20

示巴反叛

¹在那裏恰巧有一個無賴，名叫示巴，是便雅憫人比基利的兒子。他吹角，說：
「我們與大衛無份，
與耶西的兒子無關。
以色列啊，各回自己的帳棚去吧！」
²於是以色列眾人都離棄大衛去跟隨比基利的兒子示巴，但猶大人從約旦河直到耶路撒冷，都緊緊跟隨他們的王。
³大衛王來到耶路撒冷，進了宮，就把從前留下看守宮殿的十個妃嬪軟禁在冷宮，養活她們，卻不與她們親近。她們被關起來，活着如同寡婦，直到死的日子。
⁴王對亞瑪撒說：「你要在三日之內召集猶大人到我這裏來，你自己也要留在這裏。」 ⁵亞瑪撒就去召集猶大人，不過他卻躭延，過了王所定的期限。 ⁶大衛對亞比篩說：「現在比基利的兒子示巴對我們的危害恐怕比押沙龍更大。你要帶領你主的一些僕人追趕他，免得他得了堅固的城鎮，在我們眼前逃脫⚓。」 ⁷約押的人和基利提人、比利提人，以及所有的勇士都跟着亞比篩，從耶路撒冷出去追趕比基利的兒子示巴。 ⁸他們到了基遍的大石頭那裏，亞瑪撒來迎接他們。那時約押穿着戰衣，腰束佩刀的帶子，刀在鞘內。約押前行時，刀從鞘內掉出來。 ⁹約押對亞瑪撒說：「我的弟兄，你平安嗎？」他就用右手抓住亞瑪撒的鬍子，要親吻他。 ¹⁰亞瑪撒沒有防備約押手裏拿着的刀；約押用刀刺入他的肚腹，他的腸子流在地上，約押沒有再刺，他就死了。
約押和他弟弟亞比篩往前追趕比基利的兒子示巴。 ¹¹有約押的一個僕人站在亞瑪撒屍體的旁邊，說：「誰喜愛約押，誰歸順大衛，就當跟隨約押。」 ¹²亞瑪撒渾身是血，躺在路中間。那人見眾百姓都站住，就把亞瑪撒的屍體從路上移到田間，把衣服蓋在他身上，因為他看見眾人經過時都站住。 ¹³屍體從路上移走之後，眾人就都跟隨約押去追趕比基利的兒子示巴。
¹⁴示巴走遍以色列各支派，直到伯‧瑪迦的亞比拉；所有精選的人⚓都聚集跟隨他。 ¹⁵跟隨約押的眾百姓到了伯‧瑪迦的亞比拉，圍困示巴，對着城建土堆，與城郭相對。他們猛撞城牆，要使城倒塌。 ¹⁶一個有智慧的婦人從城上呼叫：「聽啊，聽啊，請你們告訴約押：『近前來到這裏，我好與你說話。』」 ¹⁷約押就近前到她那裏，婦人對他說：「你是約押嗎？」他說：「我是。」婦人對他說：「請你聽使女的話。」約押說：「我正在聽。」 ¹⁸婦人說：「古時有話說，當在亞比拉求問，事情就可以解決。 ¹⁹我在以色列中是和平、忠誠的。你現在想要毀壞這城，以色列的根源⚓，為何你要吞滅耶和華的產業呢？」 ²⁰約押回答說：「不，我絕不吞滅和毀壞！ ²¹話不是這麼說的，只是因為有一個以法蓮山區的人，就是比基利的兒子名叫示巴，他舉手攻擊大衛王；你們只要把他一人交出來，我就離城而去。」婦人對約押說：「看哪，他的首級必從城牆上丟給你。」 ²²婦人憑她的智慧去勸眾百姓，他們就割下比基利的兒子示巴的首級，丟給約押。約押吹角，眾人就離城散開，各回自己的帳棚去了。約押回耶路撒冷，到王那裏。
²³約押統管以色列全軍；耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅統管基利提人和比利提人； ²⁴亞多蘭管理勞役的人；亞希律的兒子約沙法作史官； ²⁵示法作書記；撒督和亞比亞他作祭司； ²⁶睚珥人以拉也作大衛的祭司。

20

The Rebellion of Sheba

¹And there happened to be there a rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said:
⚓“We have no share in David,
Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse;
⚓Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
²So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the ⚓men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.
³Now 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 seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.
⁴And the king said to Amasa, ⚓“Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.” ⁵So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. ⁶And David said to ⚓Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take ⚓your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.” ⁷So Joab’s men, with the ⚓Cherethites, the Pelethites, and ⚓all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out. ⁹Then Joab said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” ⚓And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And ⚓he struck him with it ⚓in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹Meanwhile one of Joab’s men stood near Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!” ¹²But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted. ¹³When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹⁴And he went through all the tribes of Israel to ⚓Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after Sheba. ¹⁵Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they ⚓cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.
¹⁶Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.’ ” ¹⁷When he had come near to her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
He answered, “I am.”
Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”
And he answered, “I am listening.”
¹⁸So she spoke, saying, “They used to talk in former times, saying, ‘They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,’ and so they would end disputes. ¹⁹I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up ⚓the inheritance of the Lord?”
²⁰And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.”
So the woman said to Joab, “Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” ²²Then the woman ⚓in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

David’s Government Officers

²³And ⚓Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; ²⁴Adoram was⚓in charge of revenue; ⚓Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ²⁵Sheva was scribe; ⚓Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; ²⁶⚓and Ira the Jairite was a chief minister under David.