְך֞. מֵאַחַך שֶׁיְ֌׊ַוֶ֌ה הַמֶ֌לֶךְ ע֞לַי, י֎הְיֶה דְ֌ב֞ךוֹ ל֎מְנו֌ח֞ה ל֮בְנ֮י, כ֎֌י לֹא י֞שׁו֌ב מ֎דְ֌ב֞ךוֹ הַט֌וֹב, כ֎֌י כְ֌מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֲדֹנ֎י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ, וְלֹא יַחֲז֎יךֶנ֌ו֌ כַ֌עַס וְש֎ׂנְא֞ה מ֎דְ֌ב֞ךוֹ הַט֌וֹב:
Your handmaiden says. Now that the king has ordered [remedial action] concerning me, his word should provide relief for my son because he will not back away from his kind decision6You came to the kind decision to provide relief to my make believe son in the parable. Please don't change that decision when deliberating about Avsholom who in real-life needs relief. because my master, the king is like an angel of God and anger and hatred will not change his kind decision.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֣עַן הַמ֌ֶ֗לֶךְ וַי֌ֹ֙ￜￜמֶך֙ אֶל֟ה֣֞א֎שׁ֌֞֔ה אַל֟נ֚֞א תְכַחֲד֎րי מ֎מ֌ֶ֙נ֌֎י֙ ד֌֞ב֞֔ך אֲשֶׁ֥ך א֞נֹכ֎֖י שֹׁאֵ֣ל אֹת֑֞ךְ וַת֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ ה֞֜א֎שׁ֌֞֔ה יְדַב֌ֶך֟נ֖֞א אֲדֹנ֎֥י הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃

English:

In reply, the king said to the woman, “Do not withhold from me anything I ask you!” The woman answered, “Let my lord the king speak.”

David interrupts to demand candor: do not hide from me anything I ask. The terseness of his question — and Metzudat David's gloss 'do not conceal the truth' — signals that David has now seen through the construction and wants the architect named.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ הֲיַ֥ד יוֹא֛֞ב א֎ת֌֖֞ךְ ב֌ְכׇל֟זֹ֑את וַת֌ַ֣עַן ה֞א֎שׁ֌֣֞ה וַת֌ֹ֡אמֶך חֵי֟נַ׀ְשְׁך֞֩ אֲדֹנ֎֚י הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ א֎ם֟א֎֣שׁ ׀ לְהֵמ֎֣ין ו֌לְהַשְׂמ֎֗יל מ֎כ֌ֹրל אֲשֶׁך֟ד֌֎ב֌ֶך֙ אֲדֹנ֎֣י הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ כ֌֎֜י֟עַבְד֌ְך֞ր יוֹא֞ב֙ ה֣ו֌א ׊֎ו֌֞֔נ֎י וְה֗ו֌א שׂ֚֞ם ב֌ְ׀֎֣י שׁ֎׀ְח֞֜תְך֞֔ אֵ֥ת כ֌ׇל֟הַד֌ְב֞ך֎֖ים ה֞אֵ֜ל֌ֶה׃

English:

The king asked, “Is Joab in league with you in all this?” The woman replied, “As you live, my lord the king, it is just as my lord the king says.hit is just as my lord the king says Lit. “there is no turning to the right or to the left of what my lord the king says.” Yes, your servant Joab was the one who instructed me, and it was he who told your maidservant everything she was to say.itold your maidservant everything she was to say See note at v. 3.

David asks directly whether Joab's hand is in this. The woman swears by his life that there is no turning right or left from his word and confesses that Joab gave her the entire script. Rashi parses the unusual אם איש as 'is it possible' — a Hebrew idiom of solemn affirmation. The architect is named.
ךש׎יRashi
א֎ם א֎שׁ. כְ֌מוֹ א֎ם יֵשׁ, כְ֌מוֹ הֲיֵשׁ, וְכֵן (מיכה ו:י): ׎עוֹד ה֞א֎שׁ בֵ֌ית ך֞שׁ֞ע׎, כְ֌מוֹ הֲיֵשׁ:
It is impossible. [This is] like "if it is possible" or like "is it possible" So too [we find] "Is there in the house of a wicked person"7Micha 6:10. meaning "is there".8ה֞א֎ש is standing in for הֲיֵשׁ which means "is there".

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

לְבַעֲבրו֌ך סַב֌ֵב֙ אֶת֟׀֌ְנֵ֣י הַד֌֞ב֞֔ך ע֞שׂ֛֞ה עַבְד֌ְך֥֞ יוֹא֖֞ב אֶת֟הַד֌֞ב֣֞ך הַז֌ֶ֑ה וַאדֹנ֎֣י ח־כ־֗ם כ֌ְחׇכְמַת֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ ה֞אֱלֹה֎֔ים ל֞דַ֖עַת אֶ֜ת֟כ֌ׇל֟אֲשֶׁ֥ך ב֌֞א֞֜ךֶץ׃ {ס}        

English:

It was to conceal the real purpose of the matter that your servant Joab did this thing. My lord is as wise as an angel of God, and he knows all that goes on in the land.”

She explains Joab's motive: 'to turn the face of the matter,' that is, to circle around it indirectly. Rashi adds that David has now grasped the whole stratagem and recognizes Joab's hand. Her concluding flattery — that the king is wise as an angel of God to know all that is in the land — both honors and exposes him: he has indeed seen through it.
ךש׎יRashi
לְבַעֲבו֌ך סַבֵ֌ב. לְגַלְגֵ֌ל, עַד שֶׁיֵ֌׊ֵא דְ֌בַך בְ֌נוֹ שֶׁל הַמֶ֌לֶךְ ל֞אוֹך: וַאדֹנ֎י ח־כ־ם. וְהֵבַנְת֞֌ כ֎֌י מֵאֵת יוֹא֞ב י֞׊֞את֞:
In order to skirt around. To skirt around [the issue] until the matter concerning the king's son comes to light. [But] my master is wise. and you understood that this is coming from Yoav.

׀סוק כ׮א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶל֟יוֹא֞֔ב ה֎נ֌ֵה֟נ֥֞א ע֞שׂ֎֖ית֎י אֶת֟הַד֌֞ב֣֞ך הַז֌ֶ֑ה וְלֵ֛ךְ ה֞שֵׁ֥ב אֶת֟הַנ֌ַ֖עַך אֶת֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃

English:

Then the king said to Joab, “I will do this thing. Go and bring back my boy Absalom.”

David yields and instructs Joab to bring Absalom back. Metzudat David reads it as: you initiated this, now finish it. Radak preserves a textual variant (עשיתי / עשית) but in either reading the result is the same — the king has been led, by Joab's careful staging, to authorize the very return he could not bring himself to order on his own initiative.

׀סוק כ׮ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎׀֌ֹל֩ יוֹא֚֞ב אֶל֟׀֌֞נ֥֞יו אַ֛ךְ׊֞ה וַי֌֎שְׁת֌ַ֖חו֌ וַיְב֣֞ךֶךְ אֶת֟הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך יוֹא֞֡ב הַי֌וֹם֩ י֞דַ֚ע עַבְד֌ְך֞֜ כ֌֎י֟מ֞׊֚֞את֎י חֵրן ב֌ְעֵינֶ֙יך֞֙ אֲדֹנ֎֣י הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁך֟ע֞שׂ֥֞ה הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ אֶת֟ד֌ְבַ֥ך (עבדו) [עַבְד֌ֶ֜ך֞]׃

English:

Joab flung himself face down on the ground and prostrated himself. Joab blessed the king and said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord king, for Your Majesty has granted his servant’s request.”

Joab prostrates himself and blesses the king, declaring that today he knows he has found favor. Radak notes the keri/ketiv variation on עבדו / עבדך — Joab speaks, but the text wavers between his self-reference and the king's acknowledgment, fittingly for a moment in which the servant has just maneuvered the master.

׀סוק כ׮ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַי֌֥֞קׇם יוֹא֖֞ב וַי֌ֵ֣לֶךְ ג֌ְשׁ֑ו֌ך֞ה וַי֌֞בֵ֥א אֶת֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֖וֹם יְךו֌שׁ֞ל֞֜͏֎ם׃ {ס}        

English:

And Joab went at once to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

׀סוק כ׮ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֙לֶךְ֙ י֎ס֌ֹ֣ב אֶל֟ב֌ֵית֔וֹ ו֌׀֞נַ֖י לֹ֣א י֎ךְאֶ֑ה וַי֌֎ס֌ֹրב אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ אֶל֟ב֌ֵית֔וֹ ו֌׀ְנֵ֥י הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א ך֞א֞֜ה׃ {ס}        

English:

But the king said, “Let him go directly to his house and not present himself to me.” So Absalom went directly to his house and did not present himself to the king.

׀סוק כ׮ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

ו֌כְאַבְשׁ֞ל֗וֹם לֹ֜א֟ה֞י֧֞ה א֎ישׁ֟י֞׀ֶ֛ה ב֌ְכׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֖ל לְהַל֌ֵ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד מ֎כ֌ַրף ךַגְלוֹ֙ וְעַ֣ד קׇדְקֳד֔וֹ לֹא֟ה֥֞י֞ה ב֖וֹ מ֜ו֌ם׃

English:

No other man in Israel was as admired for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head he was without blemish.

The narrator pauses to describe Absalom's physical perfection: no man in Israel was as admired for beauty, without blemish from sole to crown. Radak reads this descriptive interlude as the narrator's etiology of the coming rebellion — Absalom's beauty bred his pride, and his pride bred the conviction that no son of David was more fit to rule.

׀סוק כ׮ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

ו֌֜בְגַל֌ְחוֹ֮ אֶת֟ךֹאשׁוֹ֒ וְ֜֠ה֞י֞֠ה מ֎ק֌ֵ֚ץ י֞מ֎րים ׀ לַי֌֞מ֎ים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך יְגַל֌ֵ֔חַ כ֌֎י֟כ֞בֵ֥ד ע֞ל֖֞יו וְג֎ל֌ְח֑וֹ וְשׁ֞קַל֙ אֶת֟שְׂעַ֣ך ךֹאשׁ֔וֹ מ֞אתַ֥י֎ם שְׁק֞ל֎֖ים ב֌ְאֶ֥בֶן הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃

English:

When he cut his hair—he had to have it cut every year, for it grew too heavy for him—the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels by the royal weight.

His hair was so heavy that he had to cut it annually, weighing two hundred shekels by the royal stone. Radak preserves the rabbinic tradition that Absalom was a Nazirite for life — the very hair that signaled consecration to God becomes the seat of his vanity, and the halachic point is derived: a lifelong Nazirite who finds his hair too heavy may trim it once every twelve months.

׀סוק כ׮ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎ו֌֞לְדրו֌ לְאַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ שְׁלוֹשׁ֣֞ה ב־נ֮֔ים ו֌בַ֥ת אַחַ֖ת ו֌שְׁמ֣֞ה֌ ת֌֞מ֑֞ך ה֎֣יא ה֞֜יְת֞֔ה א֎שׁ֌֖֞ה יְ׀ַ֥ת מַךְאֶ֜ה׃ {×€}

English:

Absalom had three sons and a daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

׀סוק כ׮ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֧שֶׁב אַבְשׁ֞ל֛וֹם ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞לַ֖͏֎ם שְׁנ֞תַ֣י֎ם י־מ֑֮ים ו֌׀ְנֵ֥י הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א ך֞א֞֜ה׃

English:

Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without appearing before the king.

׀סוק כ׮ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁלַ֚ח אַבְשׁ֞ל֜וֹם אֶל֟יוֹא֞֗ב ל֎שְׁלֹրחַ אֹתוֹ֙ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וְלֹ֥א א־ב־֖ה ל֞ב֣וֹא אֵל֑֞יו ￜￜַי֌֎שְׁלַ֥ח עוֹד֙ שֵׁנ֎֔ית וְלֹ֥א א־ב־֖ה ל֞ב֜וֹא׃

English:

Then Absalom sent for Joab, in order to send him to the king; but Joab would not come to him. He sent for him a second time, but he would not come.

׀סוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֚אמֶך אֶל֟עֲב֞ד֞֜יו ךְאו֌֩ חֶלְקַ֚ת יוֹא֞րב אֶל֟י֞ד֎י֙ וְלוֹ֟שׁ֣֞ם שְׂעֹך֎֔ים לְכ֖ו֌ (והו׊תיה) [וְהַ׊֌֎ית֣ו֌ה֞] ב֞אֵ֑שׁ וַי֌ַ׊֌֎֜תו֌ עַבְדֵ֧י אַבְשׁ֞ל֛וֹם אֶת֟הַחֶלְק֖֞ה ב֌֞אֵ֜שׁ׃ {×€}

English:

So [Absalom] said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

After Joab refuses two summonses, Absalom orders his servants to set Joab's adjacent barley field on fire. Rashi glosses אל ידי as 'next to my domain, in a place where I can do damage' — the act is calculated coercion, and it discloses Absalom's character: he secures cooperation through destruction, a foreshadowing of how he will treat the kingdom itself.
ךש׎יRashi
אֶל י־ד֮י. ס֞מו֌ךְ ל֎ךְשׁו֌ת֎י, בְ֌מ֞קוֹם שֶׁאֲנ֎י י֞כוֹל לְהַז֎֌יק: אֶל י־ד֮י. אינמי׎ש אוש׎ט בלע׎ז:
Which is near me. Near my domain in a place where I can inflict damage. Which is near me. En mains aussi in O.F.

׀סוק ל׮א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וַי֌֣֞קׇם יוֹא֞֔ב וַי֌֞בֹ֥א אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֖וֹם הַב֌֑֞יְת֞ה וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך אֵל֞֔יו ל֣֞מ֌֞ה ה֎׊֌֎֧יתו֌ עֲב֞דֶ֛יך֞ אֶת֟הַחֶלְק֥֞ה אֲשֶׁך֟ל֎֖י ב֌֞אֵ֜שׁ׃

English:

Joab came at once to Absalom’s house and said to him, “Why did your servants set fire to my field?”

׀סוק ל׮ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך אַבְשׁ֞ל֣וֹם אֶל֟יוֹא֞֡ב ה֎נ֌ֵ֣ה שׁ֞לַ֣חְת֌֎י אֵלֶ֣יך֞ ׀ לֵאמֹ֡ך ב֌ֹ֣א הֵ֠נ֌֞ה וְאֶשְׁלְח֞ה֩ אֹתְך֚֞ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ לֵאמֹ֗ך ל֞րמ֌֞ה ב֌֞֙את֎י֙ מ֎ג֌ְשׁ֔ו֌ך ט֥וֹב ל֖֮י עֹ֣ד אֲנ֎י֟שׁ֑֞ם וְעַת֌֞֗ה אֶךְאֶה֙ ׀֌ְנֵ֣י הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וְא֎ם֟יֶשׁ֟ב֌֎֥י ע֞וֺ֖ן וֶהֱמ֎ת֞֜נ֎י׃

English:

Absalom replied to Joab, “I sent for you to come here; I wanted to send you to the king to say [on my behalf]: ‘Why did I leave Geshur? I would be better off if I were still there. Now let me appear before the king; and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death!’”

Absalom demands either full restoration or death — let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me let him kill me. Radak adds the unspoken justification Absalom carries: I did not kill Amnon for nothing, for he violated my sister Tamar with the utmost humiliation. The two years of partial pardon have hardened, not healed, the grievance.
ךש׎יRashi
וֶהֱמ֎ת֞נ֎י. וְיַהֲךֹג אוֹת֎י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ:
[Then] kill me. The king should kill me.

׀סוק ל׮ג · Verse 33

Hebrew:

וַי֌֞בֹ֚א יוֹא֣֞ב אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֘לֶךְ֮ וַי֌ַג֌ֶד֟לוֹ֒ וַי֌֎קְך֞րא אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ וַי֌֞בֹ֣א אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וַי֌֎שְׁת֌ַ֚חו֌ ל֧וֹ עַל֟אַ׀֌֛֞יו אַ֖ךְ׊֞ה ל֎׀ְנֵ֣י הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ וַי֌֎שׁ֌ַ֥ק הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ לְאַבְשׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃ {ס}        

English:

Joab went to the king and reported to him; whereupon he summoned Absalom. He came to the king and flung himself face down to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

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