2 SamuelChapter 20

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¹A worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri happened to be there. He was a Benjamite. He blew the ram's horn and shouted, "We have no share in David! We have no inheritance in Jesse's son! Every man go home to his tent, O Israel!" ²So all the men of Israel left David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king. They stayed with him all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. ³David came back to his palace in Jerusalem. He had left ten concubines there to take care of the palace. Now he took them and put them in a house under guard. He gave them what they needed, but he didn't sleep with them anymore. They were shut away until the day they died. They lived like widows. ⁴Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah to come to me within three days. And be here yourself." ⁵So Amasa went to call the men of Judah. But he took longer than the time the king gave him. ⁶So David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bichri will hurt us more than Absalom did. Take your master's servants and chase him. If you don't, he will find cities with strong walls and get away from us." ⁷So Joab's men marched out of Jerusalem to chase Sheba son of Bichri. The Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty warriors went with them. ⁸They came to the great stone in Gibeon. There Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his battle clothes. A dagger was strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward, he slipped the dagger out of its sheath.a ⁹Joab asked Amasa, "How are you, my brother?" Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰Amasa didn't watch out for the dagger in Joab's hand. Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and his insides spilled out on the ground. Joab didn't need to strike him again, because Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai went on chasing Sheba son of Bichri. ¹¹One of Joab's young men stood by Amasa. He called out, "Whoever is on Joab's side, and whoever is for David, follow Joab!" ¹²But Amasa lay rolling in his blood in the middle of the road. The man saw that all the troops were stopping there. So he dragged the body off the road into a field. He threw a cloak over it. ¹³Once Amasa's body was off the road, all the men went on with Joab. They went to chase Sheba son of Bichri. ¹⁴Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel-beth-maacah. He went through the whole area of the Berites. They gathered together and followed him. ¹⁵Joab's troops came and surrounded Sheba in Abel-beth-maacah. They built a dirt ramp up against the city's outer wall. All the troops with Joab were pounding the wall to knock it down. ¹⁶Then a wise woman called out from the city, "Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here. I want to speak with him." ¹⁷Joab came near her. The woman asked, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." She said, "Listen to what your servant has to say." He answered, "I'm listening." ¹⁸Then the woman said, "Long ago people used to say, 'Go ask for advice at Abel.' That is how they settled arguments. ¹⁹I am one of the peaceful and faithful people in Israel. But you are trying to destroy a city that is like a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD's inheritance?" ²⁰Joab answered, "Never! I would never swallow up or destroy! ²¹That isn't what this is about. A man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted his hand against the king. He has turned against David. Hand over just this one man, and I will leave the city." The woman said, "All right. His head will be thrown to you over the wall." ²²Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So Joab blew the ram's horn. His men left the city and went home, each to his own house. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem. ²³Joab was over the whole army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites. ²⁴Adoram was in charge of the forced labor. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud kept the records. ²⁵Sheva was the scribe. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. ²⁶And Ira the Jairite was David's priest.