Sheba’s Rebellion

1And there happened to be a man of worthlessness, and his name was Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite man. And he blew with the shofar and said,

“Unto us there is no share in David,

nor an inheritance do we have in the son of Jesse.

Every man to his tents,

O Israel.”

2And every man of Israel deserted from after David, to after Sheba son of Bichri. And the men of Judah remained loyal to their king from the Jordan and as far as Jerusalem.

3And David came to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and he placed them in a house under guard. And he supported them, and to them he did not go in. And they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

4And the king said to Amasa, “Call for me the men of Judah in three days, and you stand here.”

5And Amasa went to assemble Judah, and he delayed beyond the set time that he had appointed him.

6And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bichri will do more harm to us than Absalom. You take the servants of your lord and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities and escape our eyes.†”

7And the men of Joab went out after him, with the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri. 8They were near the great stone that is in Gibeon, and Amasa came before their faces.

And Joab was girded in his long robe for his clothing, and on it was a belt with a sword fastened at his hips in its sheath. And as he was going forward, it fell out. 9And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And with his right hand Joab held on to the beard of Amasa to kiss him.

10And Amasa did not notice the sword that was in the hand of Joab, and he struck him with it in the stomach, and his bowels poured out on the ground, and he did not do it again to him, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba son of Bichri.

11And a man stood by him of the young men of Joab, and he said, “Who is he that takes delight in Joab? And who is he that is for David? Follow Joab!” 12And Amasa was rolling around in his blood in the middle of the highway. And the man saw that all the people stood still, and he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw over him a garment when he saw that everyone who came upon him stood still. 13When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri.

14And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel-Beth-maacah,† and all the Berites.† And they were gathered together and went also after him.

15And they came and besieged him in Abel-Beth-maachah, and they heaped up a mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart.

And all the people who were with Joab were destroying the wall to throw it down, 16and a wise woman cried out from the city, “Listen, listen! Say, please, to Joab, come nearby here, that I may speak with you.”

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

And He answered, “I am.”

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

And he answered, “I am listening.”

18And she spoke, saying, “They spoke often in former times, saying, ‘Let them diligently ask at Abel,’ and so they finished. 19I am a peaceable and faithful one of Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of YHWH?”

20And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy! 21The matter is not so! But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Give up him alone, and I will depart from the city.”

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

22And the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and they threw it to Joab. And he blew with the shofar, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tents. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

23And Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24and Adoram was† in charge of revenue; and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 25and Sheva was† scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26and Ira the Jairite† was a chief minister to David.

Footnotes:

6 Or and snatch away our eyes or and do us serious harm
14 Hebrew to Abel and Beth-maacah; see verse 15.
14 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate Bicrites
24 Adoram is a variant of Adoniram and Hadoram; see 1 Kings 4:6 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.
25 Sheva is also called Seraiah, Shisha, and Shavsha; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 1 Kings 4:3, and 1 Chronicles 18:16.
26 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts and Syriac Ithrite; see 2 Samuel 23:38.