Seba ma sekamene David
1 Pa ri omundu otjiporoporo wena Seba, omuzandu wa Bikri, Omubenjamin. Eye wa posisa ohiva na tja: “Eṱe katu noruwano na David, nu katu notjiṋa nomuzandu wa Isai! Vaisrael, auhe nga yaruke koyawo!” 2 Ovaisrael otji va isa David nave i puna Seba; nungwari imba Ovajuda va kakatera kombara yawo nouṱakame nave kongorere David okuza konḓonḓu Jordan nga kOjerusalem.
3 David wa yaruka kondjuwo ye youhona kOjerusalem na katoora imba ovakazendu omurongo ovambanda mbe ve esa mo ve tjevere ondjuwo youhona, ne kevetwa mondjuwo peke, ve tjevererwe mo. Eye ee ve tumbu, nungwari kaa rara pu wo. Owo va ṱizirwa peke, nu va kara otja ovahepundu nga konḓiro yawo.
4 Ombara ya tja nai ku Amasa: “Kendjiworonganisire ovarumendu Ovajuda, nu u kotoke moure womayuva yetatu!” 5 Amasa wa ya okukeveisana, nungwari ka kotokere moruveze ombara ndu ye mu raera. 6 David wa tja nai ku Abisai: “Seba, omuzandu wa Bikri, me tu etere oumba ounene pu imbwi owa Absalom. Toora ovarwe vandje wovita, nu mu mu tezere tjapo ngee keripahera ovihuro ovinamasa, na zengi momeho wetu.” 7 Ovarumendu va Joab, nOvakreti nOvapeleti, novarwe avehe varwe wovita otji va kongorera Abisai. Owo va za mOjerusalem nave tezere Seba. 8 Tji va kavaza kewe enene meṋe ya Gibeon, Amasa otje ve tjakanena. Joab we rihwikikira ovita, e nengaruvyo motjihweka tji tja ri kekwamo re. Neye tja ryama popezu, engaruvyo otji ra wa. 9 Joab wa hungira ku Amasa a tja: “U ri nawa, mukwetu?” Neye wa kambura oruyezu rwa Amasa neke rokunene ne mu hupite. 10 Nungwari Amasa ka tjeverere engaruvyo nda ri meke ra Joab, nu Joab otje mu twera mezumo, novyopehuri vye arire tji vya wire pehi. Amasa wa koka tjimanga, nu Joab ka hepere okumutwera rukwao.
Tjazumba Joab nomuangu we Abisai arire tji va tezere Seba. 11 Omurumendu umwe wa Joab ngwa kuramene porurova rwa Amasa, wa ravaera ama tja: “Auhe ngu ri komukuma wa Joab na David nga kongorere Joab!” 12 Orurova rwa Amasa rwa saravara mombinḓu mokati kondjira. Nomurwe umwe wovita wa Joab tja muna kutja ovandu avehe mave kurama mbo okutara, arire tja kokozora orurova okuruisa mo mondjira, e ru twara mokuti, na kayumba ko ongwava. 13 Norurova rwa Amasa tji rwa isiwa mo mondjira, otjimbumba atjihe tjovita otji tja kongorera Joab okutezera Seba, omuzandu wa Bikri.
14 Seba wa tuurunga omahi aehe womihoko vyOvaisrael ne ya kotjihuro Abel-Maaka, nOvabikri avehe va wongara nave mu kongorere nga motjihuro. 15 Novarwe va Joab tji va zuva kutja Seba u ri motjihuro Abel-Maaka, otji va kakovera otjihuro ho. Owo va katunga orumbo rwehi keṋe yorumbo rwomawe rwopendje; nu wina va sa orumbo kehi kutja ru we. 16 Nu pa ri omukazendu onongo motjihuro ngwa ravaerera kombanda yorumbo a tja: “Purateneye, purateneye! Raereye Joab e ye nguno, ami me vanga okuhungira na ye.” 17 Joab tje ya popezu, omukazendu otje mu pura a tja: “Oove Joab poo?”
Neye e mu ziri nai: “Ii, owami.”
Omukazendu arire tja tja nai ku ye: “Puratena ku ami.”
Nu Joab a tja: “Me puratene!”
18 Nomukazendu a tja: “Rukuru ovandu aave tja nai: ‘Twendeye, mu kapure kotjihuro Abel.’ Notjiwaṋa otjaa tji zengurura ouzeu watjo momuhingo mbo. 19 Oweṱe ovandu ovanahange novaṱakame mOisrael. Okutjavi tji movanga okunyona otjihuro tji tji ri otja Muhona?”
20 Nu Joab wa zira a tja: “Kako, himee vanga okunyona poo okuzemisa otjihuro tjeṋu! 21 Otjiṋa katji ri nao! Omurumendu wena Seba, omuzandu wa Bikri, ngwa zire kehi rozondundu ra Efraim wa uta okusekamena ombara David. Tu peye omurumendu ngwi erike, nami otji me isa otjihuro, ne i!”
Omukazendu otja tja nai ku Joab: “Otjiuru tje matu rurumisa orumbo kove ngo.” 22 Nomukazendu onongo ngwi otja kayandja ondunge kovandu votjihuro. Nowo va konda otjiuru tja Seba, nave tji rurumisa orumbo ku Joab. Nu Joab wa posisa ohiva, novandu ve avehe va isa otjihuro nave yaruka kozoyawo. Nu Joab wa yaruka kombara kOjerusalem.
Ovahongore va David
23 Nu Joab wa ri omuhongore omunene wovimbumba avihe vyovita mOisrael; nu Benaja, omuzandu wa Jehojada, wa ri omuhongore wovatjevere va David vokorutu, Ovakreti nOvapeleti. 24 Adoniram wa ri omunane wovaungure voviungura vyoṋiṋikizire. Nu Josafat, omuzandu wa Ahilud, wa ri omuṱakamise wovitjangwa vyouhona. 25 Sewa wa ri omutjangerepo wouhona; ooSadok na Abiatar va ri ovapristeri. 26 Nu wina Ira, Omujari, wa ri omupristeri wa David.
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.
