Parallel Bible results for "2 samuel 20"

2 Samuel 20

Third Millennium Bible TMB

1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet and said, "We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to his tents, O Israel!"

2 So every man 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 David 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 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 within three days, and be thou present here."

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

6 And David said to Abishai, "Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom. Take thou thy lord's servants and pursue after him, lest he get himself fortifed cities and escape us."

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

8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab'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 Joab said to Amasa, "Art thou in health, my brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him,

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

11 And one of Joab's men stood by him and said, "He that favoreth Joab and he that is for David, let him follow after Joab."

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 who came by him stood still.

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

14 And Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel and to Bethmaachah and all the Berites; and they were gathered together, and went also with him.

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

16 Then cried a wise woman out of the city, "Hear, hear! Say, I pray you, unto Joab, `Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.'"

17 And when he had come near unto her, the woman said, "Art thou Joab?" 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 spoke, saying, "They were wont to speak in olden times, saying, `They shall surely ask counsel at Abel'; and so they ended the matter.

19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. Thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"

20 And Joab 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 Ephraim, Sheba 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 Joab, "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 Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

23 Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;

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

25 and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;

26 and Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler under David.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 A good-for-nothing man by the name of Sheba, Bichri's son, from the tribe of Benjamin happened to be at Gilgal. He blew a ram's horn [to announce], "We have no share in David's kingdom. We won't receive an inheritance from Jesse's son. Everyone to his own tent, Israel!"

2 So all the people of Israel left David to follow Sheba, Bichri's son. But the people of Judah remained loyal to their king [on his way] from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.

3 When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but no longer slept with them. So they lived like widows in confinement until they died.

4 The king told Amasa, "Call the people of Judah together for me, and in three days be here yourself."

5 Amasa went to call Judah together, but he took longer to do it than David had given him.

6 David then told Abishai, "Sheba, son of Bichri, will do us more harm than Absalom. Take my men and go after him, or he will find some fortified cities and take the best ones for himself."

7 So Joab's men, the Cherethites, Pelethites, and all the soldiers went with Abishai. They left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba, Bichri's son.

8 When they were at the large rock in Gibeon, Amasa met them there. Joab wore a military uniform, and strapped over it at his hip was a sword in a scabbard. As he stepped forward, the sword dropped [into his hand].

9 "How are you, my brother?" Joab asked Amasa. He took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand to kiss him.

10 Amasa wasn't on his guard against the sword in Joab's [left] hand. Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and his intestines 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 beside Amasa and said, "Anyone who favors Joab and is on David's side should follow Joab."

12 Amasa was wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road. When the man saw that all the troops stopped as they came to the body, he carried Amasa from the road to the field and threw a sheet over him.

13 As soon as he was moved from the road, everyone followed Joab and pursued Sheba, Bichri's son.

14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel (Beth Maacah). All the Berites were gathered together and followed him to the city.

15 Joab's army came and attacked him in Abel (Beth Maacah). They put up a dirt ramp against the city, and it stood level with the outer wall. All the troops with Joab were trying to destroy the wall and tear it down.

16 Then a clever woman called from the city, "Listen, listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I can talk to him."

17 He came near, and she asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he answered. "Listen to what I have to say," she told him. "I'm listening," he answered.

18 So she said, "There's an old saying: 'Be sure to ask at Abel [before doing anything]. That's the way they settle matters.'

19 We are peaceful and faithful Israelites. Are you trying to destroy a mother city in Israel? Why should you swallow up what belongs to the LORD?"

20 Joab answered, "That's unthinkable! I don't wish to swallow [it] up or destroy [it].

21 That isn't the case. A man from the mountains of Ephraim by the name of Sheba, son of Bichri, has rebelled against King David. Give him to me, and I'll withdraw from the city." "That's fine," the woman told Joab. "His head will be thrown to you from the wall."

22 Then the woman went to all the people with her clever plan. They cut off Sheba's head and threw it to Joab. He blew the ram's horn, and everyone scattered and withdrew from the city and went home. Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

23 Now, Joab was put in charge of Israel's whole army. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in charge of the Cherethites and Pelethites.

24 Adoram was in charge of forced labor. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the royal historian.

25 Sheva was the royal scribe. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

26 And Ira, a descendant of Jair, was a priest to David.