Open English Translation 2SA Chapter 20

20 Now there was a good-for-nothing Benyaminite man named Sheva who was Bikri’s son, and he blasted on the trumpet, then said,

“We have no interest in David,

≈and no claim in Yeshai’s son.

Go home every man from Israel.”[ref]

2 So all the men of Israel left David and went with Sheva (Bikri’s sons), but the men of Judah stayed with their king from the Yordan river and uphill to Yerushalem.

3 When David got back to his Yerushalem palace, the ten slave-wives that he’d left behind to guard the palace, he moved into a separate house. That place was guarded and he provided for them, but he didn’t sleep with them—thus they were locked up until they died living as widows.[ref]

4 One day the king told Amasa (his new army commander), “Summon the men of Yehudah to be here in three days, and you be with them.” 5 So Amasa went to summon them, but he took longer than the given time. 6 Meanwhile David told Abishai, “Bikri’s son Sheva will do more harm to us now than Abshalom. Take some of my warriors and chase him down, in case he finds some fortified city to hide in and gets away from us.” 7 So Yoav’s men and the king’s bodyguards and all the best warriors left Yerushalem to hunt Sheba down. 8 When they were approaching the huge rock at Gibeon, they met Amasa. Yoav was dressed for battle with a dagger strapped to his waist under his robe. As he stepped forward, he allowed his sword to drop to the ground from his hand. 9 Yoav greeted Amasa, “Is all well with you, my brother?” Then he used his right hand to hold Amasa’s beard to kiss him, 10 but Amasa wasn’t aware of the dagger that was in Yoav’s other hand. Yoav thrust it into his stomach and his intestines poured out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again and Amasa died right there.

Then Yoav and his brother Abishai continued their hunt for Bikri’s son Sheva. 11 One of Yoav’s young men stood beside Amasa’s body and called out, “Whoever favours Yoav and is for David, follow Yoav.” 12 Amasa’s bloody body was in the middle of the road, and when the young man saw that everyone was stopping to look at it, he dragged it off the road onto the grass and threw a cloth over it. 13 After the body had been removed from the road, all the men followed after Yoav to chase Sheva.

14 Meanwhile Sheva crossed through all the tribal regions of Israel to Abel-Beyt-Maacah where all his relatives gathered together and agreed to back him. 15 Yoav’s men arrived and Abel-Beyt-Maacah. They heaped a siege ramp up against the city, and also pounded the wall to try to make it collapse. 16 Then a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen, listen, please tell Yoav to come closer so I can speak to him.” 17 Yoav went in closer and she asked, “Are you Yoav?”

“I am,” he replied.

“Listen to what your servant has to say,” she said.

“I’m listening,” he answered.

18 Then she told him, “Long ago people used to tell others to come here to Abel to get advice, and they’d do that and then be able to settle the matter. 19 I’m a peaceable and faithful citizen of Israel. You’re trying to destroy this city and a mother in Israel. Why would you wipe out our inheritance from Yahweh?”

20 “Far be it, far be it for me that I would destroy or wipe it out,” Yoav replied. 21 That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here for a man from the Efraim hills named Sheva, the son of Bikri. He took a stand against the king—against David. Just hand him over to us, and then we’ll leave your city.”

“Wait,” the woman told Yoav. “His head will be thrown over the wall to you.” 22 So the woman went to all the people with her wisdom, and they decapitated Sheva, and threw his head down to Yoav. Then he signalled on the trumpet, and his men left the area and went back to their homes, and Yoav returned to the king at Yerushalem.

23 Now Yoav was over the entire Israeli army, and Benayah (Yehoyada’s son) was over the kings bodyguards. 24 Adoniram[fn] was over the forced labor, and Ahilud’s son Yehoshafat was the secretary and 25 Sheva was the scribe. Tsadok and Evyatar were the priests, 26 and Ira (the Yairite) was David’s priest.