2 Samuel 20:6–22

⁶and David saith unto Abishai, ‘Now doth Sheba son of Bichri do evil to us more than Absalom; thou, take the servants of thy lord, and pursue after him, lest he have found for himself fenced cities, and delivered himself from our eye.’ ⁷And the men of Joab go out after him, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and all the mighty men, and they go out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri; ⁸they are near the great stone that is in Gibeon, and Amasa hath gone before them, and Joab is girded; his long robe he hath put on him, and upon it a girdle—a sword is fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and he hath gone out, and it falleth. ⁹And Joab saith to Amasa, ‘Art thou in peace, my brother?’ and the right hand of Joab layeth hold on the beard of Amasa to give a kiss to him; ¹⁰and Amasa hath not been watchful of the sword that is in the hand of Joab, and he smiteth him with it unto the fifth rib, and sheddeth out his bowels to the earth, and he hath not repeated it to him, and he dieth; and Joab and Abishai his brother have pursued after Sheba son of Bichri. ¹¹And a man hath stood by him, of the young men of Joab, and saith, ‘He who hath delight in Joab, and he who is for David—after Joab!’ ¹²And Amasa is rolling himself in blood, in the midst of the highway, and the man seeth that all the people have stood still, and he bringeth round Amasa out of the highway to the field, and casteth over him a garment, when he hath seen that every one who hath come by him—hath stood still. ¹³When he hath been removed out of the highway, every man hath passed on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri.

¹⁴And he passeth over through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-Maachah, and to all the Berites, and they are assembled, and go in also after him, ¹⁵and they go in and lay siege against him, in Abel of Beth-Maachah, and cast up a mount against the city, and it standeth in a trench, and all the people who are are with Joab are destroying, to cause the wall to fall. ¹⁶And a wise woman calleth out of the city, ‘Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, and I speak unto thee.’ ¹⁷And he cometh near unto her, and the woman saith, ‘Art thou Joab?’ and he saith, ‘I am.’ And she saith to him, ‘Hear the words of thy handmaid;’ and he saith, ‘I am hearing.’ ¹⁸and she speaketh, saying, ‘They spake often in former times, saying, Let them diligently ask at Abel, and so they finished. ¹⁹I am of the peaceable—faithful ones of Israel; thou art seeking to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel; why dost thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah? ²⁰And Joab answereth and saith, ‘Far be it—far be it from me; I do not swallow up nor destroy. ²¹The matter is not so; for a man of the hill-country of Ephraim—Sheba son of Bichri his name—hath lifted up his hand against the king, against David; give ye up him by himself, and I go away from the city.’ And the woman saith unto Joab, ‘Lo, his head is cast unto thee over the wall.’ ²²And the woman cometh unto all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast it unto Joab, and he bloweth with a trumpet, and they are scattered from the city, each to his tents, and Joab hath turned back to Jerusalem unto the king.