¹There happened to be there a wicked fellow , whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri , a Benjamite ; and he blew the trumpet , and said, “We have no portion in David , neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse . Every man to his tents, Israel !”

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

³David came to his house at Jerusalem ; and the king took the ten women his concubines , whom he had left to keep the house , and put them in custody and provided them with sustenance , but didn’t go in to them . So they were shut up to the day of their death , living in widowhood.

⁴Then the king said to Amasa , “Call me the men of Judah together within three days , and be here present .”

⁵So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together , but he stayed longer than the set time which had been appointed to him .

⁶David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did . Take your lord’s servants and pursue after him , lest he get himself fortified cities , and escape out of our sight .”

⁷Joab ’s men went out after him with the Cherethites , the Pelethites , and all the mighty men ; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri .

⁸When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon , Amasa came to meet them . Joab was clothed in his apparel of war that he had put on , and on it was a sash with a sword fastened on his waist in its sheath ; and as he went along it fell out .

⁹Joab said to Amasa , “Is it well with you , my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him .

¹⁰But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab ’s hand . So he struck him with it in the body and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again ; and he died . Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri .

¹¹One of Joab ’s young men stood by him , and said, “He who favours Joab , and he who is for David , let him follow Joab !”

¹²Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway . When the man saw that all the people stood still , he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field , and cast a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still .

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

¹⁴He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites . They were gathered together, and went also after him .

¹⁵They came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city , and it stood against the rampart ; and all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down .

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

¹⁷He came near to her ; and the woman said , “Are you Joab ?”

He answered , “I am.”

Then she said to him , “Hear the words of your servant.”

He answered , “I ’m listening .”

¹⁸Then she spoke , saying , “They used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.

¹⁹I am amongst those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel . You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel . Why will you swallow up the LORD ’s inheritance ?”

²⁰Joab answered , “Far be it , far be it from me , that I should swallow up or destroy .

²¹The matter is not so . But a man of the hill country of Ephraim , Sheba the son of Bichri by name , has lifted up his hand against the king , even against David . Just deliver him , and I will depart from the city .”

The woman said to Joab , “Behold , his head will be thrown to you over the wall .”

²²Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom . They cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri , and threw it out to Joab . He blew the trumpet , and they were dispersed from the city , every man to his tent. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king .

²³Now Joab was over all the army of Israel , Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites ,

²⁴Adoram was over the men subject to forced labour, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder ,

²⁵Sheva was scribe , Zadok and Abiathar were priests ,

²⁶and Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David .