⁴ When the woman from Tekoa went^[a] to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”

⁵ The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”

She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶ I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. ⁷ Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death^(A) for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir^(B) as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left,^(C) leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”

⁸ The king said to the woman, “Go home,^(D) and I will issue an order in your behalf.”

⁹ But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon^(E) me and my family,^(F) and let the king and his throne be without guilt.^(G)”

¹⁰ The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”

¹¹ She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger^(H) of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.”

“As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair^(I) of your son’s head will fall to the ground.^(J)”