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ULT 2SA Chapter 20

20 And there happened to be a man of worthlessness, and his name was Sheba the son of Bikri, a man of Benjamin. And he blasted on the trumpet, and he said,

“There is no portion for us in David,

and no inheritance belongs to us in the son of Jesse.

Each one, to his tents, Israel!”

2 And all the men of Israel went up from after David to after Sheba the son of Bikri. But the men of Judah clung to their king from the Jordan and up to Jerusalem.

3 And David came to his house, to Jerusalem, and the king took ten concubine wives whom he had stationed to guard the house, and he gave them a guarded house, and he provided for them, but he did not go to them. And they were locked up until the day of their death—a widowhood of life.

4 And the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to me—three days. And you, stand here.” 5 And Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the appointed time that he designated for him.

6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bikri will do more harm to us than Absalom. You, take the servants of your lord and pursue after him, lest he find for himself unassailable cities and remove our eyes.” 7 And the men of Joab and the Kerethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men went out after him. And they went out from Jerusalem to purse after Sheba the son of Bikri.

8 They were near the great stone that is in Gibeon, and Amasa came to their faces. And Joab was girded—his robe, his clothing, and on him was a belt of a sword strapped on his thigh in its sheath. And he himself went out, but it fell down.

9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Peace, you, my brother?” And the right hand of Joab held on to the beard of Amasa to kiss him. 10 But Amasa was not aware of 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 it again to him, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bikri.

11 And a man from the young men of Joab stood beside him, and he said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—after Joab.” 12 And Amasa was rolling around in blood in the midst of the highway. And the man saw that all the people stood, and he removed Amasa from the highway to a field, and he threw a garment on him when he saw everyone who came to him, and he stood. 13 When he was taken from the highway, each man crossed over after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bikri.

14 And he crossed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth-Maacah and all the Berites. And they gathered, and they also came after him. 15 And they came, and they besieged against him in Abel of Beth-Maacah. And they heaped up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood on the wall. And all the people who were with Joab were destroying in order to make the wall fall down. 16 And a wise woman called from the city, “Listen, listen. Please, say to Joab, ‘Draw near to here, and let me speak to you.’ ”

17 And he drew near to her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?”

And he said, “I am.”

And she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”

And he said, “I am listening.” 18 And she said, saying, “They would certainly speak in former times, saying, ‘They will certainly inquire in Abel,’ and thus they would settle it. 19 I am a peaceable and faithful person of Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow the inheritance of Yahweh?”

20 And Joab answered, and he said, “Far be it, far be it for me if I will swallow or if I will destroy. 21 The matter is not thus, for a man from the mountain of Ephraim—his name is Sheba the son of Bikri—he has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him alone and let us go from the city.”

And the woman said to Joab, “Look, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”

22 And the woman went to all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bikri, and they threw it to Joab. And he blasted on the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, each to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem, to the king.

23 And Joab was over all the army of Israel. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and over the Pelethites. 24 And Adoniram was over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the secretary. 25 And Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests. 26 And also, Ira the Jairite was priest to David.

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