Sheba's Rebellion
1 There happened to be in Gilgal a worthless character named Sheba son of Bikri, of the tribe of Benjamin. He blew the trumpet and called out, “Down with David! We won't follow him! Men of Israel, let's go home!” 2 So the Israelites deserted David and went with Sheba, but the men of Judah remained loyal and followed David from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 When David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace, and put them under guard. He provided for their needs, but did not have intercourse with them. They were kept confined for the rest of their lives, living like widows.
4 The king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together and be back here with them by the day after tomorrow.” 5 Amasa went to call them, but he did not get back by the time the king had told him to. 6 So the king said to Abishai, “Sheba will give us more trouble than Absalom. Take my men and go after him, or else he may occupy some fortified towns and escape from us.” 7 So Joab's men, the royal bodyguards, and all the other soldiers left Jerusalem with Abishai to go after Sheba. 8 When they reached the large rock at Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was dressed for battle, with a sword in its sheath fastened to his belt. As he came forward, the sword fell out. 9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my friend?” and took hold of his beard with his right hand in order to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on guard against the sword that Joab was holding in his other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the belly, and his insides spilled out on the ground. He died immediately, and Joab did not have to strike again.
Then Joab and his brother Abishai went on after Sheba. 11 One of Joab's men stood by Amasa's body and called out, “Everyone who is for Joab and David follow Joab!” 12 Amasa's body, covered with blood, was lying in the middle of the road. Joab's man saw that everybody was stopping, so he dragged the body from the road out into the field and threw a blanket over it. 13 After the body had been removed from the road, everyone followed Joab in pursuit of Sheba.
14 Sheba passed through the territory of all the tribes of Israel and came to the city of Abel Beth Maacah, and all the members of the clan of Bikri assembled and followed him into the city. 15 Joab's men heard that Sheba was there, and so they went and besieged the city. They built ramps of earth against the outer wall and also began to dig under the wall to make it fall down. 16 There was a wise woman in the city who shouted from the wall, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here; I want to speak with him.” 17 Joab went, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
“Listen to me, sir,” she said.
“I'm listening,” he answered.
18 She said, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Go and get your answer in the city of Abel’—and that's just what they did. 19 Ours is a great city, one of the most peaceful and loyal in Israel. Why are you trying to destroy it? Do you want to ruin what belongs to the Lord?”
20 “Never!” Joab answered. “I will never ruin or destroy your city! 21 That is not our plan. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, who is from the hill country of Ephraim, started a rebellion against King David. Hand over this one man, and I will withdraw from the city.”
“We will throw his head over the wall to you,” she said. 22 Then she went to the people of the city with her plan, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall to Joab. He blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to leave the city, and they went back home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
David's Officials
23 Joab was in command of the army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; 24 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records; 25 Sheva was the court secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests, 26 and Ira from the town of Jair was also one of David's priests.
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.
