Sheba Rebels against David
1 A troublemaker from the tribe of Benjamin was there. His name was Sheba the son of Bichri, and he blew a trumpet to get everyone's attention. Then he said, “People of Israel, David the son of Jesse doesn't belong to us! Let's go home.”
2 So they stopped following David and went off with Sheba. But the people of Judah stayed close to David all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
David's Ten Wives
3 David had left ten of his wives in Jerusalem to take care of his palace. But when he came back, he had them taken to another house, and he placed soldiers there to guard them. He gave them whatever they needed, but he never slept with any of them again. They had to live there for the rest of their lives as if they were widows.
The Army Goes after Sheba
4 David said to Amasa, “Three days from now I want you and all of Judah's army to be here!”
5 Amasa started bringing the army together, but it was taking him more than three days. 6 So David said to Abishai, “Sheba will hurt us more than Absalom ever did. Take my best soldiers and go after him. We don't want him to take over any walled cities and get away from us.”
Joab Kills Amasa
7 Abishai left Jerusalem to try and capture Sheba. He took along Joab and his soldiers, as well as David's bodyguard and best troops. 8 They had gone as far as the big rock at Gibeon when Amasa caught up with them. Joab had a dagger strapped around his waist over his military uniform, but it fell out as he started toward Amasa.
9 Joab said, “Amasa, my cousin, how are you?” Then Joab took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand, so that he could greet him with a kiss. 10 Amasa did not see the dagger in Joab's other hand. Joab stuck it in Amasa's stomach, and his insides spilled out on the ground. Joab only struck him once, but Amasa was dying.
Joab and his brother Abishai went off to chase Sheba. 11 One of Joab's soldiers stood by Amasa and shouted, “If any of you are for Joab and David, then follow Joab!”
12 Amasa was still rolling in his own blood in the middle of the road. The soldier who had shouted noticed that everyone who passed by would stop, so he dragged Amasa off the road and covered him with a blanket. 13 After this, no one else stopped. They all walked straight past him on their way to help Joab capture Sheba.
Sheba Hides Out in the Town of Abel
14 Sheba had gone through all of the tribes of Israel when he came to the town of Abel Beth-Maacah. All of his best soldiers met him there and followed him into the town.
15 Joab and his troops came and surrounded Abel, so that no one could go in or come out. They made a dirt ramp up to the town wall and then started to use a battering ram to knock the wall down.
A Wise Woman Saves the Town
16 A wise woman shouted from the top of the wall, “Listen to me! Listen to me! I have to talk to Joab! Tell him to come here!” 17 When he came, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
She said, “Please, listen to what I have to say.”
“All right,” he said. “I'll listen.”
18 She said, “Long ago people used to say, ‘If you want good advice, go to the town of Abel to get it.’ The answers they got here were all that was needed to settle any problem. 19 We are Israelites, and we want peace! You can trust us. Why are you trying to destroy a town that's like a mother in Israel? Why do you want to wipe out the Lord's people?”
20 Joab answered, “No, no! I'm not trying to wipe you out or destroy your town! 21 That's not it at all. There's a man in your town from the hill country of Ephraim. His name is Sheba, and he is the leader of a rebellion against King David. Turn him over to me, and we will leave your town alone.”
The woman told Joab, “We will throw his head over the wall.”
22 She went to the people of the town and talked them into doing it. They cut off Sheba's head and threw it to Joab.
Joab blew a signal on his trumpet, and the soldiers returned to their homes. Joab went back to David in Jerusalem.
Another List of David's Officials
23 Joab was the commander of Israel's entire army.
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of David's bodyguard.
24 Adoram was in charge of the slave-labor force.
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept government records.
25 Sheva was the secretary.
Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
26 Ira from Jair was David's priest.
Sebab ge Davida ra mâǃoa
1 Seba ti ǀon hâ xūtama khoeb, Bikrib ôab, Benjaminni ǃhaos dib ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i. ǁÎb ge xâiǁnâsa xâi tsî ge mî: “Davidi ge sada di ǀgui tamaba; sada ge xū-e Isaib ôab tawa ūhâ tama hâ xuige Israelǁîdo, a-i mâ-i hoa-e oms â-i ǁga ǁaru.” 2 On ge hoaraga Israelǁîna Davida ǁnāxū tsî Bikrib ôab, Sebaba ge sao, xawe Judab khoen ge Davida Jordanna xu Jerusalems kōse ge saoǃgon.
3 Davidi ge Jerusalems ǃnâ ǁîb ommi tawa a hā, ob ge ǁnā disi xōǀkhātaradi âb, omma di nî ǃûiseb ge ǁnāxū hâ ide, ǃûihe di nîse ǀguri hâ om-i ǃnâ ge ǂgā. ǁÎb ge ǁîdeb gere ǂûmā xawe ǁîde ge ǁgoe-ū tama hâ i. Tsî di ge ǁnāpa ge ǂganamǂgāhe hâ i tsî ǁîdi ûitsēdi hoade ǃoataradi khami ge hâ.
4 Gao-aob ge Amasaba “Judab khoena ǃnona tsēdi ǁaeb ǃnâ ǂgaiǀhaoba te, î sats tsîna hā” ti ge mîmā. 5 Ob ge Amasaba ge ǃgû Judab khoenab sī nî ǂgaiǀhaose, xaweb ge gao-aob ge mîmâi hâ i ǁaeb ai oahā tama ge i. 6 Ob ge gao-aoba Abisaib ǃoa ge mî: “Nēsib ge Bikrib ôab Sebaba, sage Absalommi ǃgâ-ai ǃnāsa ǃgomma nî mā. Ti toroǃkhamaoga ū, îts ǁîba sauruǃgon, îb tā ǀnîsi omǂnamisa ǃādi ǃnâ ǂgâ, î ge tā hō bi ǁoa.” 7 Joab tsî ǁîb aogu on ge ǁîga ge ǃgûsao tsî gao-aob ǃûi-aogu tsî ǃkhamaogu on ge Jerusalemsa xu ge ǃgû, Sebab, Bikrib ôaba gu nî ǃgôaǃgonse. 8 ǁÎgu Gibeons ǃnâ hâ kai ǀuis tawa hâ hîab ge Amasaba ǁîgu tawa ge sī. Joab ge torosaraba ge ǂgaeǂgā hâ i, gôabab ge ǁîb ai kamanab âb ai ǃgaemâi hâ iba. Tsî aisǀkhāb ǁgab ra ǀkhī hîab ge gôaba ge ǁnāǂoa. 9 Joab ge Amasab ǃoa “ǃGâisets hâ ti ǃgâ?” ti mî tsî ǁîba ǁoa bib nîga amǀkhāb ǃommi ǀkha ǀhō-ammi ai ge ǃkhō. 10 Amasab ge Joab ǃomǁae hâ gôaba ǃûisen tama ge i tsîb ge Joaba ǁîb ǀkha ǃnāb ǃnâ ge ǃkhā bi tsîn ge ǃnāxūn âba ǃhūb ai ge ǁnāǂoa. ǁŌb ge xui-aos ge ǁkhawa ǃkhā bisa ge ǂhâbasa tama hâ i.
ǁNās khaoǃgâ kha ge Joab tsî ǁîb ǃgâsab Abisaib tsîkha Bikrib ôab, Sebaba ge ǃgôaǃgon. 11 Joab khoegu di ǀguib ge Amasab soros tawa mâ tsî ge mî: “Joab tsî Davidi tsîkha xa ga ǃgâibahe-i hoa-e a-i Joaba sao.” 12 Amasab ge daob ǁaegu ǀaob âb ǃnâ ge ǁgoe i. Tsî ǁnā khoeb ge toroǂnubis hoas ra mâ ǃkhaisa mûo, ob ge Amasab sorosa daoba xu ǃhanab ǃnâ ǂgaeǁnâ tsî sara-i ǀkha ge ǃgū-ai. 13 Tsî soros ge daoba xu a ūbēhe, o gu ge hoaga Joaba ge sao Bikrib ôab, Sebaba gu nî ǃgôaǃgonse.
14 Sebab ge Israeli ǃhaodi hoade ǃgûǃnâ tsî Abel-Bet-Maakas kōse ge sī. Hoaraga Bikriǁîgu ge ǀhao tsî ǁîba ge sao. 15 Joab hâgu ge hā tsî Sebaba Abel-Bet-Maakas ǃnâ ge ǃnamiǂgā. Tsî gu ge ǃās ǂnubiǂgoab tawa ǃaugab ai ǃhūba ge ǁhankhâi tsî Joab ǀkha hâ aogu ǂnubiǂgoaba ra khaoǃgao ǁnāb nîse, 16 hîas ge ǀgui gā-ai tarasa ǃāsa xu ge ǃhao: “ǃGâ re, ǃgâ re! Joaba toxopa mîba re, îb nēpa hā, ǁîb ǀkha ta ra ǃhoa ǂgao xuige.” 17 Tsî ǀgūb ge os ge ǁîsa “Joatsa?” ti ge dî.
Ob ge ǁîba “ǁÎta ge” ti ge ǃeream.
Os ge tarasa “Sa ǃgāta mîde ǃgâ re” ti ǁîb ǃoa ge mî.
“ǃGâ ta ge ra” tib ge ǁîba ge ǃeream.
18 Os ge ǁîsa ge mî: “ǀOro ǁaeb ǃnân ge khoena gere mî: ‘ǃĀs Abels tawan ge sī a ǀape-ôa ǁkhā’ tsîn ge ǁkhāti ǁnāti gere dī. 19 Sida ǃās ge Israeli hoab ǃnâ ǂkhîxaǃnâ tsî a ǂgomǂgomsa. Tsîts ge satsa nēsi Israeli ǃnâ ǂansa ǃāsa ra hîkākā ǂgao. Tare-i ǃaromats ǃKhūb di ǃāsa ra hîkākā ǂgao?”
20 Ob ge Joaba ge ǃeream: “ǁNāsa ta ge dī ǂgao tama hâ. Tita ge sadu ǃāsa hîǀhuru tamas ka io hîkākā tide. 21 Sige ǂâibasen tamas ge ǁnāsa. Seba ti ǀon hâ khoeb, Bikrib ôab, Efraimǃhomga xu ra hāb ge gao-aob Davidi ǃoagu go khâikhâisen. ǁÎb ǀguiba māǁnâ, o ta ge ǃāsa xu nî ǃgû.”
Os ge tarasa ge mî: “ǁÎb danasats ge ǂnubiǂgoaba-u nî aoǁnâbahe.” 22 Os ge tarasa ǀapes âs ǀkha ǃās di khoena ǃoa ge ǃgû tsîn ge ǁîna Sebab, Bikrib ôab danasa ǁhāǁnâ tsî Joaba ge aoǁnâba. Tsî ǁîb ge xâiǁnâsa a xâi, o gu ge aoga ge ǃgûǀgora, mâb hoaba oms âb ǃoa. Xawe Joab ge Jerusalems ǁga gao-aob ǁga ge oa.
Davidi ǂamkhoegu
23 Joab ge ge Israelǁîn toroǂnubis hoas di ǂgaeǂgui-ao i. Jojadab ôab, Benajab ge ge gao-aob ǃûi-aogu di ǃkhōdana-ao i 24 Adorammi ge ge ǁgarihe ra sîsenaogu mûǂamao i. Ahiludi ôab Josafati ge ge ǃgôakhâib sîsenao i. 25 Sevab ge ge xoa-ao i tsî Sadoki tsî Abiatari tsîkha ge ge prister i. 26 Irab, ǃās Jairs dib on ge ge Davidi prister i.
