2 Samuel 20

¹Now there happened to be there a worthless fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet, and said,

“We have no portion in David,

and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;

every man to his tents, O Israel!”

²So all the men of Israel withdrew from David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.

⁴Then the king said to Amaʹsa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” ⁵So Amaʹsa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time which had been appointed him. ⁶And David said to Abiʹshai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Abʹsalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and cause us trouble.” ⁷And there went out after Abiʹshai, Joʹab and the Cherʹethites and the Pelʹethites, and all the mighty men; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amaʹsa came to meet them. Now Joʹab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a girdle with a sword in its sheath fastened upon his loins, and as he went forward it fell out. ⁹And Joʹab said to Amaʹsa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joʹab took Amaʹsa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰But Amaʹsa did not observe the sword which was in Joʹab’s hand; so Joʹab struck him with it in the body, and shed his bowels to the ground, without striking a second blow; and he died.

Then Joʹab and Abiʹshai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹And one of Joʹab’s men took his stand by Amaʹsa, and said, “Whoever favors Joʹab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joʹab.” ¹²And Amaʹsa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And any one who came by, seeing him, stopped; and when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amaʹsa out of the highway into the field, and threw a garment over him. ¹³When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joʹab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maʹacah; and all the Bichrites assembled, and followed him in. ¹⁵And all the men who were with Joʹab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maʹacah; they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and they were battering the wall, to throw it down. ¹⁶Then a wise woman called from the city, “Hear! Hear! Tell Joʹab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’ ” ¹⁷And he came near her; and the woman said, “Are you Joʹab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸Then she said, “They were wont to say in old time, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel’; and so they settled a matter. ¹⁹I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel; you seek to destroy a city which is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?” ²⁰Joʹab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Eʹphraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David; give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joʹab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” ²²Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joʹab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joʹab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

²³Now Joʹab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiʹah the son of Jehoiʹada was in command of the Cherʹethites and the Pelʹethites; ²⁴and Adorʹam was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshʹaphat the son of Ahiʹlud was the recorder; ²⁵and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiʹathar were priests; ²⁶and Ira the Jaʹirite was also David’s priest.