< 撒母耳记下 20 >
1 在那里恰巧有一个匪徒,名叫示巴,是便雅悯人比基利的儿子。他吹角,说:“我们与大卫无分,与耶西的儿子无涉。以色列人哪,你们各回各家去吧!”
And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name [was] Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
2 于是以色列人都离开大卫,跟随比基利的儿子示巴。但犹大人从约旦河直到耶路撒冷,都紧紧跟随他们的王。
So every man of Israel went up from after David, [and] followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.
3 大卫王来到耶路撒冷,进了宫殿,就把从前留下看守宫殿的十个妃嫔禁闭在冷宫,养活她们,不与她们亲近。她们如同寡妇被禁,直到死的日子。
And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women [his] concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4 王对亚玛撒说:“你要在三日之内将犹大人招聚了来,你也回到这里来。”
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.
5 亚玛撒就去招聚犹大人,却耽延过了王所限的日期。
So Amasa went to assemble [the men of] Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
6 大卫对亚比筛说:“现在恐怕比基利的儿子示巴加害于我们比押沙龙更甚。你要带领你主的仆人追赶他,免得他得了坚固城,躲避我们。”
And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than [did] Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.
7 约押的人和基利提人、比利提人,并所有的勇士,都跟着亚比筛,从耶路撒冷出去追赶比基利的儿子示巴。
And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
8 他们到了基遍的大磐石那里,亚玛撒来迎接他们。那时约押穿着战衣,腰束佩刀的带子,刀在鞘内;约押前行,刀从鞘内掉出来。
When they [were] at the great stone which [is] in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle [with] a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.
9 约押左手拾起刀来,对亚玛撒说:“我兄弟,你好啊!”就用右手抓住亚玛撒的胡子,要与他亲嘴。
And Joab said to Amasa, [Art] thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.
10 亚玛撒没有防备约押手里所拿的刀;约押用刀刺入他的肚腹,他的肠子流在地上,没有再刺他,就死了。 约押和他兄弟亚比筛往前追赶比基利的儿子示巴。
But Amasa took no heed to the sword that [was] in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth [rib], and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.
11 有约押的一个少年人站在亚玛撒尸身旁边,对众人说:“谁喜悦约押,谁归顺大卫,就当跟随约押去。”
And one of Joab’s men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that [is] for David, [let him go] after Joab.
12 亚玛撒在道路上滚在自己的血里。那人见众民经过都站住,就把亚玛撒的尸身从路上挪到田间,用衣服遮盖。
And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.
13 尸身从路上挪移之后,众民就都跟随约押去追赶比基利的儿子示巴。
When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
14 他走遍以色列各支派,直到伯·玛迦的亚比拉,并比利人的全地;那些地方的人也都聚集跟随他。
And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
15 约押和跟随的人到了伯·玛迦的亚比拉,围困示巴,就对着城筑垒;跟随约押的众民用锤撞城,要使城塌陷。
And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that [were] with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
16 有一个聪明妇人从城上呼叫说:“听啊,听啊,请约押近前来,我好与他说话。”
Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.
17 约押就近前来,妇人问他说:“你是约押不是?”他说:“我是。”妇人说:“求你听婢女的话。”约押说:“我听。”
And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, [Art] thou Joab? And he answered, I [am he]. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.
18 妇人说:“古时有话说,当先在亚比拉求问,然后事就定妥。
Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask [counsel] at Abel: and so they ended [the matter].
19 我们这城的人在以色列人中是和平、忠厚的。你为何要毁坏以色列中的大城,吞灭耶和华的产业呢?”
I [am one of them that are] peaceable [and] faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?
And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21 乃因以法莲山地的一个人—比基利的儿子示巴—举手攻击大卫王,你们若将他一人交出来,我便离城而去。”妇人对约押说:“那人的首级必从城墙上丢给你。”
The matter [is] not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, [even] against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
22 妇人就凭她的智慧去劝众人。他们便割下比基利的儿子示巴的首级,丢给约押。约押吹角,众人就离城而散,各归各家去了。约押回耶路撒冷,到王那里。
Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast [it] out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.
23 约押作以色列全军的元帅;耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅统辖基利提人和比利提人;
Now Joab [was] over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:
24 亚多兰掌管服苦的人;亚希律的儿子约沙法作史官;
And Adoram [was] over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud [was] recorder:
And Sheva [was] scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar [were] the priests:
And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.