II Samuel 20 · שמואל ב

And there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheva, the son of Bikhri, a Benyeminite: and he blew the shofar and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Yishay: every man to his tents, O Yisra᾽el.

So every man of Yisra᾽el went up from after David and followed Sheva the son of Bikhri: but the men of Yehuda held fast to their king, from the Yarden as far as Yerushalayim.

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 under guard, and provided for them, but went not in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, widows of a living husband.

Then said the king to ῾Amasa, Muster to me the men of Yehuda within three days, and be thou here present.

So ῾Amasa went to muster the men of Yehuda: but he was later than the set time which he had assigned to him.

And David said to Avishay, Now shall Sheva the son of Bikhri do us more harm than did Avshalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and escape us.

And there went out after him Yo᾽av’s men, and the Kereti and the Peleti, and all the warriors: and they went out of Yerushalayim, to pursue after Sheva the son of Bikhri.

When they were at the great stone which is in Giv῾on, ῾Amasa went before them. And Yo᾽av was girded with coat, his usual garment, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and as he went forth it fell out.

And Yo᾽av said to ῾Amasa, Art thou well, my brother? And Yo᾽av took ῾Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

But ῾Amasa took no heed of the sword that was in Yo᾽av’s hand: so he smote him with it in the belly, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and he struck him not again; and he died. So Yo᾽av and Avishay his brother pursued after Sheva the son of Bikhri.

And one of Yo᾽av’s men stood by him, and said, He that favours Yo᾽av, and he that is for David, let him go after Yo᾽av.

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.

When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Yo᾽av, to pursue after Sheva the son of Bikhri.

And he went through all the tribes of Yisra᾽el to Avel, and to Bet-ma῾akha, and all the Berim: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

And they came and besieged him in Avel of Bet-ma῾akha, and they threw up a mound of earth against the city, and it stood up against the wall: and all the people that were with Yo᾽av battered the wall, to throw it down.

Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, to Yo᾽av, Come near here; that I may speak with thee.

And when he was come near to her, the woman said, Art thou Yo᾽av? And he answered, I am he. Then she said to him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

Then she spoke saying, Surely in early times they would have spoken saying, Let them ask Avel to yield, and so they would have ended the matter.

I am of the peaceable and faithful in Yisra᾽el: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Yisra᾽el: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?

And Yo᾽av answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

The matter is not so: but a man of mount Efrayim, Sheva the son of Bikhri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Yo᾽av, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheva the son of Bikhri, and cast it out to Yo᾽av. And he blew on the shofar, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Yo᾽av returned to Yerushalayim to the king.

Now Yo᾽av was over all the host of Yisra᾽el: and Benaya the son of Yehoyada was over the Kereti and the Peleti:

and Adoram was over the tribute: and Yehoshafat the son of Aĥilu was recorder:

and Sheva was scribe: and Żadoq and Evyatar were priests:

and ῾Ira also the Ya᾽irite, was a minister of state to David.