2 Samuel 14:17
ESV
And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!"
NIV
"And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ "
NASB
Then your servant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.'
CSB
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."
NLT
Yes, my lord the king will give us peace of mind again.’ I know that you are like an angel of God in discerning good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'
KJV
Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee.
NKJV
Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
What does 2 Samuel 14:17 mean?
Joab has asked a clever woman to appeal to David's sympathies. She claims one of her sons has killed the other, and her clansmen want to execute her husband's only remaining heir. She is relentless until David agrees to pardon her son. She then reveals that David is in the same situation. His third son Absalom killed his firstborn Amnon. Absalom, the heir apparent, is currently in exile. God is gracious, no matter the sin. David should find a way to forgive Absalom and bring him home (2 Samuel 14:1–14).The woman returns to her own story. She flatters David and claims she never doubted that he would do the right thing (2 Samuel 14:15–16). Angels are God's messengers; she's saying David's judgment comes from God.
When she says, "The Lord your God be with you" [emphasis added], she doesn't mean that she doesn't worship YHWH. Her entire story is based on the Mosaic Covenant that says God will make the people fertile and keep them on the land if they follow Him (Deuteronomy 28:1–14). She's emphasizing, again, that David is wise and good because he's doing what God would want him to.
She needn't have bothered. David sees through her act. He knows that Joab sent her and the entire situation was about him and Absalom. He asks her directly if Joab is behind this, and she responds with another round of flattery about his wisdom (2 Samuel 14:18–20). She's just lied to the king. It's possible she's afraid of how he will respond.
David doesn't respond to her, but he does address Joab. Absalom can come home, but he cannot rejoin the family or the court. Joab is content with that decision and sends for the exiled prince (2 Samuel 18:21–24).
