Sheba’s Rebellion 1 ULT And a man of wickedness was met there, and his name{ was} Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Benjamin. And he blew on a shofar, and he said,“{ There} is no portion to us in David, and no inheritance{ is} to us in the son of Jesse. A man to his tents, Israel!” 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 ULT And all of the men of Israel went up from after David{ to} after Sheba, the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clung to their king from the Jordan and 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 ULT And David came to his house{ in} Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubine wives whom he had left to keep the house, and he put them{ in} a house of keeping, and he sustained them, but he did not go in to them. And they were confined until the day of their death, a widowhood of life. 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 ULT And the king said to Amasa,“Call up the men of Judah to me, three days. And you, stand here.” 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 ULT And Amasa went to call up Judah, but he delayed beyond the appointment that he had appointed him. BSB BSB: So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.
6 ULT And David said to Abishai,“Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, will harm us more than Absalom. You, take the servants of your lord and pursue after him, lest he find fortified cities for himself and remove our eyes.” 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 ULT And the men of Joab and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all of the warriors went out after him. And they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri. 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 ULT They{ were} near the great stone that{ is} in Gibeon, and Amasa came to their faces. Now Joab was girded{ with} his garment{ as} his clothing, and on him{ was} a belt of a sword strapped on his waist in its sheath. And he, he went out, and it fell. 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 ULT And Joab said to Amasa,“Peace{ to} you, my brother?” And the right hand of Joab held onto the beard of Amasa 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 ULT But Amasa did not guard himself against the sword that{ was} in the hand of Joab. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his intestines poured out to the ground, and he did not do again to him, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba, the son of Bichri. 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 ULT And a man from the young men of Joab stood beside him, and he said,“Whoever delights in Joab and whoever{ is} to David, after 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 ULT Now Amasa was rolling himself in blood in the midst of the road. And the man saw that all of the people stood. So he removed Amasa from the road{ to} a field, and he threw a garment over him, because he saw everyone coming to him, that he stood. 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 ULT When he had pushed{ him} from the road, each man passed on after Joab to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri. 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 ULT And he passed through all of the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth Maacah. And all of the Berites, now they gathered themselves, and they also came after him. 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 ULT And they came, and they besieged against him in Abel Beth Maacah. And they poured out a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart. And all of the people who{ were} with Joab were destroying to make the wall fall. 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 ULT But a wise woman called from the city,“Listen, listen! Please say to Joab,‘Approach to here, and let me speak to you.’” 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 ULT And he approached to her, and the woman said,“{ Are you} Joab?” And he said,“I{ am}.” And she said to him,“Hear the words of your female servant.” And he said,“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 ULT So she spoke, saying,“Speaking, they spoke in former{ times}, saying,‘Inquiring, they shall inquire at Abel,’ and thus they ended. BSB BSB: Then the woman said, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Seek counsel at Abel,’ and that is how disputes were settled.
19 ULT I{ am} pacified and faithful{ ones} of Israel. You are seeking to kill a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you devour the inheritance of 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 ULT And Joab answered and said,“Profane, profane to me if I should devour or if I should destroy! BSB BSB: “Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!
21 ULT The matter{ is} not thus, but a man from the hill country of Ephraim— Sheba, the son of Bichri, is his name— has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him alone, and let me go from the city.” And the woman said to Joab,“Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 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 ULT And the woman came to all of the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and they threw{ it} to Joab. And he blew on the shofar, and they dispersed from the city, a man to his tent. And Joab returned{ to} Jerusalem, to the king. 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 ULT Now Joab{ was} over all of the army of Israel. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada,{ was} over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites. BSB BSB: Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;
24 ULT And Adoniram{ was} over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud,{ was} the recorder. BSB BSB: Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
25 ULT And Sheva{ was} the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar{ were} priests. BSB BSB: Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26 ULT And also Ira the Jairite was a priest to David. BSB BSB: and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.