2 Samuel 20 - Israeli Authorized Version

¹ And there happened to be there a man of Bliyaal, whose name was Shva, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a shofar, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Yishai: every man to his tents, O Yisrael.

² So every man of Yisrael went up from after David, and followed Shva the son of Bichri: but the men of Yhudah clave unto their king, from Yarden even to Yerushalayim.

³ And David came to his house at 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 Yhudah within three days, and be thou here present.

⁵ So Amasa went to assemble the men of Yhudah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

⁶ And David said to Abishai, Now shall Shva the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Avshalom: take thou thy YY '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 Yerushalayim, to pursue after Shva the son of Bichri.

⁸ When they were at the great stone which is in Givon, 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, Art thou 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 Abishai his brother pursued after Shva 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 David, 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 Shva the son of Bichri.

¹⁴ And he went through all the tribes of Yisrael unto Abel, 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 Abel 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; say, I pray you, unto Yoav, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

¹⁷ And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Yoav? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine 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 Abel: and so they ended the matter.

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

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, Shva the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Yoav, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

²² Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Shva 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 Yerushalayim unto the king.

²³ Now Yoav was over all the host of Yisrael: and Benaiah the son of Yhoyada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:

²⁴ And Adoram was over the tribute: and Yhoshafat the son of Ahilud was recorder:

²⁵ And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Evyatar were the kohanim:

²⁶ And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.