2 Samuel 14:18
ESV
Then the king answered the woman, "Do not hide from me anything I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."
NIV
Then the king said to the woman, "Don’t keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you." "Let my lord the king speak," the woman said.
NASB
Then the king answered and said to the woman, 'Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you.' And the woman said, 'Let my lord the king please speak.'
CSB
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.
NLT
I must know one thing,' the king replied, 'and tell me the truth.' 'Yes, my lord the king,' she responded.
KJV
Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
NKJV
Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you.” And the woman said, “Please, let my lord the king speak.”
What does 2 Samuel 14:18 mean?
Like a good actor, the wise woman from Tekoa fully committed to the role Joab gave her. She spoke as if she were a widow and the mother of a murderer. She has also illustrated to the king, without saying so explicitly, that pardoning Absalom and bringing him home to Jerusalem would not only be a good for Israel, but it would be consistent with the character of God (2 Samuel 14:1–17).But David seems to see through the performance. He demands truth no matter what he asks her. She agrees. He asks if Joab is behind her performance (2 Samuel 14:19).
She had flattered David for his wisdom before (2 Samuel 14:17). When the truth comes out, she intensifies her praises. David's exactly right. It's all Joab. Joab told her what to say (2 Samuel 14:19). It's Joab's agenda. David must have the "wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth" (2 Samuel 14:20). David is the messenger of God's truth and will.
We're not sure why she speaks like this. She's probably afraid of how David will respond when he learns she's been lying to him. She's not a widow whose son killed his brother. Her kinsmen are not trying to execute her husband's only heir. She convinced David to pardon a murderer who doesn't exist for the sole purpose of convincing him to pardon his son the murderer.
The text doesn't say if David responds to her, but he does speak to Joab. Absalom can come home (2 Samuel 14:21).
