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2 Samuel 20:1-22
Legacy Standard Bible

Sheba Goes Up Against David

20 Now (A)a vile fellow happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of (B)Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet and said,

“(C)We have no portion in David,
Nor do we have inheritance in (D)the son of Jesse;
(E)Every man to his tents, O Israel!”

2 So all the men of Israel went up from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah clung to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

3 Then David came to his house at Jerusalem, and (F)the king took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and placed them under guard and provided them with sustenance, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as widows.

4 Then the king said to (G)Amasa, “Call out the men of Judah for me within three days, and you yourself stand here.” 5 So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah, but he (H)delayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 6 And David said to (I)Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; (J)take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities and deliver himself from our sight.” 7 So Joab’s men pursued him, (K)along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 They were at the large stone which is in (L)Gibeon, and Amasa came [a]to meet them. Now Joab was [b]dressed in his military attire, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened at his [c]waist; and as he came out, it fell out. 9 Then Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And (M)Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

Joab Strikes Amasa

10 But Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand so (N)he struck him in the belly with it and poured out his inward parts on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 Now there stood by him one of Joab’s young men, and said, “Whoever delights in Joab and whoever is for David, (O)let him follow Joab.” 12 But Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. And the man saw that all the people stood still. So he [d]removed Amasa from the highway into the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still.

The Beheading of Sheba

13 As soon as he was removed from the highway, all the men passed on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

14 Now he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they were assembled and also came after him. 15 So they came and besieged him in (P)Abel Beth-maacah, and (Q)they [e]cast up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood by the rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction in order to cause the wall to fall. 16 Then (R)a wise woman called from the city, “Hear, hear! Please tell Joab, ‘Draw near that I may speak with you.’” 17 So he drew near to her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” And he answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” 18 Then she spoke, saying, “Formerly they used to speak in this way, saying, ‘They will surely ask advice at Abel,’ and thus they ended the dispute. 19 I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. (S)You are seeking to put to death a city, even a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up (T)the inheritance of Yahweh?” 20 And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 Such is not the case. But a man from (U)the hill country of Ephraim, (V)Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give him over alone, and I will go from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman came to all the people in her (W)wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So (X)he blew the trumpet, and they were scattered from the city, each to his tent. Joab also returned to the king at Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 20:8 Lit before
  2. 2 Samuel 20:8 Lit girded with military garment as clothing
  3. 2 Samuel 20:8 Lit loins
  4. 2 Samuel 20:12 Lit caused to turn
  5. 2 Samuel 20:15 Lit poured out
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2 Samuel 20:1-22
International Standard Version

Sheba’s Rebellion

20 Right about then, Bichri’s son Sheba, an ungodly man[a] from the tribe of Benjamin, sounded a battle trumpet and announced:

We’ve never been a part of David!
    We’ll never gain anything from Jesse’s son!
        It’s every man to his tent, Israel!

2 So all of the other Israeli soldiers[b] abandoned David to follow Bichri’s son Sheba, while the army of Judah remained with the king all the way from the Jordan River[c] to Jerusalem.

3 When David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, the king took the ten mistresses[d] whom he had left behind to keep the palace in order and placed them in a separate house, providing for them under the care of a protective guard. He never visited them again, so they were under care until they died, living as if their husbands had died.

4 Meanwhile, David ordered Amasa, “Muster the army of Judah here within three days, and be here yourself!”

5 But when Amasa went out to muster the army of[e] Judah, he delayed to act within the time allotted to him. 6 So David told Abishai, “Now Bichri’s son Sheba is about to do more damage than did Absalom. So take my personal guards and go after them. Otherwise, he’ll run to one of the fortified cities and escape from us.” 7 So Joab’s men, the special forces[f] and mercenaries,[g] and all of David’s elite forces left Jerusalem in pursuit of Bichri’s son Sheba.

Joab Murders Amasa

8 When they arrived at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was dressed in a soldier’s uniform, over which was a belt that fastened a sword sheath to his thigh. As he walked forward, the sword was exposed. 9 Joab asked Amasa, “Is everything going well with you, my brother?” As Joab took Amasa by his beard to greet him, 10 Amasa did not notice the sword that Joab was holding in his hand. Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, spilling his intestines to the ground in a single stroke and killing him. After this, Joab and his brother pursued Bichri’s son Sheba.

11 One of Joab’s soldiers stood by Amasa while he lay dying[h] and announced, “Whoever is in favor of Joab and David, let him follow Joab.” 12 While Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway, everybody who passed by was stopping to stare at him, so when the soldier saw that all of the army was stopping, he carried Amasa off the highway into a nearby field and covered him with a garment. 13 After Amasa[i] had been removed from the highway, the rest of the army followed Joab in pursuit of Bichri’s son Sheba.

Sheba Dies at Abel of Beth-maacah

14 Meanwhile, Sheba traveled throughout the tribes of Israel in the direction of Abel and Beth-maacah, and all of the descendants of Beri[j] gathered together and followed him inside. 15 All of the men who had accompanied Joab arrived and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They threw up a siege ramp against the city rampart and began to batter the wall to demolish it. 16 Just then a wise woman called out from the city. “Attention!” she said, “Go tell Joab ‘Come here! I want to talk to you!’” 17 Joab came over and the woman asked him, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

So she told him, “Listen to what your servant has to say!”

“I’m listening,” he replied.

18 So she said, “In days past, people used to settle a dispute by saying ‘Let’s ask for advice at Abel!’ 19 I’m one of the peaceful and faithful citizens of Israel. You’re trying to destroy a city that’s a mother in Israel. Why are you devouring the heritage of the Lord?”

20 But Joab replied, “No way! No way! I’m not here to devour or destroy! 21 That’s a lie! But there is a man from the Ephraim hill country—he’s known as Bichri’s son Sheba—who has rebelled against King David. Turn him over and I’ll withdraw from the city!”

So the woman replied, “Watch this! His head will be thrown to you over the city wall.” 22 Then the woman wisely went back to her people. They cut off the head of Bichri’s son Sheba and threw it out to Joab, so Joab sounded his battle trumpet and they withdrew from the city. Everybody went back home and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 20:1 Lit. a son of Belial
  2. 2 Samuel 20:2 I.e. the ten tribes apparently mentioned in 2Sam 19:43; the Heb. lacks other
  3. 2 Samuel 20:2 The Heb. lacks River
  4. 2 Samuel 20:3 Lit. concubines; i.e. secondary wives
  5. 2 Samuel 20:5 The Heb. lacks the army of
  6. 2 Samuel 20:7 Lit. Cherethites; i.e. elite body guards
  7. 2 Samuel 20:7 Lit. Pelethites; i.e. special couriers
  8. 2 Samuel 20:11 The Heb. lacks while he lay dying
  9. 2 Samuel 20:13 it. he
  10. 2 Samuel 20:14 So MT; some ancient versions read descendants of Bichri
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