1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see Absalom.
2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time.
3 Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.” Then Joab told her what to say.
4 So the Tekoan woman went to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me, O king!”
5 The king replied to her, “What do you want?” She answered, “I am a widow; my husband is dead.