20There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram's horn and began to chant: "Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!"H7122H376H1100H8034H7652H1121H1075H1145H8628H7782H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H376H376H168H3478 2So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king and escorted him from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.H376H3478H5927H310H1732H310H7652H1121H1075H376H3063H1692H4428H3383H3389 3When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and placed them in seclusion. Their needs were provided for, but he no longer slept with them. So each of them lived like a widow until she died.H1732H935H1004H3389H4428H3947H6235H802H6370H3240H8104H1004H5414H4931H3557H935H6887H3117H4191H2424H491 4Then the king told Amasa, "Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time."H559H4428H6021H2199H376H3063H7969H3117H5975 5So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given.H6021H3212H2199H3063H309H3186H4150H3259 6Then David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified town where we can't reach him."H1732H559H52H7652H1121H1075H3415H53H3947H113H5650H7291H310H4672H1219H5892H5337H5869 7So Abishai and Joab, together with the king's bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.H3318H310H3097H582H3774H6432H1368H3318H3389H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 8As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing his military tunic with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.H1419H68H1391H6021H935H6440H3097H4055H3830H2296H2289H2719H6775H4975H8593H3318H5307 9"How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.H3097H559H6021H7965H251H3097H270H6021H2206H3225H3027H5401 10Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it so that his insides gushed out onto the ground. Joab did not need to strike again, and Amasa soon died. Joab and his brother Abishai left him lying there and continued after Sheba.H6021H8104H2719H3097H3027H5221H2570H8210H4578H776H8138H4191H3097H52H251H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 11One of Joab's young men shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab."H376H3097H5288H5975H559H4310H2654H3097H1732H310H3097 12But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab's man saw that everyone was stopping to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him.H6021H1556H1818H8432H4546H376H7200H5971H5975H5437H6021H4546H7704H7993H899H7200H935H5975 13With Amasa's body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba son of Bicri.H3014H4546H376H5674H310H3097H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 14Meanwhile, Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and eventually came to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the members of his own clan, the Bicrites, assembled for battle and followed him into the town.H5674H7626H3478H59H1038H1276H6950H7035H935H310 15When Joab's forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town's fortifications and began battering down the wall.H935H6696H59H1038H8210H5550H5892H5975H2426H5971H3097H7843H2346H5307 16But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."H7121H2450H802H5892H8085H8085H559H3097H7126H1696 17As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he replied. So she said, "Listen carefully to your servant." "I'm listening," he said.H7126H802H559H3097H559H559H8085H1697H519H559H8085 18Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.'H559H559H1696H1696H7223H559H7592H7592H59H8552 19I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying an important town in Israel. Why do you want to devour what belongs to the LORD?"H7999H539H3478H1245H4191H5892H517H3478H1104H5159H3068 20And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to devour or destroy your town!H3097H6030H559H2486H2486H1104H7843 21That's not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace." "All right," the woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."H1697H376H2022H669H7652H1121H1075H8034H5375H3027H4428H1732H5414H3212H5892H802H559H3097H7218H7993H1157H2346 22Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram's horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.H802H935H5971H2451H3772H7218H7652H1121H1075H7993H3097H8628H7782H6327H5892H376H168H3097H7725H3389H4428 23Now Joab was the commander of the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king's bodyguard.H3097H6635H3478H1141H1121H3077H3774H3746H6432 24Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.H151H4522H3092H1121H286H2142 25Sheva was the court secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.H7864H7724H5608H6659H54H3548 26And Ira, a descendant of Jair, was David's personal priest.H5896H2972H3548H1732
21There was a famine during David's reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the LORD about it. And the LORD said, "The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites."H7458H3117H1732H7969H8141H8141H310H8141H1732H1245H6440H3068H3068H559H7586H1818H1004H4191H1393 2So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out.H4428H7121H1393H559H1393H1121H3478H3499H567H1121H3478H7650H7586H1245H5221H7065H1121H3478H3063 3David asked them, "What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's people again?"H1732H559H1393H6213H3722H1288H5159H3068 4"Well, money can't settle this matter between us and the family of Saul," the Gibeonites replied. "Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel." "What can I do then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."H1393H559H3701H2091H5973H7586H1004H4191H376H3478H559H559H6213 5Then they replied, "It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel.H559H4428H376H3615H1819H8045H3320H1366H3478 6So let seven of Saul's sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the LORD at Gibeon, on the mountain of the LORD." "All right," the king said, "I will do it."H7651H582H1121H5414H3363H3068H1390H7586H3068H972H4428H559H5414 7The king spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the LORD.H4428H2550H4648H1121H3083H1121H7586H3068H7621H1732H3083H1121H7586 8But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah.H4428H3947H8147H1121H7532H1323H345H3205H7586H764H4648H2568H1121H4324H1323H7586H3205H5741H1121H1271H4259 9The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the LORD. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.H5414H3027H1393H3363H2022H6440H3068H5307H7651H7659H3162H4191H3117H7105H7223H8462H8184H7105 10Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men, spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.H7532H1323H345H3947H8242H5186H6697H8462H7105H4325H5413H8064H5414H5775H8064H5117H3119H2416H7704H3915 11When David learned what Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done,H5046H1732H7532H1323H345H6370H7586H6213 12he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, the people of Jabesh-gilead stole their bodies from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them.)H1732H3212H3947H6106H7586H6106H3083H1121H1167H3003H1568H1589H7339H1052H6430H8511H8518H3117H6430H5221H7586H1533 13So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.H5927H6106H7586H6106H3083H1121H622H6106H3363 14Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.H6106H7586H3083H1121H6912H776H1144H6762H6913H7027H1H6213H4428H6680H310H430H6279H776 15Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.H6430H4421H3478H1732H3381H5650H3898H6430H1732H5774 16Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.H3430H3211H7497H4948H7013H7969H3967H5178H4948H2296H2319H559H5221H1732 17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David's men declared, "You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"H52H1121H6870H5826H5221H6430H4191H582H1732H7650H559H3318H4421H3518H5216H3478 18After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.H310H4421H6430H1359H5444H2843H5221H5593H3211H7497 19During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver's beam!H4421H1359H6430H445H1121H3296H1022H5221H1555H1663H6086H2595H707H4500 20In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants.H4421H1661H376H4067H4055H3027H8337H676H7272H8337H676H702H6242H4557H3205H7497 21But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea.H2778H3478H3083H1121H8092H251H1732H5221 22These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.H702H3205H7497H1661H5307H3027H1732H3027H5650
22David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.H1732H1696H3068H1697H7892H3117H3068H5337H3709H341H3709H7586 2He sang: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;H559H3068H5553H4686H6403 3my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.H430H6697H2620H4043H7161H3468H4869H4498H3467H3467H2555 4I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.H7121H3068H1984H3467H341 5"The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me.H4867H4194H661H5158H1100H1204 6The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.H2256H7585H5437H4170H4194H6923 7But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.H6862H7121H3068H7121H430H8085H6963H1964H7775H241 8"Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.H776H1607H1607H7493H4146H8064H7264H1607H2734 9Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him.H5927H6227H639H784H6310H398H1513H1197 10He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.H5186H8064H3381H6205H7272 11Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.H7392H3742H5774H7200H3671H7307 12He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.H7896H2822H5521H5439H2841H4325H5645H7834 13A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth.H5051H1513H784H1197 14The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.H3068H7481H8064H5945H5414H6963 15He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.H7971H2671H6327H1300H2000 16Then at the command of the LORD, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.H650H3220H7200H4146H8398H1540H1606H3068H5397H7307H639 17"He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.H7971H4791H3947H4871H7227H4325 18He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.H5337H5794H341H8130H553 19They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me.H6923H3117H343H3068H4937 20He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.H3318H4800H2502H2654 21The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.H3068H1580H6666H1252H3027H7725 22For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.H8104H1870H3068H7561H430 23I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.H4941H2708H5493 24I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.H8549H8104H5771 25The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.H3068H7725H6666H1252H5048H5869 26"To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.H2623H2616H8549H1368H8552 27To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.H1305H1305H6141H6617 28You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.H6041H5971H3467H5869H7311H8213 29O LORD, you are my lamp. The LORD lights up my darkness.H5216H3068H3068H5050H2822 30In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.H7323H1416H430H1801H7791 31"God's way is perfect. All the LORD's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.H410H1870H8549H565H3068H6884H4043H2620 32For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?H410H1107H3068H6697H1107H430 33God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect.H410H4581H2428H5425H1870H8549 34He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.H7737H7272H7737H355H5975H1116 35He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.H3925H3027H4421H7198H5154H5181H2220 36You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great.H5414H4043H3468H6031H6038H7235 37You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.H7337H6806H7166H4571 38"I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered.H7291H341H8045H7725H3615 39I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet.H3615H4272H6965H5307H7272 40You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.H247H2428H4421H6965H3766 41You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me.H5414H6203H341H6789H8130 42They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer.H8159H3467H3068H6030 43I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trampled them in the gutter like dirt.H7833H6083H776H1854H2916H2351H7554 44"You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don't even know now serve me.H6403H7379H5971H8104H7218H1471H5971H3045H5647 45Foreign nations cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit.H1121H5236H3584H8085H241H8085 46They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.H1121H5236H5034H2296H4526 47"The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!H3068H2416H1288H6697H7311H430H6697H3468 48He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under meH410H5414H5360H3381H5971 49and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.H3318H341H7311H6965H5337H2555H376 50For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.H3034H3068H1471H2167H8034 51You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever."H4024H1431H3444H4428H6213H2617H4899H1732H2233H5704H5769
Dublin, OH
, together with the king's bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.H3318
