2 Samuel 14:12

THE MESSAGE

Then she asked, "May I say one more thing to my master, the king?" He said, "Go ahead."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?”

Hebrew Names Version
Then the woman said, Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king. He said, Say on.

King James Version
Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Lexham English Bible
The woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

English Standard Version
Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

New Century Version
The woman said, "Let me say something to you, my master and king." The king said, "Speak."

New English Translation
Then the woman said, "Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter." He replied, "Tell me."

Amplified Bible
Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak one more word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

New American Standard Bible
Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the woman said, I pray thee, let thine handmayde speake a worde to my lord the King. And he sayd, Say on.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the woman said, "Please let your servant-woman speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

Contemporary English Version
Then she asked, "Your Majesty, may I say something?" "Yes," he answered.

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

Darby Translation
And the woman said, Let thy bondmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.

Easy-to-Read Version
The woman said, "My lord and king, please let me say something else to you." The king said, "Speak."

George Lamsa Translation
Then the woman said, Let your handmaid speak a word to the king, and he said to her, Speak.

Good News Translation
"Please, Your Majesty, let me say just one more thing," the woman said. "All right," he answered.

Literal Translation
And the woman said, Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the woman sayde: Let thy handmayde speake somwhat to my lorde the kynge. He sayde: speake on.

American Standard Version
Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Bible in Basic English
Then the woman said, Will the king let his servant say one word more? And he said, Say on.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The woman sayde: Let thyne handmayde speake one worde vnto my lorde the king. And he sayde: Say on.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then the woman said: 'Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king.' And he said: 'Say on.'

King James Version (1611)
Then the woman said, Let thine handmayd, I pray thee, speake one word vnto my lord the king. And hee said, Say on.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the woman said, Let now thy servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

English Revised Version
Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the woman said, "Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?" "Speak," he replied.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the womman seide, Thin handmayde speke a word to my lord the kyng. And the kyng seide, Speke thou.

Young's Literal Translation
And the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, thy maid-servant speak unto my lord the king a word;' and he saith, `Speak.'

Update Bible Version
Then the woman said, Let your slave, I pray you, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak [one] word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

World English Bible
Then the woman said, Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king. He said, Say on.

New King James Version
Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king." And he said, "Say on."

New Living Translation
"Please allow me to ask one more thing of my lord the king," she said. "Go ahead and speak," he responded.

New Life Bible
Then the woman said, "Let your woman servant speak to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

New Revised Standard
Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the woman, Pray let thy maidservant speak unto my lord the king, a word. And he said - Speak.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The woman said: Let thy hand maid speak one word to my lord the king. And he said: Speak.

Revised Standard Version
Then the woman said, "Pray let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

Contextual Overview

¹Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king, deep down, still cared for Absalom. So he sent to Tekoa for a wise woman who lived there and instructed her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in black and don't comb your hair, so you'll look like you've been grieving over a dead loved one for a long time. Then go to the king and tell him this..." Joab then told her exactly what to say. ⁴ The woman of Tekoa went to the king, bowed deeply before him in homage, and said, "O King, help!" ⁵He said, "How can I help?" "I'm a widow," she said. "My husband is dead. I had two sons. The two of them got into a fight out in the field and there was no one around to step between them. The one struck the other and killed him. Then the whole family ganged up against me and demanded, ‘Hand over this murderer so we can kill him for the life of the brother he murdered!' They want to wipe out the heir and snuff out the one spark of life left to me. And then there would be nothing left of my husband—not so much as a name—on the face of the earth. "So now I've dared come to the king, my master, about all this. They're making my life miserable, and I'm afraid. I said to myself, ‘I'll go to the king. Maybe he'll do something! When the king hears what's going on, he'll step in and rescue me from the abuse of the man who would get rid of me and my son and God's inheritance—the works!' As your handmaid, I decided ahead of time, ‘The word of my master, the king, will be the last word in this, for my master is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil.' God be with you!" ⁸ The king said, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you." ⁹ "I'll take all responsibility for what happens," the woman of Tekoa said. "I don't want to compromise the king and his reputation." ¹⁰ "Bring the man who has been harassing you," the king continued. "I'll see to it that he doesn't bother you anymore." ¹¹ "Let the king invoke the name of God ," said the woman, "so this self-styled vigilante won't ruin everything, to say nothing of killing my son." "As surely as God lives," he said, "not so much as a hair of your son's head will be lost." ¹² Then she asked, "May I say one more thing to my master, the king?" He said, "Go ahead." ¹³"Why, then," the woman said, "have you done this very thing against God's people? In his verdict, the king convicts himself by not bringing home his exiled son. We all die sometime. Water spilled on the ground can't be gathered up again. But God does not take away life. He works out ways to get the exile back." The king then said, "I'm going to ask you something. Answer me truthfully." "Certainly," she said. "Let my master, the king, speak." The king said, "Is the hand of Joab mixed up in this?" "On your life, my master king, a body can't veer an inch right or left and get by with it in the royal presence! Yes, it was your servant Joab who put me up to this, and put these very words in my mouth. It was because he wanted to turn things around that your servant Joab did this. But my master is as wise as God's angels in knowing how to handle things on this earth." The king spoke to Joab. "All right, I'll do it. Go and bring the young man Absalom back." Joab bowed deeply in reverence and blessed the king. "I'm reassured to know that I'm still in your good graces and have your confidence, since the king is taking the counsel of his servant." Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. The king said, "He may return to his house, but he is not to see me face-to-face." So Absalom returned home, but was not permitted to see the king. This Absalom! There wasn't a man in all Israel talked about so much for his handsome good looks—and not a blemish on him from head to toe! When he cut his hair—he always cut it short in the spring because it had grown so heavy—the weight of the hair from his head was over two pounds! Three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter. Her name was Tamar—and she was a beauty. Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, and not once did he see the king face-to-face. He sent for Joab to get him in to see the king, but Joab still wouldn't budge. He tried a second time and Joab still wouldn't. So he told his servants, "Listen. Joab's field adjoins mine, and he has a crop of barley in it. Go set fire to it." So Absalom's servants set fire to the field. That got him moving—Joab came to Absalom at home and said, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?" Absalom answered him, "Listen, I sent for you saying, ‘Come, and soon. I want to send you to the king to ask, "What's the point of my coming back from Geshur? I'd be better off still there!" Let me see the king face-to-face. If he finds me guilty, then he can put me to death.'" Joab went to the king and told him what was going on. Absalom was then summoned—he came and bowed deeply in reverence before him. And the king kissed Absalom. ¹⁵"So now I've dared come to the king, my master, about all this. They're making my life miserable, and I'm afraid. I said to myself, ‘I'll go to the king. Maybe he'll do something! When the king hears what's going on, he'll step in and rescue me from the abuse of the man who would get rid of me and my son and God's inheritance—the works!' As your handmaid, I decided ahead of time, ‘The word of my master, the king, will be the last word in this, for my master is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil.' God be with you!" The king said, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you." "I'll take all responsibility for what happens," the woman of Tekoa said. "I don't want to compromise the king and his reputation." "Bring the man who has been harassing you," the king continued. "I'll see to it that he doesn't bother you anymore." "Let the king invoke the name of God ," said the woman, "so this self-styled vigilante won't ruin everything, to say nothing of killing my son." "As surely as God lives," he said, "not so much as a hair of your son's head will be lost." Then she asked, "May I say one more thing to my master, the king?" He said, "Go ahead." "Why, then," the woman said, "have you done this very thing against God's people? In his verdict, the king convicts himself by not bringing home his exiled son. We all die sometime. Water spilled on the ground can't be gathered up again. But God does not take away life. He works out ways to get the exile back."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Let thine: 1 Samuel 25:24

speak one word: Genesis 18:27, Genesis 18:32, Genesis 44:18, Jeremiah 12:1

Say on: Acts 26:1

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 20:17 - Hear the words 1 Kings 2:14 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 11:27
This is the story of Terah. Terah had Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran had Lot. Haran died before his father, Terah, in the country of his family, Ur of the Chaldees.

Genesis 14:13
A fugitive came and reported to Abram the Hebrew. Abram was living at the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner. They were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken prisoner, he lined up his servants, all of them born in his household—there were 318 of them—and chased after the captors all the way to Dan. Abram and his men split into small groups and attacked by night. They chased them as far as Hobah, just north of Damascus. They recovered all the plunder along with nephew Lot and his possessions, including the women and the people.

Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and his allied kings, the king of Sodom came out to greet him in the Valley of Shaveh, the King's Valley. Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine—he was priest of The High God—and blessed him: Blessed be Abram by The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And blessed be The High God, who handed your enemies over to you. Abram gave him a tenth of all the recovered plunder.

Revelation 3:19
"The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the woman said, let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak [one] word unto my Lord the king,.... Having gained her point, and gotten a decree from him confirmed by an oath, that her son though he had killed his brother should not die; she proceeds to accommodate the parable, and apply it to the case of Absalom, and improve it in his favour:

and he said, say on; gave her leave to say what she had further to observe to him; see Luke 7:40.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Having at last obtained what she wanted, the king’s oath that her son should not die, she proceeds to the case of Absalom. The meaning of 2 Samuel 14:13 may be paraphrased thus: “If you have done right as regards my son, how is it that you harbor such a purpose of vengeance against Absalom as to keep him, one of God’s people, an outcast in a pagan country, far from the worship of the God of Israel? Upon your own showing you are guilty of a great fault in not allowing Absalom to return.”

The king doth speak ... - literally, “And from the king speaking this word (this sentence of absolution to my son) he is as one guilty; i. e. the sentence you have pronounced in favor of my son condemns your own conduct toward Absalom.”