15. And now, if I have presumed to speak to the king of this matter, it is because the people have given me cause to fear. And so your servant thought: ‘Let me speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the petition of his servant.
16. For the king must surely listen and rescue his servant from the grasp of one who would destroy both me and my son from the heritage of God.’
17. And your servant says, ‘Let the word of my lord the king lead to rest; indeed, my lord the king is like an angel of God, discerning good and evil. The Lord your God be with you.’”
18. The king answered the woman, “Now do not conceal from me anything I may ask you!” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”
19. So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered: “As you live, my lord the king, it is just as my lord has said, and not otherwise. It was your servant Joab who instructed me and told your servant all these things she was to say.
20. Your servant Joab did this in order to approach the matter in a roundabout way. But my lord is wise with the wisdom of an angel of God, knowing all things on earth.”
21. Then the king said to Joab: “I am granting this request. Go and bring back young Absalom.”
22. Falling to the ground in homage and blessing the king, Joab said, “This day your servant knows that I am in good favor with you, my lord king, since the king has granted the request of your servant.”
23. Joab then went off to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24. But the king said, “Let him go off to his own house; he shall not appear before me.” So Absalom went off to his house and did not appear before the king.
25. In all Israel there was no man more praised for his beauty than Absalom, flawless from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
26. When he shaved his head—as he used to do at the end of every year, because his hair became too heavy for him—the hair weighed two hundred shekels according to the royal standard.
27. Absalom had three sons born to him, besides a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.