^{17 Ref} and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so `is' my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.'

^{18 Ref} And the king answereth and saith unto the woman, `Do not, I pray thee, hide from me the thing that I am asking thee;' and the woman saith, `Let, I pray thee, my lord the king speak.'

^{19 Ref} And the king saith, `Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?' And the woman answereth and saith, `Thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, none `doth turn' to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of thy maid-servant all these words;

^{20 Ref} in order to bring round the appearance of the thing hath thy servant Joab done this thing, and my lord `is' wise, according to the wisdom of a messenger of God, to know all that `is' in the land.'

^{21 Ref} And the king saith unto Joab, `Lo, I pray thee, thou hast done this thing; and go, bring back the young man Absalom.'

^{22 Ref} And Joab falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and blesseth the king, and Joab saith, `To-day hath thy servant known that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king hath done the word of his servant.'

^{23 Ref} And Joab riseth and goeth to Geshur, and bringeth in Absalom to Jerusalem,

^{24 Ref} and the king saith, `Let him turn round unto his house, and my face he doth not see.' And Absalom turneth round unto his house, and the face of the king he hath not seen.