2 Samuel 20

And a man of wickedness was met there, and his name {was} Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Benjamin. And he blew on a shofar, and he said, “{There} is no portion to us in David, and no inheritance {is} to us in the son of Jesse. A man to his tents, Israel!” \*

And all of the men of Israel went up from after David {to} after Sheba, the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clung to their king from the Jordan and to Jerusalem. \*

And David came to his house {in} Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubine wives whom he had left to keep the house, and he put them {in} a house of keeping, and he sustained them, but he did not go in to them. And they were confined until the day of their death, a widowhood of life. \*

And the king said to Amasa, “Call up the men of Judah to me, three days. And you, stand here.”

And Amasa went to call up Judah, but he delayed beyond the appointment that he had appointed him. \*

And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, will harm us more than Absalom. You, take the servants of your lord and pursue after him, lest he find fortified cities for himself and remove our eyes.”

And the men of Joab and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all of the warriors went out after him. And they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri. \*

They {were} near the great stone that {is} in Gibeon, and Amasa came to their faces. Now Joab was girded {with}his garment {as} his clothing, and on him {was} a belt of a sword strapped on his waist in its sheath. And he, he went out, and it fell. \*

And Joab said to Amasa, “Peace {to} you, my brother?” And the right hand of Joab held onto the beard of Amasa to kiss him.

But Amasa did not guard himself against the sword that {was} in the hand of Joab. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his intestines poured out to the ground, and he did not do again to him, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba, the son of Bichri. \*

And a man from the young men of Joab stood beside him, and he said, “Whoever delights in Joab and whoever {is} to David, after Joab!”

Now Amasa was rolling himself in blood in the midst of the road. And the man saw that all of the people stood. So he removed Amasa from the road {to} a field, and he threw a garment over him, because he saw everyone coming to him, that he stood.

When he had pushed {him} from the road, each man passed on after Joab to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri. \*

And he passed through all of the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth Maacah. And all of the Berites, now they gathered themselves, and they also came after him.

And they came, and they besieged against him in Abel Beth Maacah. And they poured out a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart. And all of the people who {were} with Joab were destroying to make the wall fall.

But a wise woman called from the city, “Listen, listen! Please say to Joab, ‘Approach to here, and let me speak to you.’” \*

And he approached to her, and the woman said, “{Are you} Joab?” \* And he said, “I {am}.” \* And she said to him, “Hear the words of your female servant.” \* And he said, “I am listening.”

So she spoke, saying, “Speaking, they spoke in former {times}, saying, ‘Inquiring, they shall inquire at Abel,’ and thus they ended.

I {am} pacified and faithful {ones} of Israel. You are seeking to kill a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you devour the inheritance of God?” \*

And Joab answered and said, “Profane, profane to me if I should devour or if I should destroy!

The matter {is} not thus, but a man from the hill country of Ephraim—Sheba, the son of Bichri, is his name—has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him alone, and let me go from the city.” \* And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” \*

And the woman came to all of the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and they threw {it} to Joab. And he blew on the shofar, and they dispersed from the city, a man to his tent. And Joab returned {to} Jerusalem, to the king. \*

Now Joab {was} over all of the army of Israel. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, {was} over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites.

And Adoniram {was} over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, {was} the recorder.

And Sheva {was} the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar {were} priests.

And also Ira the Jairite was a priest to David. \*