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.’

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.’

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.’

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

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 right! Treat people fairly. Help those who are treated badly. Stand up in court for children whose fathers have died. And do the same thing for widows.

If you do what is right, you won’t need to be afraid of your rulers. But watch out if you do what is wrong! You don’t want to be afraid of those in authority, do you? Then do what is right, and you will be praised.The one in authority serves God for your good. But if you do wrong, watch out! Rulers don’t carry a sword for no reason at all. They serve God. And God is carrying out his anger through them. The ruler punishes anyone who does wrong.

“ May anyone who treats unfairly outsiders, widows, and children whose fathers have died be under the Lord’ s curse.” Then all the people will say,“ Amen!”

But you sent widows away without anything. You mistreated children whose fathers had died.

The king asked her,“ What’s bothering you?” She said,“ I’m a widow. My husband is dead.I had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in a field. No one was there to separate them. One of my sons struck down the other one and killed him.Now my whole family group has risen up against me. They say,‘ Hand over the one who struck down his brother. Then we can put him to death for killing his brother. That will also get rid of the one who will receive the family property.’ They want to kill the only living son I have left, just as someone would put out a burning coal. That would leave my husband without any son on the face of the earth to carry on the family name.”The king said to the woman,“ Go home. I’ll give an order to make sure you are taken care of.”But the woman from Tekoa said to him,“ You are my king and master. Please pardon me and my family. You and your royal family won’t be guilty of doing anything wrong.”The king replied,“ If people give you any trouble, bring them to me. They won’t bother you again.”She said,“ Please pray to the Lord your God. Pray that he will keep our nearest male relative from killing my other son. Then my son won’t be destroyed.”“ You can be sure that the Lord lives,” the king said.“ And you can be just as sure that not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”Then the woman said,“ King David, please let me say something else to you.”“ Go ahead,” he replied.The woman said,“ You are the king. So why have you done something that brings so much harm on God’s people? When you do that, you hand down a sentence against yourself. You won’t let the son you drove away come back.All of us must die. We are like water spilled on the ground. It can’t be put back into the jar. But that is not what God desires. Instead, he finds a way to bring back anyone who was driven away from him.“ King David, I’ve come here to say this to you now. I’ve done it because people have made me afraid. I thought,‘ I’ll go and speak to the king. Perhaps he’ll do what I’m asking.A man is trying to separate me and my son from the property God gave us. Perhaps the king will agree to save me from that man.’“ So now I’m saying,‘ May what you have told me prevent that man from doing what he wants. You are like an angel of God. You know what is good and what is evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ ”Then the king said to the woman,“ I’m going to ask you a question. I want you to tell me the truth.”“ Please ask me anything you want to,” the woman said.The king asked,“ Joab told you to say all of this, didn’t he?” The woman answered,“ What you have told me is exactly right. And that’s just as sure as you are alive. It’s true that Joab directed me to do this. He told me everything he wanted me to say.He did it to change the way things now are. You are as wise as an angel of God. You know everything that happens in the land.”Later the king said to Joab,“ All right. I’ll do what you want. Go. Bring back the young man Absalom.”Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground. He did it to honor the king. And he asked God to bless the king. He said,“ You are my king and master. Today I know that you are pleased with me. You have given me what I asked for.”Then Joab went to Geshur. He brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.But the king said,“ He must go to his own house. I don’t want him to come and see me.” So Absalom went to his own house. He didn’t go to see the king.

Those who were dying gave me their blessing. I made the hearts of widows sing.

See how the faithful city of Jerusalem has become like a prostitute! Once it was full of people who treated others fairly. Those who did what was right used to live in it. But now murderers live there!Jerusalem, your silver isn’t pure anymore. Your best wine has been made weak with water.Your rulers refuse to obey the Lord. They join forces with robbers. All of them love to accept money from those who want special favors. They are always looking for gifts from other people. They don’t stand up in court for children whose fathers have died. They don’t do it for widows either.

They have grown fat and heavy. There is no limit to the evil things they do. In court they do not seek justice. They don’t protect the rights of children whose fathers have died. They do not stand up for poor people.

God’s chosen people cry out to him day and night. Won’t he make things right for them? Will he keep putting them off?I tell you, God will see that things are made right for them. He will make sure it happens quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find people on earth who have faith?”