Ii Samuelis 20
1 accidit quoque ut ibi esset vir Belial nomine Seba filius Bochri vir iemineus et cecinit bucina et ait non est nobis pars in David neque hereditas in filio Isai vir in tabernacula tua Israhel
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 et separatus est omnis Israhel a David secutusque est Seba filium Bochri viri autem Iuda adheserunt regi suo a Iordane usque Hierusalem
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 cumque venisset rex in domum suam Hierusalem 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 ad diem mortis suae in viduitate viventes
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 dixit autem rex Amasae convoca mihi omnes viros Iuda in diem tertium et tu adesto praesens
[One day] the king said to Amasa, “Summon the soldiers of Judah to come here within three days, and you be here also.”
5 abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Iudam et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat
So Amasa went to summon them, but he did not return within the time that David told him to.
6 ait autem David ad Abisai nunc magis adflicturus est nos Seba filius Bochri quam Absalom tolle igitur servos domini tui et persequere eum ne forte inveniat civitates munitas et effugiat nos
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 egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Ioab Cherethi quoque et Felethi et omnes robusti exierunt de Hierusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri
So Abishai [and Joab] and the king’s bodyguards and the other soldiers left Jerusalem, to pursue Sheba.
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 fabrefactus levi motu egredi poterat et percutere
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 dixit itaque Ioab ad Amasa salve mi frater et tenuit manu dextra mentum Amasae quasi osculans eum
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 porro Amasa non observavit gladium quem habebat Ioab qui percussit eum in latere et effudit intestina eius in terram nec secundum vulnus adposuit Ioab autem et Abisai frater eius persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri
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 interea quidam viri cum stetissent iuxta cadaver Amasae de sociis Ioab dixerunt ecce qui esse voluit pro Ioab comes David pro Ioab
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 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
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 amoto igitur illo de via transiebat omnis vir sequens Ioab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri
After the body had been taken off the road, all the soldiers went with Joab to pursue Sheba.
14 porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israhel in Abelam et in Bethmacha omnesque electi congregati fuerant ad eum
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 venerunt itaque et obpugnabant eum in Abela et in Bethmacha et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem et obsessa est urbs omnis autem turba quae erat cum Ioab moliebatur destruere muros
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 et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate audite audite dicite Ioab adpropinqua huc et loquar tecum
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 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
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 rursumque illa sermo inquit dicebatur in veteri proverbio qui interrogant interrogent in Abela et sic perficiebant
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 nonne ego sum quae respondeo veritatem Israhel et tu quaeris subruere civitatem et evertere matrem in Israhel quare praecipitas hereditatem Domini
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 respondensque Ioab ait absit absit hoc a me non praecipito neque demolior
Job replied, “I would certainly never want to ruin or destroy your town!
21 non se sic habet res sed homo de monte Ephraim Seba filius Bochri cognomine levavit manum contra regem David tradite illum solum et recedemus a civitate et ait mulier ad Ioab ecce caput eius mittetur ad te per murum
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 ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum et locuta est eis sapienter qui abscisum caput Seba filii Bochri proiecerunt ad Ioab et ille cecinit tuba et recesserunt ab urbe unusquisque in tabernacula sua Ioab autem reversus est Hierusalem ad regem
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 fuit ergo Ioab super omnem exercitum Israhel Banaias autem filius Ioiadae super Cheretheos et Feletheos
Joab was the commander of the entire Israeli army. Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was the commander of David’s bodyguards;
24 Aduram vero super tributa porro Iosaphat filius Ahilud a commentariis
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 Sia autem scriba Sadoc vero et Abiathar sacerdotes
Sheva was the official secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;
26 Hira autem Hiaiarites erat sacerdos David
and Ira from Jair [town] was also one of David’s priests.
