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20 ¶ Nan lavil Gilgal te gen yon nonm yo te rele Cheba, pitit Bikri, nan branch fanmi Benjamen an. Se te yon vakabon. Li manche twonpèt li, li rele pèp la, epi li di yo byen fò: -Nou pa gen anyen pou nou wè ak David! Nou pa bezwen anyen nan zafè pitit Izayi a! Ann al lakay nou, nou menm moun peyi Izrayèl yo!

Se konsa moun peyi Izrayèl yo vire do bay David pou yo swiv Cheba, pitit Bikri a. Men, moun peyi Jida yo rete ak David. Yo swiv li depi larivyè Jouden rive lavil Jerizalèm.

Lè David rive nan palè li lavil Jerizalèm, li pran dis fanm kay li te kite pou okipe palè a, li fèmen yo nan yon kay apa ak moun pou siveye yo. Li ba yo tou sa yo bezwen, men li pa janm kouche ak yo yonn ankò. Yo rete fèmen la tout rès lavi yo, tankou fanm ki pèdi mari yo.

¶ Apre sa, wa a pale ak Amasa, li di l' konsa: -M' ba ou twa jou pou ou sanble tout mesye Jida yo. Apre sa, w'a vin ak yo devan m'.

Amasa pati al avèti mesye Jida yo. Men, li pa tounen dat wa a te ba li pou l' te tounen an.

Wa a rele Abichayi, li di l' konsa: -Cheba pral ban nou plis traka pase Absalon. Pran kòmandman lame mwen an. Pati dèyè l' anvan li gen tan jwenn yon lavil ak gwo ranpa pou l' chape anba men nou.

Se konsa sòlda Joab yo, keretyen yo ak peletyen yo ak tout lòt vanyan sòlda ki te nan lame wa a kite lavil Jerizalèm ak Abichayi, yo pati dèyè Cheba.

Lè yo rive bò gwo wòch ki nan lavil Gibeyon an, Amasa vin kontre ak yo. Joab te gen rad batay li sou li ak yon nepe nan djenn li mare nan ren l'. Joab vanse devan l'. Nepe a soti nan djenn lan, li tonbe atè.

Joab di Amasa: -Ban m' nouvèl ou non, zanmi. Epi li kenbe l' nan bab ak men dwat li pou l' bo li.

10 Amasa menm pa fè atansyon lòt nepe Joab te kenbe nan men gòch li a. Joab djage l' nan vant. Tout trip li soti deyò. Li mouri la menm. Konsa, Joab pa t' bezwen ba li yon dezyèm kou. Apre sa, Joab ak Abichayi, frè l' la, pati dèyè Cheba.

11 Yonn nan sòlda Joab yo te kanpe bò kadav Amasa a. Li pran rele byen fò: -Tout moun ki pou Joab ak David, se pou yo swiv Joab!

12 Men, kadav Amasa a, tou plen san, te blayi nan mitan wout la. Lè sòlda Joab la wè chak fwa yon moun rive devan kadav la li rete, li pran kadav Amasa a, li trennen l' nan yon jaden sou kote wout la, li voye yon rad sou li.

13 Lè li wete kadav la nan mitan wout la, tout lame a pase, yo pati ak Joab dèyè Cheba, pitit Bikri a.

14 ¶ Cheba bò pa l' menm te pase nan tout peyi ki pou branch fanmi Izrayèl yo, li rive lavil Abèl-Bèt Maka. Tout moun fanmi Bikri yo te sanble dèyè l', yo swiv li nan lavil la.

15 Sòlda Joab yo vin rive devan Abèl-Bèt Maka. Yo sènen lavil la, yo anpile ranblè nan pye gwo miray deyò a pou yo te ka anvayi lavil la. Apre sa, yo pran fouye anba miray la pou fè l' tonbe.

16 Te gen yon fanm nan lavil la ki te gen bon konprann. Li rete sou miray la, li di: -Ey! Ey! Tanpri, koute sa m'ap di nou! Al di Joab pou l' pwoche bò isit la. Mwen ta renmen fè yon ti pale avè l'.

17 Joab vin rive. Fanm lan mande l': -Se ou menm ki Joab la? Joab reponn: -Wi, se mwen menm. Fanm lan di l': -Se sèvis m'ap rann ou. Koute sa m'ap di ou. Joab reponn: -M'ap koute ou, wi.

18 Fanm lan di konsa: -Nan tan lontan yo te konn di: Depi ou bezwen konnen kichòy, desann lavil Abèl, al mande la. Se konsa moun te toujou regle zafè yo.

19 Lavil nou se yonn nan lavil peyi Izrayèl yo kote ki pa gen dezòd. Lèfini, li pa janm vire do bay wa a. Poukisa w'ap chache detwi l'? Se kraze ou vle kraze sa ki pou Seyè a?

20 Joab reponn li: -Sa ou kwè a se pa sa! Se pa t' nan lide m' ni pou m' te kraze, ni pou m' te detwi lavil nou an.

21 Se pa dèyè sa nou ye. Gen yon nonm yo rele Cheba, pitit gason Bikri a. Se moun mòn Efrayim li ye. Li pran lezam kont wa David. Si ou lage nonm sa a nan men m', m'ap vire do m' kite lavil la an repo. Fanm lan reponn li: -N'ap voye tèt li jete lòt bò miray la ba ou.

22 li al pale ak moun lavil yo, li di yo sa li gen lide fè. Yo koupe tèt Cheba, yo voye l' jete lòt bò miray la bay Joab. Joab fè kònen twonpèt la pou bay sòlda li yo siyal pou yo kite lavil la al fè wout yo lakay yo. Joab menm tounen lavil Jerizalèm al jwenn wa a.

23 ¶ Joab te kòmandan tout lame pèp Izrayèl la. Benaja, pitit Jeyojada, te kòmandan keretyen yo ak peletyen yo, gad pèsonèl wa a.

24 Adoram te reskonsab kòve yo. Jeozafa, pitit gason Aliyoud la, te reskonsab achiv wa a.

25 Cheva te sekretè gouvènman an. Zadòk ak Abyata te prèt.

26 Te gen yon nonm yo te rele Ira, moun lavil Jayi, ki te prèt wa David tou.

Sheba Rebels Against David

20 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,

“We have no share(A) in David,(B)
    no part in Jesse’s son!(C)
Every man to his tent, Israel!”

So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines(D) he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

Then the king said to Amasa,(E) “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Abishai,(F) “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”[a] So Joab’s men and the Kerethites(G) and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

While they were at the great rock in Gibeon,(H) Amasa came to meet them. Joab(I) was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger(J) in Joab’s(K) hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

11 One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt(L) there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. 13 After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites,[b](M) who gathered together and followed him. 15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah.(N) They built a siege ramp(O) up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman(P) called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

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

“I’m listening,” he said.

18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful(Q) and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”(R)

20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “His head(S) will be thrown to you from the wall.”

22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,(T) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

David’s Officials

23 Joab(U) was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram[c](V) was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat(W) son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok(X) and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite[d] was David’s priest.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 20:6 Or and do us serious injury
  2. 2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
  3. 2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
  4. 2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite