Ii Samuelis 20

1 Accidit quoque ut ibi esset vir Belial, nomine Seba, filius Bochri, vir Jemineus: et cecinit buccina, et ait: Non est nobis pars in David, neque hæreditas in filio Isai: revertere in tabernacula tua, Israël.

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 Et separatus est omnis Israël a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri: viri autem Juda adhæserunt regi suo a Jordane usque Jerusalem.

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 Cumque venisset rex in domum suam in Jerusalem, 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.

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 Dixit autem rex Amasæ: Convoca mihi omnes viros Juda in diem tertium, et tu adesto præsens.

Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

5 Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Judam, et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat rex.

So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

6 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.

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 Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Joab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi: et omnes robusti exierunt de Jerusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.

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 Cumque illi essent juxta lapidem grandem qui est in Gabaon, Amasa veniens occurrit eis. Porro Joab 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.

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 Dixit itaque Joab ad Amasam: Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasæ, quasi osculans eum.

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 Porro Amasa non observavit gladium quem habebat Joab: qui percussit eum in latere, et effudit intestina ejus in terram, nec secundum vulnus apposuit: et mortuus est. Joab autem, et Abisai frater ejus, persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri.

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 Interea quidam viri, cum stetissent juxta cadaver Amasæ, de sociis Joab, dixerunt: Ecce qui esse voluit pro Joab comes David.

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 Amasa autem conspersus sanguine jacebat 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.

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 Amoto ergo illo de via, transibat omnis vir sequens Joab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.

When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

14 Porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israël in Abelam et Bethmaacha: omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.

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 Venerunt itaque, et oppugnabant eum in Abela et in Bethmaacha, et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem, et obsessa est urbs: omnis autem turba quæ erat cum Joab, moliebatur destruere muros.

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 Et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate: Audite, audite: dicite Joab: Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.

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 Qui cum accessisset ad eam, ait illi: Tu es Joab? Et ille respondit: Ego. Ad quem sic locuta est: Audi sermones ancillæ tuæ. Qui respondit: Audio.

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 Rursumque illa: Sermo, inquit, dicebatur in veteri proverbio: Qui interrogant, interrogent in Abela: et sic perficiebant.

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 Nonne ego sum quæ respondeo veritatem in Israël, et tu quæris subvertere civitatem et evertere matrem in Israël? quare præcipitas hæreditatem Domini?

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?

20 Respondensque Joab, ait: Absit, absit hoc a me: non præcipito, neque demolior.

And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

21 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 Joab: Ecce caput ejus mittetur ad te per murum.

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 Ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum, et locuta est eis sapienter: qui abscissum caput Seba filii Bochri projecerunt ad Joab. Et ille cecinit tuba, et recesserunt ab urbe, unusquisque in tabernacula sua: Joab autem reversus est Jerusalem ad regem.

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 Fuit ergo Joab super omnem exercitum Israël: Banaias autem filius Jojadæ super Cerethæos et Phelethæos:

Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:

24 Aduram vero super tributa: porro Josaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis:

And Adoram was over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:

25 Siva autem, scriba: Sadoc vero et Abiathar, sacerdotes.

And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

26 Ira autem Jairites erat sacerdos David.

And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.