2Samuel 20

The Revolt of Sheba

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!"H7122H376H1100H8034H7652H1121H1075H1145H8628H7782H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H376H376H168H34782So 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.H376H3478H5927H310H1732H310H7652H1121H1075H376H3063H1692H4428H3383H33893When 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.H1732H935H1004H3389H4428H3947H6235H802H6370H3240H8104H1004H5414H4931H3557H935H6887H3117H4191H2424H4914Then the king told Amasa, "Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time."H559H4428H6021H2199H376H3063H7969H3117H59755So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given.H6021H3212H2199H3063H309H3186H4150H32596Then 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."H1732H559H52H7652H1121H1075H3415H53H3947H113H5650H7291H310H4672H1219H5892H5337H58697So Abishai and Joab

, together with the king's bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.H3318H310H3097H582H3774H6432H1368H3318H3389H7291H310H7652H1121H10758As 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

.H1419H68H1391H6021H935H6440H3097H4055H3830H2296H2289H2719H6775H4975H8593H3318H53079"How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.H3097H559H6021H7965H251H3097H270H6021H2206H3225H3027H540110Amasa 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.H6021H8104H2719H3097H3027H5221H2570H8210H4578H776H8138H4191H3097H52H251H7291H310H7652H1121H107511One of Joab's young men shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab."H376H3097H5288H5975H559H4310H2654H3097H1732H310H309712But 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.H6021H1556H1818H8432H4546H376H7200H5971H5975H5437H6021H4546H7704H7993H899H7200H935H597513With Amasa's body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba son of Bicri.H3014H4546H376H5674H310H3097H7291H310H7652H1121H107514Meanwhile, 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.H5674H7626H3478H59H1038H1276H6950H7035H935H31015When 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.H935H6696H59H1038H8210H5550H5892H5975H2426H5971H3097H7843H2346H530716But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."H7121H2450H802H5892H8085H8085H559H3097H7126H169617As 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.H7126H802H559H3097H559H559H8085H1697H519H559H808518Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.'H559H559H1696H1696H7223H559H7592H7592H59H855219I 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?"H7999H539H3478H1245H4191H5892H517H3478H1104H5159H306820And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to devour or destroy your town!H3097H6030H559H2486H2486H1104H784321That'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."H1697H376H2022H669H7652H1121H1075H8034H5375H3027H4428H1732H5414H3212H5892H802H559H3097H7218H7993H1157H234622Then 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.H802H935H5971H2451H3772H7218H7652H1121H1075H7993H3097H8628H7782H6327H5892H376H168H3097H7725H3389H442823Now Joab was the commander of the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king's bodyguard.H3097H6635H3478H1141H1121H3077H3774H3746H643224Adoniram

was in charge of the labor force. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.H151H4522H3092H1121H286H214225Sheva was the court secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.H7864H7724H5608H6659H54H354826And Ira, a descendant of Jair, was David's personal priest.H5896H2972H3548H1732