25 Now Abshalom was admired as the most handsome man in all Israel—from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, you wouldn’t be able to find a blemish on his skin. 26 He had his hair cut once a year when it got too heavy on him, and when the hair was weighed using standard weights, it would be over two kilograms. 27 Abshalom had three sons and a daughter named Tamar—a very attractive woman.

28 Abshalom lived in Yerushalem for two years without ever getting to see the king, 29 so he sent a message to Yoav about getting an invitation to see the king, but Yoav wouldn’t come to him. He sent another message, but Yoav still wouldn’t come, 30 so he instructed his servants, “Listen, Yoav’s piece of land with a barley crop is nearby. Go and set fire to it.” So Abshalom’s servants burnt Yoav’s barley.[fn]

31 Then Yoav went to Abshalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants destroy my barley crop?”

32 “Listen, I tried to contact you,” Abshalom replied. “I asked you to come here so that I could send you to the king to ask what the point was of bringing me here from Geshur if I can’t see him—I might as well have stayed back there. So now, help me to get invited to see the king, and then if I’m considered guilty of a crime, then let him kill me.”

33 So Yoav went and informed the king, and he called for Abshalom. When he entered, he knelt and bowed his face to the ground in front of the king, and then the king kissed him.