1. And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
2. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments, I pray, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead;
3. and come to the king, and speak after this manner to him. And Joab put the words into her mouth.
4. And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Save, O king!
5. And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.
6. And thy bondmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.