1 Ora sucedeu achar-se ali um homem de Belial, que se chamava Seba, filho de Bicri, homem benjamita. Ele tocou a trombeta e disse: Nós não temos parte em Davi, nem herança no filho de Jessé; cada um para as suas tendas, ó Israel.
2 Todos os homens de Israel se separaram de Davi, e seguiram a Seba, filho de Bicri; porém os homens de Judá se apegaram ao seu rei desde o Jordão até Jerusalém.
3 Veio Davi para sua casa em Jerusalém. O rei tomou as dez mulheres, suas concubinas, que tinha deixado para guardarem a casa, e as meteu em custódia, e as sustentou, porém não entrou a elas. Assim estiveram encerradas até o dia da sua morte, vivendo como viúvas.
4 Disse o rei a Amasa: Convoca-me dentro de três dias os homens de Judá, e apresenta-te aqui.
5 Partiu Amasa para convocar os homens de Judá, mas tardou além do tempo que o rei lhe aprazara.
6 Davi disse a Abisai: Mais mal agora nos fará Seba, filho de Bicri, do que nos fez Absalão. Portanto toma os servos do teu senhor, e persegue-o, não suceda que ele consiga cidades fortificadas, e nos escape.
7 Saíram após ele os homens de Joabe, e os quereteus e os peleteus e todos os homens valentes; e saíram de Jerusalém para perseguirem a Seba, filho de Bicri.
8 Eles estavam junto da grande pedra em Gibeom, quando Amasa lhes veio ao encontro. Estava Joabe cingido com as armas que levara, e sobre elas um cinto, no qual, presa aos seus lombos estava uma espada, dentro da sua bainha; e adiantando-se ele, caiu a espada.
9 Disse Joabe a Amasa: Vais bem, meu irmão? Com a mão direita Joabe tomou a Amasa pela barba, para o beijar.
10 Amasa, porém, não reparou na espada que estava na mão de Joabe. Assim este o feriu com ela no ventre, e lhe lançou por terra os intestinos, sem o ferir segunda vez; e Amasa caiu morto. Joabe e Abisai, seu irmão, perseguiram a Seba, filho de Bicri.
11 Um dos mancebos de Joabe ficou junto de Amasa e dizia: Quem favorece a Joabe, e quem está a favor de Davi, siga a Joabe.
12 Amasa se revolvia no seu sangue no meio da estrada. Quando o mancebo viu que todo o povo parava, levou a Amasa da estrada para o campo, e lançou sobre ele um manto, porque viu que todo aquele que chegava ao pé dele, parava.
13 Tirado que foi Amasa da estrada, todo o povo seguiu a Joabe, para perseguir a Seba, filho de Bicri.
14 Joabe passou por todas as tribos de Israel até Abel, e a Bete-Maaca e a todos os beritas, os quais se ajuntaram, e saíram também após ele.
15 Foram e sitiaram-no em Abel de Bete-Maaca, e levantaram contra a cidade um montão, da altura do muro; e todo o povo que estava com Joabe batia o muro para o derribar.
16 Gritou uma mulher sábia de dentro da cidade: Ouvi, ouvi; dizei a Joabe: Chega-te cá, para que eu fale contigo.
17 Tendo ele se chegado perto dela, perguntou a mulher: És tu Joabe? Respondeu ele: Sou. Ela lhe disse: Ouve as palavras da tua escrava. Disse ele: Ouço.
18 A mulher prosseguiu: Antigamente era costume dizer: Peça-se conselho em Abel; e assim punham termo às questões.
19 Eu sou dentre as pacíficas e fiéis em Israel: tu estás procurando destruir uma cidade e uma mãe em Israel; por que queres devorar a herança de Jeová?
20 Respondeu Joabe: Longe, longe de mim que eu devore ou destrua.
21 A coisa não é assim. Porém um homem da região montanhosa de Efraim, de nome Seba, filho de Bicri, levantou a mão contra o rei, contra Davi; entregai só este, e retirar-me-ei da cidade. Disse a mulher a Joabe: Eis que te será lançada a sua cabeça pelo muro.
22 A mulher na sua sabedoria foi ter com todo o povo. Cortada a cabeça de Seba, filho de Bicri, lançaram-na a Joabe. Ele tocou a trombeta, e retiraram-se da cidade, cada um para a sua tenda. Joabe voltou a Jerusalém a ter com o rei.
23 Joabe estava sobre todo o exército de Israel; Benaia, filho de Joiada, estava sobre os quereteus e sobre os peleteus;
24 Adoram sobre os que trabalhavam forçados; Josafá, filho de Ailude, era cronista;
25 Seva era secretário; Zadoque e Abiatar eram sacerdotes;
26 e também Ira o jairita era ministro de estado de Davi.
1 Now by chance there was present a good-for-nothing person named Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he, sounding the horn, said, We have no part in David, or any interest in the son of Jesse: let every man go to his tent, O Israel.
2 So all the men of Israel, turning away from David, went after Sheba, the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah were true to their king, going with him from Jordan as far as Jerusalem.
3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem: and the king took the ten women to whom he had given the care of the house, and had them shut up, and gave them the necessaries of life, but did not go near them. So they were shut up till the day of their death, living as widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, Get all the men of Judah together, and in three days be here yourself.
5 So Amasa went to get all the men of Judah together, but he took longer than the time David had given him.
6 And David said to Abishai, Sheba, the son of Bichri, will do us more damage than Absalom did; so take some of your lord's servants and go after him, before he makes himself safe in the walled towns, and gets away before our eyes.
7 So there went after Abishai, Joab and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the fighting-men; they went out of Jerusalem to overtake Sheba, the son of Bichri.
8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came face to face with them. Now Joab had on his war-dress, and round him a band from which his sword was hanging in its cover; and while he was walking, it came out, falling to the earth.
9 And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well, my brother? And with his right hand he took him by the hair of his chin to give him a kiss.
10 But Amasa did not see danger from the sword which was now in Joab's left hand, and Joab put it through his stomach so that his inside came out on to the earth, and he did not give him another blow. So Joab and his brother Abishai went on after Sheba, the son of Bichri.
11 And one of Joab's young men, taking his place at Amasa's side, said, Whoever is for Joab and for David, let him go after Joab!
12 And Amasa was stretched out in a pool of blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people were stopping, he took Amasa out of the highway and put him in a field, with a cloth over him, when he saw that everyone who went by came to a stop.
13 When he had been taken off the road, all the people went on after Joab in search of Sheba, the son of Bichri.
14 And Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, to Abel of Beth-maacah; and all the Bichrites came together and went in after him.
15 And Joab and his men got him shut up in Abel of Beth-maacah, and put up an earthwork against the town: and all Joab's men did their best to get the wall broken down.
16 Then a wise woman got up on the wall, and crying out from the town, said, Give ear, give ear; say now to Joab, Come near, so that I may have talk with you.
17 And he came near, and the woman said, Are you Joab? And he said in answer, I am. Then she said, Give ear to your servant's words. And he said, I am giving ear.
18 Then she said, In the old days, there was a saying, Let them put the question in Abel and in Dan, saying, Has what was ordered by men of good faith in Israel ever come to an end?
19 Your purpose is the destruction of a mother-town in Israel: why would you put an end to the heritage of the Lord?
20 And Joab, answering her, said, Far, far be it from me to be a cause of death or destruction;
21 Not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba, son of Bichri, by name, has taken up arms against the king, against David: give up this man only, and I will go away from the town. And the woman said to Joab, His head will be dropped over the wall to you.
22 Then the woman in her wisdom had talk with all the town. And they had Sheba's head cut off and sent out to Joab. And he had the horn sounded, and sent them all away from the town, every man to his tent. And Joab went back to Jerusalem to the king.
23 Now Joab was over all the army; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was at the head of the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
24 And Adoram was overseer of the forced work; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the recorder;
25 And Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26 And in addition, Ira the Jairite was a priest to David.