2 Samuel 20:1-26
Sheba Rebels Against David
1 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,
“We have no share in David,
no part in Jesse’s son!
Every man to his tent, Israel!”
2 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.
3 When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines 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.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.
6 David said to Abishai, “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.” 7 So Joab’s men and the Kerethites 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.
8 While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab 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.
9 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 in Joab’s 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 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, who gathered together and followed him. 15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp 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 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 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?”
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 will be thrown to you from the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, 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.
23 Joab was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.
At that place there was a man named Sheba son of Bikri...Sheba was a worthless troublemaker from the tribe of Benjamin...He blew a trumpet to gather the people together and said, “We have no share in David...We have no part in the son of Jesse...Israel, let’s all go home.”...So all the Israelites left David and followed Sheba son of Bikri...But the people from Judah stayed with their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem...David went back to his house in Jerusalem...He had left ten of his slave women to take care of the house...He put these women in a special house...Then he put guards around the house...They stayed in this house until they died...David took care of the women and gave them food, but he did not have sexual relations with them... They lived like widows until they died...The king told Amasa, “Tell the people of Judah to meet with me in three days...You must be here, too.”...So Amasa called the people of Judah together, but he took longer than the king had told him...
David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bikri is more dangerous to us than Absalom was...So take my officers and chase Sheba...Hurry before he gets into cities with walls...If he gets into the well-protected cities, we will not be able to get him.”...So Joab took the Kerethites and Pelethites and the other soldiers with him and left Jerusalem to chase after Sheba son of Bikri...When Joab and the army came to Big Rock at Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them...Joab was wearing his uniform with a belt that held a knife...As he walked toward Amasa, the knife on the belt came out...Joab asked Amasa, “How are you doing, brother?”...Joab reached out with his right hand and grabbed Amasa by the beard to greet him with a kiss...Amasa didn’t see the knife that was now in Joab’s other hand...Joab stabbed him in the belly, and Amasa’s intestines spilled out on the ground...There was no need for Joab to stab him again; he was already dead...
Then Joab and his brother Abishai resumed the chase after Sheba son of Bikri...One of Joab’s young soldiers stood by Amasa’s body and said, “All of you who support Joab and David, let’s follow Joab.”...Amasa was there in the middle of road, lying in his own blood...The young soldier noticed that all the people kept stopping to look at the body, so he rolled the body off the road and into the field and covered it with a cloth...Once the body was out of the way, the people simply passed it by and joined up with Joab to go after Sheba son of Bikri...Sheba son of Bikri passed through all the tribes of Israel on his way to Abel Beth Maakah...All the Bikrites joined together and followed Sheba...When Joab and his men came to Abel Beth Maakah, they surrounded the town...They piled dirt up against the city wall and began breaking stones out of the wall to make it fall down...But there was a very wise woman in that city who shouted out to them and said, “Listen to me!...Tell Joab to come here...I want to talk with him.”...Joab went to talk with the woman...She asked him, “Are you Joab?”...Joab answered, “Yes, I am.”...Then the woman said, “Listen to me.”...Joab said, “I am listening.”...Then the woman said, “In the past people would say, ‘Ask for help in Abel and you will get what you need.’...I am one of many peaceful, loyal people in this town...You are trying to destroy an important city of Israel...Why do you want to destroy something that belongs to the LORD?”...Joab answered, “I don’t want to destroy anything...I don’t want to ruin your city...But there is a man in your city from the hill country of Ephraim...He is named Sheba son of Bikri...He rebelled against King David...Bring him to me, and I will leave the city alone.”...The woman said to Joab, “All right. His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”...Then the woman spoke very wisely to all the people of the city...They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it over the city wall to Joab...So Joab blew the trumpet and the army left the city...The soldiers went home, and Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem...Joab was captain of the whole army of Israel...Benaiah son of Jehoiada led the Kerethites and Pelethites...Adoniram led the men who were forced to do hard work...Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the historian...Sheva was the secretary...Zadok and Abiathar were the priests...And Ira from Jair was David’s personal priest...