And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying,‘ Give me justice against my adversary.’

那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个对头，求你给我伸冤。’

那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个冤家，求你给我伸冤。’

那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个冤家，求你给我伸冤。’

那城里有一位寡妇常常来哀求这位审判官，说，‘求你为我申冤，惩办我的对头。’

那城里有一个寡妇，常常来到他那里，说：‘求你给我伸冤，使我脱离我的对头！’

那城里有一个寡妇，经常到他那里去，说：‘请为我向我的对头讨个公道。’

那城裏有個寡婦，常到他那裏，說：『我有一個對頭，求你給我伸冤。』

那城裏有個寡婦，常到他那裏，說：『我有一個冤家，求你給我伸冤。』

那城裏有個寡婦，常到他那裏，說：『我有一個冤家，求你給我伸冤。』

那城裡有一位寡婦常常來哀求這位審判官，說，『求你為我伸冤，懲辦我的對頭。』

那城裡有一個寡婦，常常來到他那裡，說：‘求你給我伸冤，使我脫離我的對頭！’

那城裏有個寡婦，常去見他說，「從告我的對頭身上給我伸冤吧。」

那城裡有一個寡婦，經常到他那裡去，說：『請為我向我的對頭討個公道。』

其邑有嫠、屢就之曰、有仇我者、祈伸我冤、

有嫠入見曰、有仇我者、請伸我冤、

其邑有一嫠婦、入見之曰、有仇我者、請伸我冤、

邑中有一嫠婦含冤、頻來訴、請為昭雪。

And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea,‘ Grant me justice against my adversary.’

A widow lived in that town. She came to the judge again and again. She kept begging him,‘ Make things right for me. Someone is treating me badly.’

And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,‘ Give me justice against my adversary.’

A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying,‘ Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’

Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying,‘ Give me justice against my opponent.’

Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying,‘ Get justice for me from my adversary.’

and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying,‘ Give me justice against my adversary.’

And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,‘ Give me justice against my adversary.’

A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying,‘ Defend me from my adversary!’

Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

‘ The one who denies justice to a resident alien, a fatherless child, or a widow is cursed.’ And all the people will say,‘ Amen!’

You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.

“ What’s the matter?” the king asked her.“ Sadly, I am a widow; my husband died,” she said.“ Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said,‘ Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth.”The king told the woman,“ Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf.”Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king,“ My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my father’s family, and may the king and his throne be innocent.”“ Whoever speaks to you,” the king said,“ bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!”She replied,“ Please, may the king invoke the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!”“ As the LORD lives,” he vowed,“ not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”Then the woman said,“ Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?”“ Speak,” he replied.The woman asked,“ Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.“ Now therefore, I’ve come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant’s request.The king will surely listen in order to keep his servant from the grasp of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God’s inheritance.Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.”Then the king answered the woman,“ I’m going to ask you something; don’t conceal it from me!”“ Let my lord the king speak,” the woman replied.The king asked,“ Did Joab put you up to all this?” The woman answered.“ As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say.Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing everything on earth.”Then the king said to Joab,“ I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”Joab fell with his face to the ground in homage and blessed the king.“ Today,” Joab said,“ your servant knows I have found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant.”So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.However, the king added,“ He may return to his house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king.

The dying blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice.

The faithful town— what an adulteress she has become! She was once full of justice. Righteousness once dwelt in her, but now, murderers!Your silver has become dross to be discarded, your beer is diluted with water.Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them.

They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them?I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”