2 Samuel 20

1 Now there happened to be a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bikri, a Benjamite. And he blew the trumpet, and said, "We have no share in David, nor do we have any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, Israel."

There was a man there [at Gilgal] named Sheba. He was a man who always caused trouble. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was the son of Bichri. He blew a trumpet and called out, “We have nothing to do with [DOU] David, that son of Jesse! So, men of Israel, let’s go to our homes!”

2 So all Israel deserted David and followed Sheba the son of Bikri, but the men of Judah stayed by their king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

So all the men from the other Israeli tribes deserted David and went with Sheba, but the men of Judah stayed with David. They wanted him to be their king, and went with him from near the Jordan [River] up to Jerusalem.

3 Then David came to his palace at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women his secondary wives, whom he had left to keep the palace, and placed them under guard, and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were kept in confinement until the day of their death, living as widows.

When David arrived at the palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten slave wives whom he had left there to take care of the palace and put them in another house. He put a guard at that house, and he provided for them what they needed, but he never had sexual relations [EUP] with them again. So they remained shut up in their house until they died. It was as though they were widows.

4 Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself."

[One day] the king said to Amasa, “Summon the soldiers of Judah to come here within three days, and you be here also.”

5 So Amasa went to summon Judah together, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been allotted him.

So Amasa went to summon them, but he did not return within the time that David told him to.

6 David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Now then, take your lord's servants with you and pursue after him, otherwise he will get himself to fortified cities and escape from us."

So David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba will harm us more than Absalom did. So you take my soldiers and pursue him. If you do not do that, he and his soldiers may occupy/capture some of the (fortified towns/towns that have walls around them), and escape from us. [IDM]”

7 So there went out after him Joab's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the warriors. And they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

So Abishai [and Joab] and the king’s bodyguards and the other soldiers left Jerusalem, to pursue Sheba.

8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was wearing his military attire, and over it was a belt with a dagger in its sheath fastened at his waist, and as he advanced it fell out.

When they arrived at the huge rock in [the] Gibeah [region], Amasa met them. Joab was wearing a soldier’s uniform. He had a dagger/long knife fastened to his belt. When he came close [to Amasa, he allowed] the dagger [to] fall on the ground.

9 And Joab said to Amasa, "Is it well with you, my brother?" Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

Joab said to Amasa, “Are things going well with you, my friend?” Then Joab grabbed Amasa’s beard with his right hand, in order to kiss him.

10 But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand. And he stabbed him with it in the abdomen, so that his intestines spilled out on the ground, and he did not do it to him again. Thus he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

But Amasa did not see that Joab was holding [another] dagger in his [other] hand. And Joab stabbed it into Amasa’s belly, and his insides spilled out onto the ground. Amasa died [immediately]; Joab did not need to stab him again. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to pursue Sheba.

11 And one of Joab's young men stood beside Amasa and said, "Whoever is the one that favors Joab and whoever belongs to David, follow Joab."

One of Joab’s soldiers stood alongside Amasa’s body and called out, “Everyone who wants Joab [to be our commander] and who wants David [to be our king], go with Joab!”

12 But Amasa lay covered with his blood in the midst of the road, and anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. So when the man saw that all the people stopped, he dragged Amasa from the road into a field and threw a garment over him.

Amasa’s body was lying on the road. It was covered with blood. The soldier of Joab [who had called out] saw that many others of Joab’s soldiers were stopping [to see it], so he dragged Amasa’s body off the road into a field, and threw a cloth/blanket over the body.

13 When he was removed from the road, all the people followed Joab in pursuit of Sheba son of Bikri.

After the body had been taken off the road, all the soldiers went with Joab to pursue Sheba.

14 He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth Maacah, and all the Bikrites assembled and followed him.

Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, and arrived at Abel-Beth-Maacah [town in the northern part of Israel]. There, all the members of [his father] Bichri’s clan gathered, and went with Sheba into the town.

15 And all the people who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maacah. And they built a siege ramp against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall so that it would collapse.

The soldiers who were with Joab [found out that Sheba had gone there, so they] went there and surrounded the town. They built a dirt ramp up against the town wall. They also pounded against the wall [with heavy poles], to cause it to collapse.

16 Then a wise woman called out from the wall, "Listen, listen. Please tell Joab to come here so that I may speak to him.

Then a wise woman who was in that town [stood on the top of the wall and] shouted down, “Listen to me! Tell Joab to come here, because I want to talk to him!”

17 So he approached her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?" And he replied, "I am." Then she said, "Listen to the words of your servant." And he replied, "I'm listening."

So [after they told Joab], he came there, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He replied, “Yes, I am.” She said to him, “Listen to what I say.” He replied, “I am listening.”

18 Then she said, "In the past they used to say, 'Let them inquire in Abel and in Dan whether

She said, “Long ago people used to say, ‘Go to Abel [town] to get good advice about your problems.’ And that is what people did.

19 that which the faithful of Israel established has been carried out.' You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the inheritance of YHWH?"

We are peaceful and loyal Israelis. Our people here are important and respected [IDM]. So (why are you trying to destroy a town that belongs to Yahweh?/you should not be trying to destroy a town that belongs to Yahweh.)” [RHQ]

20 Joab answered, "Far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy.

Job replied, “I would certainly never want to ruin or destroy your town!

21 That is not the case. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bikri, has rebelled against king David. Give up him alone and I will withdraw from the city." Then the woman said to Joab, "Look, his head will be thrown to you from the wall."

That is not what we want to do. But Bichri’s son Sheba, a man from the hilly area in the tribe of Ephraim, is rebelling against King David. Put this man into our hands, and then we will (go away from/not attack) this town.” The woman replied to Joab, “Okay, what we will do is, we will [cut off] his head [and] throw it over the wall to you.”

22 Then she spoke to all the city with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from him, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to Jerusalem to the king.

Then this wise woman went to the elders of the town and told them what she had said to Joab. So they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it over the wall to Joab. Then Joab blew his trumpet [to signal that the battle was ended], and all his soldiers left the town and returned to their homes. And Joab returned to Jerusalem and told the king [what had happened].

23 Now Joab was in command of the entire army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and in command of the Pelethites;

Joab was the commander of the entire Israeli army. Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was the commander of David’s bodyguards;

24 and Adoniram was in command of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

Adoram supervised the men who were forced to work [for the king]; Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was the man who reported [to the people everything that David decided];

25 and Shisha was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Sheva was the official secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;

26 and also Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

and Ira from Jair [town] was also one of David’s priests.