2 Samuel 20 And there happened to be an unthrifty fellow named Sheba, the son of Bichri a man of Benjamin which blew a trumpet and said, "We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse, O Israel.

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And there happened to be an unthrifty fellow named Sheba, the son of Bichri a man of Benjamin which blew a trumpet and said, "We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse, O Israel. ² So all the men of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah cleaved unto their king from the Jordan even to Jerusalem. ³ And when David came to his house at Jerusalem, the king took the ten women, his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and sent them to a house of confinement, and fed them, but did not go in to them. So they were kept confined to the day of their death, living as widows. ⁴ Then the king said to Amasa, Call the men of Judah together to me within three days and be here present. ⁵ So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he tarried more than the appointed time which he had set for him. ⁶ David 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." ⁷ Then the men of Joab, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty warriors went out after him; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bicri. ⁸ When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and on it was a belt with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath of it. And as he ⁹ Joab said to Amasa, "Is it well with you, my brother?" Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰ Amasa was not on guard against the sword in Joab's left hand. Joab stabbed him in the stomach. Then he stabbed him in his intestines and they poured out on the ground. He died without being stabbed again. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri. ¹¹ One of Joab's young men stood by him, and said, “He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!” ¹² And Amasa lay wallowing in blood in the midst of the way. And there was a man that saw all the people stand still. And when he saw that all that came by him stood still, he rolled Amasa out of the way into the field and cast a cloth upon him. ¹³ After he was removed from the highway, all the men passed by after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bicri. ¹⁴ He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him. ¹⁵ And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth–maacah, and they cast up a mount against the city, and it stood against the rampart: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down ¹⁶ Then a wise woman cried out in the city, Hear, hear, I pray you, tell Joab to come here, that I may speak with him. ¹⁷ Joab came over and the woman asked him, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he answered. So she told him, "Listen to what your servant has to say!" "I'm listening," he replied. ¹⁸ Then spake she, saying,—They, used to speak, in former times, saying, Enquire, in Abel! And, so, they ended it. ¹⁹ I am among 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?” ²⁰ Joab answered, “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 the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." The woman said to Joab, "Look, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall." ²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. ²³ So Joab was over all the army of Israel: and Banaias the son of Joiada was over the Cerethites and Phelethites, ²⁴ Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records. ²⁵ Sheva was secretary, Zadok and Abiathar were priests, ²⁶ and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.