2 Samuel 20

1 And there happened to be there a scoundrel (beliyaal) man, whose name was Sheva, the son of Bichri, a Benjamin (Binyamin); and he blew a shofar, and said: “We have no part in Dawid, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse (Yishai); every man to his tents, O Yisrael.

2 So every man of Yisrael went up from after Dawid, and followed Sheva the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah (Yehudah) clave unto their king, from Jordan (Yarden) even to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim).

3 And Dawid came to his house at Jerusalem (Yerushalayim); and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

4 Then said the king to Amasa, “Assemble me the men of Judah (Yehudah) within three days, and be you here present.”

5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah (Yehudah); but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

6 And Dawid said to Avishai, “Now shall Sheva the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Avshalom; take you your lord (adon)’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.”

7 And there went out after him Yoav’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), to pursue after Sheva the son of Bichri.

8 When they were at the great stone which is in Giveon, Amasa went before them. And Yoav’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.

9 And Yoav said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” And Yoav took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Yoav’s hand; so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Yoav and Avishai his brother pursued after Sheva the son of Bichri.

11 And one of Yoav’s men stood by him, and said, “He that favoureth Yoav, and he that is for Dawid, let him go after Yoav!”

12 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Yoav, to pursue after Sheva the son of Bichri.

14 And he went through all the tribes of Yisrael unto Avel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites; and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

15 And they came and besieged him in Avel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench; and all the people that were with Yoav battered the wall, to throw it down.

16 Then cried a wise woman out of the city, “Hear, hear! Please say unto Yoav, ‘Come near hither, that I may speak with you.’”

17 And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, “Are you Yoav?” And he answered, “I am he.” Then she said unto him, “Hear the words of your handmaid.” And he answered, “I do hear.”

18 Then she spake, saying, “They were wont to speak in old time, saying, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Avel,’ and so they ended the matter.

19 I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Yisrael; you seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Yisrael: why wilt you swallow up the inheritance of יהוה?”

20 And Yoav answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy!

21 The matter is not so; but a man of mount Efrayim, Sheva the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against Dawid: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.” And the woman said unto Yoav, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”

22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheva the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Yoav. And he blew a shofar, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Yoav returned to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) unto the king.

23 Now Yoav was over all the army of Yisrael; and Benayah the son of Yehoyada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;

24 And Adoram was over the tribute; and Yehoshafat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

25 And Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Aviyahthar were the priests (kohanim);

26 And Ira also the Yairite was a chief ruler about Dawid.