¹⁴ When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴ Then Daniel went to Arioch,^(A) whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

¹⁴ The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls^(A) around Jerusalem.

¹² On the tenth day of the fifth^(A) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan^(B) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

⁹ Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,^(A) and the rest of the people.^(B)

Wisdom Better Than Folly

¹³ I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom^(A) that greatly impressed me: ¹⁴ There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. ¹⁵ Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.^{(B) 16} So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.^(C)

¹⁶ a wise woman^(A) 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^(B) 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?”^(C)

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^(D) will be thrown to you from the wall.”

²² Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,^(E) 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.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites^[a](A) sold Joseph^(B) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(C)