2 Samuel 14:19

17 And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”

18 Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.

20 Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

21 Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.
KJV
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
WEB
The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab urged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
ASV
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;
DARBY
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid:
BLB
And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “[As] you live, my lord the king, there is no one turning to the right or turning to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of your maidservant all these words.
ÅB
Da sa kongen: Har ikke Joab sin hånd med i alt dette? Kvinnen svarte: Så sant du lever, herre konge: Ingen kan komme utenom noe av det min herre kongen taler, hverken til høyre eller venstre. Det var din tjener Joab som påla meg dette og la alle disse ord i din tjenerinnes munn.
OTB
Så sa kongen, “Er Joabs hånd med deg i alt dette?” Og kvinnen svarte, “Så sant din sjel lever, min herre kongen, ingen kan vende seg til høyre eller til venstre fra noe som min herre kongen har talt. Det var virkelig din tjener Joab som befalte meg, og det var han som la alle disse ordene i din tjenerinnes munn.
B1930
Da sa kongen: Har ikke Joab sin hånd med i alt dette? Kvinnen svarte: Så sant du lever, herre konge: Ingen kan komme utenom noget av det min herre kongen taler, hverken til høire eller venstre. Det var din tjener Joab som påla mig dette og la alle disse ord i din tjenerinnes munn.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • 2 Samuel 14:3

    Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 1:26

    “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.

    Read in context
  • Luke 21:15

    For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

    Read in context
  • Deuteronomy 5:32

    So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.

    Read in context
  • 2 Samuel 11:14–15

    The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

    Read in context
  • 2 Samuel 3:29

    May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 25:26

    Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.

    Read in context
  • 2 Samuel 3:34

    Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more.

    Read in context