2 Samuel 20

1 and there to encounter: chanced man Belial and name his Sheba son: child Bichri man [Ben]jaminite and to blow in/on/with trumpet and to say nothing to/for us portion in/on/with David and not inheritance to/for us in/on/with son: child Jesse man: anyone to/for tent his 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 and to ascend: rise all man Israel from after David after Sheba son: child Bichri and man Judah to cleave in/on/with king their from [the] Jordan and till 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 and to come (in): come David to(wards) house: home his Jerusalem and to take: take [the] king [obj] ten woman: wife concubine which to rest to/for to keep: guard [the] house: home and to give: put them house: home charge and to sustain them and to(wards) them not to come (in): come and to be to constrain till day to die they widowhood living

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 and to say [the] king to(wards) Amasa to cry out to/for me [obj] man Judah three day and you(m. s.) here to stand: stand

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

5 and to go: went Amasa to/for to cry out [obj] Judah (and to delay *Q(K)*) from [the] meeting: time appointed which to appoint him

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

6 and to say David to(wards) Abishai now be evil to/for us Sheba son: child Bichri from Absalom you(m. s.) to take: take [obj] servant/slave lord your and to pursue after him lest to find to/for him city to gather/restrain/fortify and to rescue eye: before(the eyes) our

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 and to come out: come after him human Joab and [the] Cherethite and [the] Pelethite and all [the] mighty man and to come out: come from Jerusalem to/for to pursue after Sheba son: child Bichri

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

8 they(masc.) with [the] stone [the] great: large which in/on/with Gibeon and Amasa to come (in): come to/for face: before their and Joab to gird garment his clothing his (and upon him *Q(k)*) belt sword to join upon loin his in/on/with razor her and he/she/it to come out: come and to fall: fall

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 to say Joab to/for Amasa peace: well-being you(m. s.) brother: compatriot my and to grasp hand right Joab in/on/with beard Amasa to/for to kiss to/for 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 and Amasa not to keep: look at in/on/with sword which in/on/with hand Joab and to smite him in/on/with her to(wards) [the] belly and to pour: pour belly his land: soil [to] and not to repeat to/for him and to die and Joab and Abishai brother: male-sibling his to pursue after Sheba son: child Bichri

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 man to stand: stand upon him from youth Joab and to say who? which to delight in in/on/with Joab and who? which to/for David after 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 and Amasa to roll in/on/with blood in/on/with midst ([the] highway *LA(bh)*) and to see: see [the] man for to stand: stand all [the] people and to turn: turn [obj] Amasa from [the] highway [the] land: country and to throw upon him garment like/as as which to see: see all [the] to come (in): come upon him and to stand: stand

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 like/as as which to thrust away from [the] highway to pass all man after Joab to/for to pursue after Sheba son: child Bichri

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

14 and to pass in/on/with all tribe Israel Abel-beth-maachah [to] and Abel-beth-maachah Abel-beth-maachah and all [the] Bichrites (and to gather *Q(K)*) and to come (in): come also after 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 to come (in): come and to confine upon him in/on/with Abel-beth-maachah [to] Abel-beth-maachah [the] Abel-beth-maachah and to pour: build siege mound mound to(wards) [the] city and to stand: stand in/on/with rampart and all [the] people: soldiers which with Joab to ruin to/for to fall: fall [the] wall

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 and to call: call to woman wise from [the] city to hear: hear to hear: hear to say please to(wards) Joab to present: come till here/thus and to speak: speak to(wards) you

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 and to present: come to(wards) her and to say [the] woman you(m. s.) Joab and to say I and to say to/for him to hear: hear word maidservant your and to say to hear: hear I

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 and to say to/for to say to speak: speak to speak: speak in/on/with first: previous to/for to say to ask to ask in/on/with Abel and so to finish

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 I to ally faithful Israel you(m. s.) to seek to/for to die city and mother in/on/with Israel to/for what? to swallow up inheritance LORD

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 and to answer Joab and to say forbid forbid to/for me if to swallow up and if to ruin

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

21 not so [the] word: thing for man from mountain: hill country Ephraim Sheba son: child Bichri name his to lift: fight hand his in/on/with king in/on/with David to give: give [obj] him to/for alone him and to go: went from upon [the] city and to say [the] woman to(wards) Joab behold head his to throw to(wards) you about/through/for [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 and to come (in): come [the] woman to(wards) all [the] people in/on/with wisdom her and to cut: cut [obj] head Sheba son: child Bichri and to throw to(wards) Joab and to blow in/on/with trumpet and to scatter from upon [the] city man: anyone to/for tent: home his and Joab to return: return Jerusalem to(wards) [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 and Joab to(wards) all [the] army Israel and Benaiah son: child Jehoiada upon ([the] Cherethite *Q(K)*) and upon [the] Pelethite

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

24 and Adoram upon [the] taskworker and Jehoshaphat son: child Ahilud [the] to remember

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 Sheva *Q(K)*) secretary and Zadok and Abiathar priest

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

26 and also Ira [the] Jairite to be priest to/for David

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