1 ARST There was also a man there at Gilgal named Sheba. He was a man who always caused trouble. He was from the tribe of Benjamin son of Bikri. He blew a trumpet and called out, “We have nothing to do with David, that son of Jesse! So, men of Israel, let us go to our homes!” BSB BSB: Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
2 ARST So all the men from the Israelite 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. BSB BSB: So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 ARST 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 slept with them again. So they remained shut up in their house until they died. It was as though they were widows. BSB BSB: When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace, and he placed them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but he no longer slept with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.
4 ARST One day the king said to Amasa, “Summon the soldiers of Judah to come here within three days, and you must be here also.” BSB BSB: Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
5 ARST So Amasa went to summon them, but he did not return within the time that David told him to. BSB BSB: So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.
6 ARST 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 some of the fortified cities and escape from us.” BSB BSB: And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”
7 ARST So Abishai and Joab and the king’s bodyguards and the other soldiers left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba. BSB BSB: So Joab’s men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.
8 ARST When they arrived at the huge rock in the region of Gibeah, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing armor for battle and had a sword fastened to his belt. When he came close to Amasa, he allowed the sword to fall on the ground. BSB BSB: And while they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa joined them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire, with a dagger strapped to his belt. And as he stepped forward, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.
9 ARST 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. BSB BSB: “Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
10 ARST But Amasa did not see that Joab was holding another dagger in his other hand. Joab thrust 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. BSB BSB: Amasa was not on guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to strike him again, for Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.
11 ARST 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!” BSB BSB: One of Joab’s young men stood near Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!”
12 ARST Amasa’s body was lying on the road. It was covered with blood. The soldier of Joab who had called out saw that many other of Joab’s soldiers were stopping to look at it, so he dragged Amasa’s body off the road into a field and threw a cloth over the body. BSB BSB: But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the troops were stopping there, he dragged the body off the road into a field and threw a garment over it.
13 ARST After the body had been taken off the road, all the soldiers went with Joab to pursue Sheba. BSB BSB: As soon as Amasa’s body was removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.
14 ARST Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, and arrived at the city that is called Abel of Beth Maacah in the northern part of Israel. All the members of his father Bikri’s clan gathered there and went with Sheba into the city. BSB BSB: Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel-beth-maacah and through the entire region of the Berites, who gathered together and followed him.
15 ARST The soldiers who were with Joab found out that Sheba had gone there, so they went there and surrounded the city. They built a dirt ramp up against the city wall. They also pounded against the wall to cause it to collapse. BSB BSB: And Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel-beth-maacah and built a siege ramp against the outer rampart of the city. As all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to topple it,
16 ARST 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!” BSB BSB: a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.”
17 ARST 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.” BSB BSB: When he had come near to her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he replied. “Listen to the words of your servant,” she said. “I am listening,” he answered.
18 ARST 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. BSB BSB: Then the woman said, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Seek counsel at Abel,’ and that is how disputes were settled.
19 ARST We are peaceful and loyal Israelites. Our people here are important and respected. So why are you trying to destroy a city that belongs to Yahweh?” BSB BSB: I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
20 ARST Joab replied, “I would certainly never want to ruin or destroy your city! BSB BSB: “Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!
21 ARST That is not what we want to do. But Bikri’s son Sheba, a man from the hill area in the tribe of Ephraim, is rebelling against King David. Put this man into our hands, and then we will go away from this town.” The woman replied to Joab, “Very well; we will cut off his head and throw it over the wall to you.” BSB BSB: That is not the case. But a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him alone, and I will depart from the city.” “Look,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
22 ARST Then this 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. Joab returned to Jerusalem and told the king what had happened. BSB BSB: Then the woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men dispersed from the city, each to his own home. And Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.
23 ARST Joab was the commander of the entire Israelite army. Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was the commander of David’s bodyguards. BSB BSB: Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;
24 ARST Adoniram 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. BSB BSB: Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
25 ARST Sheva was the official secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests, BSB BSB: Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26 ARST and Ira from Jair town was also one of David’s priests. BSB BSB: and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.