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.

And there happened to be there a worthless fellow, 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 Israel a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri: viri autem Iuda adhaeserunt regi suo a Iordane usque Ierusalem.

So every man of Israel withdrew from following David, followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah held fast to their king, from Jordan even 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.

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 custody, and fed them, but went not in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

4 Dixit autem rex Amasae: Convoca mihi omnes viros Iuda in diem tertium, et tu adesto praesens.

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

5 Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Iudam, 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 him, lest he get for himself fortified cities, and escape us.

7 Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Ioab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi: et omnes robusti exierunt de Ierusalem 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 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.

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 to him, and upon it a belt with a sword fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and as he went forth it fell out.

9 Dixit itaque Ioab ad Amasam: Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasae, 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 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.

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him in the fifth rib, and shed out his inward parts 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 iuxta cadaver Amasae, de sociis Ioab, dixerunt: Ecce qui esse voluit pro Ioab 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, 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.

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 Ioab 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 Israel usque in Abelam, et Bethmaacha: omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.

And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Bethmaachah, 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, quae erat cum Ioab, moliebatur destruere muros.

And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, 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 Ioab: Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.

Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, to Joab, Come here, that I may speak with thee.

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.

And when he was come near to her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said to him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

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

Then she spoke, saying, They were accustomed to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter.

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 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 Ioab, ait: Absit, absit hoc a me: non praecipito, 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 Ioab: Ecce caput eius 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 to 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 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.

Then the woman went to 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 to the king.

23 Fuit ergo Ioab super omnem exercitum Israel: Banaias autem filius Ioiadae super Cerethaeos et Phelethaeos.

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 Iosaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis.

And Adoram was over the forced labour: 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 Iairites erat sacerdos David.

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