20:1 Now
there
happened
to
be
there
a
worthless
man,
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!"
20:2 So
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.
20:3 And
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.
20:4 Then
the
king
said
to
Amasa,
"Call
the
men
of
Judah
together
to
me
within
three
days,
and
be
here
yourself."
20:5 So
Amasa
went
to
summon
Judah,
but
he
delayed
beyond
the
set
time
that
had
been
appointed
him.
20:6 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,
lest
he
get
himself
to
fortified
cities
and
escape
from
us."
20:7 And
there
went
out
after
him
Joab's
men
and
the
Cherethites
and
the
Pelethites,
and
all
the
mighty
men.
They
went
out
from
Jerusalem
to
pursue
Sheba
the
son
of
Bichri.
20:8 When
they
were
at
the
great
stone
that
is
in
Gibeon,
Amasa
came
to
meet
them.
Now
Joab
was
wearing
a
soldier's
garment,
and
over
it
was
a
belt
with
a
sword
in
its
sheath
fastened
on
his
thigh,
and
as
he
went
forward
it
fell
out.
20:9 And
Joab
said
to
Amasa,
"Is
it
well
with
you,
my
brother"
And
Joab
took
Amasa
by
the
beard
with
his
right
hand
to
kiss
him.
20:10 But
Amasa
did
not
observe
the
sword
that
was
in
Joab's
hand.
So
Joab
struck
him
with
it
in
the
stomach
and
spilled
his
entrails
to
the
ground
without
striking
a
second
blow,
and
he
died.
Then
Joab
and
Abishai
his
brother
pursued
Sheba
the
son
of
Bichri.
20:11 And
one
of
Joab's
young
men
took
his
stand
by
Amasa
and
said,
"Whoever
favors
Joab,
and
whoever
is
for
David,
let
him
follow
Joab."
20:12 And
Amasa
lay
wallowing
in
his
blood
in
the
highway.
And
anyone
who
came
by,
seeing
him,
stopped.
And
when
the
man
saw
that
all
the
people
stopped,
he
carried
Amasa
out
of
the
highway
into
the
field
and
threw
a
garment
over
him.
20:13 When
he
was
taken
out
of
the
highway,
all
the
people
went
on
after
Joab
to
pursue
Sheba
the
son
of
Bichri.
20:14 And
Sheba
passed
through
all
the
tribes
of
Israel
to
Abel
of
Beth-maacah,
and
all
the
Bichrites
assembled
and
followed
him
in.
20:15 And
all
the
men
who
were
with
Joab
came
and
besieged
him
in
Abel
of
Beth-maacah.
They
cast
up
a
mound
against
the
city,
and
it
stood
against
the
rampart,
and
they
were
battering
the
wall
to
throw
it
down.
20:16 Then
a
wise
woman
called
from
the
city,
"Listen!
Listen!
Tell
Joab,
'Come
here,
that
I
may
speak
to
you.'"
20:17 And
he
came
near
her,
and
the
woman
said,
"Are
you
Joab"
He
answered,
"I
am."
Then
she
said
to
him,
"Listen
to
the
words
of
your
servant."
And
he
answered,
"I
am
listening."
20:18 Then
she
said,
"They
used
to
say
in
former
times,
'Let
them
but
ask
counsel
at
Abel,'
and
so
they
settled
a
matter.
20:19 I
am
one
of
those
who
are
peaceable
and
faithful
in
Israel.
You
seek
to
destroy
a
city
that
is
a
mother
in
Israel.
Why
will
you
swallow
up
the
heritage
of
the
LORD"
20:20 Joab
answered,
"Far
be
it
from
me,
far
be
it,
that
I
should
swallow
up
or
destroy!
20:21 That
is
not
true.
But
a
man
of
the
hill
country
of
Ephraim,
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
Joab,
"Behold,
his
head
shall
be
thrown
to
you
over
the
wall."
20:22 Then
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
Joab.
So
he
blew
the
trumpet,
and
they
dispersed
from
the
city,
every
man
to
his
home.
And
Joab
returned
to
Jerusalem
to
the
king.
20:23 Now
Joab
was
in
command
of
all
the
army
of
Israel;
and
Benaiah
the
son
of
Jehoiada
was
in
command
of
the
Cherethites
and
the
Pelethites;
20:24 and
Adoram
was
in
charge
of
the
forced
labor;
and
Jehoshaphat
the
son
of
Ahilud
was
the
recorder;
20:25 and
Sheva
was
secretary;
and
Zadok
and
Abiathar
were
priests;
20:26 and
Ira
the
Jairite
was
also
David's
priest.