2 Samuel 14:17-20

14:17 So your servant said, ‘May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the Lord your God be with you!’”

14:18 Then the king replied to the woman, “Don’t hide any information from me when I question you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak!” 14:19 The king said, “Did Joab put you up to all of this?” ¹  The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant’s mouth. 14:20 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.” ² 

2 Samuel 15:2-6

15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, ³  am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 15:3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate. ⁴  But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 15:4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me ⁵  a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint ⁶  could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”

15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom ⁷  would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty ⁸  of the citizens ⁹  of Israel.

[14:19]  ¹ tn Heb “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”

[14:20]  ² tn Heb “to know all that is in the land.”

[15:2]  ³ tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.

[15:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “good and straight.”

[15:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “Who will make me?”

[15:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[15:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “stole the heart.”

[15:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “the men.”