2 Samuel 20
1 And it happened that there was, in that place, a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Benjamin. And he sounded the trumpet, and he said: “There is no portion for us in David, nor any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Return to your own tents, O Israel.”
Accidit quoque ut ibi esset vir Belial, nomine Seba, filius Bochri, vir Iemineus: et cecinit buccina, et ait: Non est nobis pars in David, neque hereditas in filio Isai: revertere in tabernacula tua Israel.
2 And all of Israel separated from David, and they were following Sheba, the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clung to their king, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem.
Et separatus est omnis Israel a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri: viri autem Iuda adhæserunt regi suo a Iordane usque Ierusalem.
3 And when the king had entered his house at Jerusalem, he took the ten women concubines, whom he had left behind to care for the house, and he put them into custody, allowing them provisions. But he did not enter to them. Instead, they were enclosed, even until the day of their deaths, living as widows.
Cumque venisset rex in domum suam in Ierusalem, tulit decem mulieres concubinas, quas dereliquerat ad custodiendam domum, et tradidit eas in custodiam, alimenta eis præbens: et non est ingressus ad eas, sed erant clausæ usque in diem mortis suæ in viduitate viventes.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon to me all the men of Judah on the third day, and you shall be present also.”
Dixit autem rex Amasæ: Convoca mihi omnes viros Iuda in diem tertium, et tu adesto præsens.
5 Therefore, Amasa went away, so that he might summon Judah. But he delayed beyond the agreed time that the king had appointed to him.
Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Iudam, et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat rex.
6 And David said to Abishai: “Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, will afflict us more so than Absalom did. Therefore, take the servants of your lord, and pursue him, otherwise he may find fortified cities, and escape from us.”
Ait autem David ad Abisai: Nunc magis afflicturus est nos Seba filius Bochri quam Absalom: tolle igitur servos domini tui, et persequere eum, ne forte inveniat civitates munitas, et effugiat nos.
7 And so, the men of Joab departed with him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And all the able-bodied men went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba, the son of Bichri.
Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Ioab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi: et omnes robusti exierunt de Ierusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.
8 And when they were beside the great stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a close-fitting coat of equal length with his garment. And over these, he was girded with a sword hanging down to his thigh, in a scabbard which was made so that the sword could be removed with the least motion, and then strike.
Cumque illi essent iuxta lapidem grandem, qui est in Gabaon, Amasa veniens occurrit eis. Porro Ioab vestitus erat tunica stricta ad mensuram habitus sui, et desuper accinctus gladio dependente usque ad ilia, in vagina, qui fabricatus levi motu egredi poterat, et percutere.
9 Then Joab said to Amasa, “Be well, my brother.” And he held Amasa by the chin with his right hand, as if to kiss him.
Dixit itaque Ioab ad Amasam: Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasæ, quasi osculans eum.
10 But Amasa did not notice the sword that Joab had. And he struck him in the side, and his intestines poured out to the ground. And he did not inflict a second wound, and he died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri.
Porro Amasa non observavit gladium, quem habebat Ioab, qui percussit eum in latere, et effudit intestina eius in terram, nec secundum vulnus apposuit, et mortuus est. Ioab autem, et Abisai frater eius persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri.
11 Meanwhile, certain men, from the company of Joab, when they had stopped beside the dead body of Amasa, said: “Behold, the one who wished to be in the place of Joab, the companion of David.”
Interea quidam viri, cum stetissent iuxta cadaver Amasæ, de sociis Ioab, dixerunt: Ecce qui esse voluit pro Ioab comes David.
12 Now Amasa was covered with blood, and was lying in the middle of the road. A certain man saw this, with all the people standing nearby to look at him, and he removed Amasa from the road into a field. And he covered him with a garment, so that those passing by would not stop because of him.
Amasa autem conspersus sanguine, iacebat in media via. Vidit hoc quidam vir quod subsisteret omnis populus ad videndum eum, et amovit Amasam de via in agrum, operuitque eum vestimento, ne subsisterent transeuntes propter eum.
13 Then, when he had been removed from the road, all the men continued on, following Joab in the pursuit of Sheba, the son of Bichri.
Amoto ergo illo de via, transibat omnis vir sequens Ioab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.
14 Now he had passed through all the tribes of Israel into Abel and Bethmaacah. And all the elect men had gathered together to him.
Porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israel in Abelam, et Bethmaacha: omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.
15 And so, they went and besieged him at Abel and Bethmaacah. And they surrounded the city with siege works, and the city was blockaded. Then the entire crowd who were with Joab strove to destroy the walls.
Venerunt itaque et oppugnabant eum in Abela, et in Bethmaacha, et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem, et obsessa est urbs: omnis autem turba, quæ erat cum Ioab, moliebatur destruere muros.
16 And a wise woman exclaimed from the city: “Listen, listen, and say to Joab: Draw near, and I will speak with you.”
Et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate: Audite, audite, dicite Ioab: Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.
17 And when he had drawn near to her, she said to him, “Are you Joab?” And he responded, “I am.” And she spoke in this way to him, “Listen to the words of your handmaid.” He responded, “I am listening.”
Qui cum accessisset ad eam, ait illi: Tu es Ioab? Et ille respondit: Ego. Ad quem sic locuta est: Audi sermones ancillæ tuæ. Qui respondit: Audio.
18 And again she spoke: “A word was said in the old proverb, ‘Those who would inquire, let them inquire in Abel.’ And so they would reach a conclusion.
Rursumque illa, Sermo, inquit, dicebatur in veteri proverbio: Qui interrogant, interrogent in Abela: et sic perficiebant.
19 Am I not the one who responds with the truth in Israel? And yet you are seeking to overthrow the city, and to overturn a mother in Israel! Why would you cast down the inheritance of the Lord?”
Nonne ego sum quæ respondeo veritatem in Israel, et tu quæris subvertere civitatem, et evertere matrem in Israel? Quare præcipitas hereditatem Domini?
20 And responding, Joab said: “May this be far, may this be far from me! May I not cast down, and may I not demolish.
Respondensque Ioab, ait: Absit, absit hoc a me: non præcipito, neque demolior.
21 The matter is not as you said. Rather, a man from mount Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, by name, has lifted up his hand against king David. Deliver him alone, and we will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown down to you from the wall.’
Non sic se habet res, sed homo de monte Ephraim Seba, filius Bochri cognomine, levavit manum suam contra regem David: tradite illum solum, et recedemus a civitate. Et ait mulier ad Ioab: Ecce caput eius mittetur ad te per murum.
22 Therefore, she entered to all the people, and she spoke to them wisely. And they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and they threw it down to Joab. And he sounded the trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, each one to his own tent. But Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
Ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum, et locuta est eis sapienter: qui abscissum caput Seba filii Bochri proiecerunt ad Ioab. Et ille cecinit tuba, et recesserunt ab urbe, unusquisque in tabernacula sua: Ioab autem reversus est Ierusalem ad regem.
23 Thus Joab was over the entire army of Israel. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cerethites and Phelethites.
Fuit ergo Ioab super omnem exercitum Israel: Banaias autem filius Ioiadæ super Cerethæos et Phelethæos.
24 Yet truly, Adoram was over the tributes. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the keeper of records.
Aduram vero super tributa: porro Iosaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis.
25 Now Sheva was the scribe. And truly Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
Siva autem, scriba: Sadoc vero et Abiathar, sacerdotes.
26 But Ira, the Jairite, was the priest of David.
Ira autem Iairites erat sacerdos David.
