Ii Samuelis 20
1 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.
A rabble-rouser called Sheba, son of Bichri, from the tribe of Benjamin, happened to be there. He blew the ram's horn and shouted: “We have no interest in David, no commitment to Jesse's son. Israelites, let's all go home!”
2 Et separatus est omnis Israel a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri: viri autem Iuda adhaeserunt regi suo a Iordane usque Ierusalem.
So all the men of Israel abandoned David to follow Sheba, son of Bichri. But the men of Judah accompanied their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 Cumque venisset rex in domum suam in Ierusalem, tulit decem mulieres concubinas, quas dereliquerat ad custodiendam domum, et tradidit eas in custodiam, alimenta eis praebens: et non est ingressus ad eas, sed erant clausae usque in diem mortis suae in viduitate viventes.
When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and put them in a house under guard. He took care of their needs but he didn't sleep with them. They were imprisoned until they died, living like widows.
4 Dixit autem rex Amasae: Convoca mihi omnes viros Iuda in diem tertium, et tu adesto praesens.
Then the king ordered Amasa, “Call up the army of Judah. Have them come to me within three days, and you come too.”
5 Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Iudam, et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat rex.
Amasa called up the army of Judah, but he took longer than the time he was given.
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.
David then spoke to Abishai, saying, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri is going to cause us more trouble than Absalom did. Take the king's men and chase him down, or he will take over fortified towns and get away from us.”
7 Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Ioab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi: et omnes robusti exierunt de Ierusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.
So Joab's men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the experienced fighters, marched out of Jerusalem to chase down Sheba, son of Bichri.
8 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.
While they were at the large rock in Gibeon, Amasa caught up with them. Joab was dressed for battle. Over his clothes was a belt around his waist with a dagger in its sheath. As he moved forward, it fell out.
9 Dixit itaque Ioab ad Amasam: Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasae, quasi osculans eum.
“How are you doing, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. Joab held Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10 Porro Amasa non observavit gladium, quem habebat Ioab, qui percussit eum in latere, et effudit intestina eius in terram, nec secundum vulnus apposuit. Ioab autem, et Abisai frater eius persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri.
Amasa wasn't prepared for the dagger in Joab's left hand. Joab stabbed him in the belly and his intestines poured out onto the ground. Joab didn't need to stab him twice, because Amasa was already dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai set off in pursuit of Sheba.
11 Interea quidam viri, cum stetissent iuxta cadaver Amasae, de sociis Ioab, dixerunt: Ecce qui esse voluit pro Ioab comes David.
One of Joab's men stood beside Amasa and called out, “If you're on Joab's side, and if you are on David's side, then follow Joab!”
12 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.
But Amasa was there, lying in his blood in the middle of the main road. When the man saw that everybody was stopping to look, he pulled the body off the road into a field and threw a cloth over it.
13 Amoto ergo illo de via, transibat omnis vir sequens Ioab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.
Once Amasa's body was off the road, all the men followed Joab in pursuit of Sheba.
14 Porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israel usque in Abelam, et Bethmaacha: omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.
In the meantime Sheba had gone around all the tribes of Israel and eventually ended up the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the Bichrites gathered for battle and followed him into the town.
15 Venerunt itaque et oppugnabant eum in Abela, et in Bethmaacha, et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem, et obsessa est urbs: omnis autem turba, quae erat cum Ioab, moliebatur destruere muros.
Joab's army came and besieged Sheba in Abel-Beth-Maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town's outer wall. While all of Joab's army was battering the wall to knock it down,
16 Et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate: Audite, audite, dicite Ioab: Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.
a wise woman from the town called out, “Listen! Please listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come over here so I can speak to you.’”
17 Qui cum accessisset ad eam, ait illi: Tu es Ioab? Et ille respondit: Ego. Ad quem sic locuta est: Audi sermones ancillae tuae. Qui respondit: Audio.
He went over to her, and the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “Yes, that's me,” he replied. “Please listen to what I, your servant, have to say,” she said. “I'm listening,” he replied.
18 Rursumque illa, Sermo, inquit, dicebatur in veteri proverbio: Qui interrogant, interrogent in Abela: et sic proficiebant.
Then the woman said, “In times gone by people used to say, ‘If you want advice, go to Abel,’ and that's how arguments were settled.
19 Nonne ego sum quae respondeo veritatem in Israel, et tu quaeris subvertere civitatem, et evertere matrem in Israel? Quare praecipitas hereditatem Domini?
I am one of the peaceful and faithful people of Israel. You're trying to destroy a town that's like a mother in Israel. Why do you want to tear down the Lord's possession?”
20 Respondensque Ioab, ait: Absit, absit hoc a me: non praecipito, neque demolior.
“Certainly not!” Joab answered. “It's not what I want—to destroy or tear down this town!
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 Ioab: Ecce caput eius mittetur ad te per murum.
That's not the intention. But a man called Sheba, son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has rebelled against the king, against David. Just hand over this one man and I will withdraw from the town.” “Fine,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown over the wall to you.”
22 Ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum, et locuta est eis sapienter: qui abscissum caput Sebae filii Bochri proiecerunt ad Ioab. et ille cecinit tuba, et recesserunt ab urbe, unusquisque in tabernacula sua: Ioab autem reversus est Ierusalem ad regem.
The woman went and talked with everyone about her wise plan. So they cut off the head of Sheba and threw it to Joab. Then Joab blew the ram's horn to sound the retreat, and all his men left the town and went home. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.
23 Fuit ergo Ioab super omnem exercitum Israel: Banaias autem filius Ioiadae super Cerethaeos et Phelethaeos.
Joab commanded the whole army of Israel. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in charge of the Cherethites and Pelethites.
24 Aduram vero super tributa: porro Iosaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis.
Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the official records.
25 Siva autem, scriba: Sadoc vero et Abiathar, sacerdotes.
Sheva was the secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests,
26 Ira autem Iairites erat sacerdos David.
and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.
