2Samuel:19-21

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And there happened to be a worthless man , whose name was Sheba ’, the son of Bichri , a Benjamite ; and he blew the cornet , and said , We have no part in David , nor have we any inheritance in the son of Jesse : every man to his tents , O Israel ! * So every man of Israel went off from David , following Sheba ’ the son of Bichri ; but the men of Judah adhered unto their king , from the Jordan even to Jerusalem . * And David came to his house at Jerusalem ; and the king took the ten women , the concubines , whom he had left to guard the house , and put them in a guard –house , and provided for them , but went not in unto them . So they were confined until the day of their death , living in widowhood . * Then said the king to ‘Amassa , Call together for me the men of Judah within three days , and thou present thyself here . * So ‘Amassa went to call Judah together ; but he remained out longer than the set time which he had appointed him . * And David said to Abishai , Now will Sheba ’ the son of Bichri do us more harm than Abshalom : take thou the servants of thy Lord , and pursue after him , lest he succeed in reaching fortified cities , and withdraw himself from our eyes . * And there went out after him Joab ’s men , and the Kerethites , and the Pelethites , and all the mighty men : and they went forth out of Jerusalem , to pursue after Sheba ’ the son of Bichri . * They were close by the great stone which is at Gib ’on , as ‘Amassa came before them . And Joab was girded with his coat , his garment , and upon it the girdle of the sword which was fastened upon his loins in its sheath ; and as he went forth it fell out . * And Joab said to ‘Amassa , Art thou in health , my brother ? And Joab ’s right hand took hold of ‘Amassa ’s beard to kiss him . * And ‘Amassa did not guard himself against the sword that was in Joab ’s hand : so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib and shed out his bowels to the ground , and struck him not again ; and he died . But Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba ’ the son of Bichri . * And one man of Joab ’s people remained standing by him , and said , He that favoreth Joab , and he that is for David , follow Joab . * And ‘Amassa was wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway . And when the man saw that all the people stood still , he put ‘Amassa aside out of the highway into the field , and threw a garment over him , when he saw that every one that came by him stood still . * When he was removed out of the highway , every man passed on after Joab , to pursue after Sheba ’ the son of Bichri . * And this one passed through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel , which is of Beth –ma ’achah , and all the Berim : and they assembled themselves together , and went also after him . * And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth –ma ’achah , and they cast up a trench against the city , and it stood enclosed by the troops : and all the people that were with Joab were battering to throw down the wall . * Then called a wise woman out of the city , Hear , hear : say , I pray you , unto Joab , Come near as far as hither , that I may speak with thee . * And when he was come near unto her , the woman said , Art thou Joab ? And he said , I am . Then said she unto him , Hear the words of thy hand –maid . And he said , I do hear . * Then said she , thus , They ought surely first to have spoken , saying , "Let them ask at least in Abel :" and so would they have come to an end . * I am one of the peaceful and faithful in Israel ; thou seekest to overthrow a city and a metropolis in Israel : why wilt thou destroy the inheritance of the Lord ? * And Joab answered and said , Far be it , far be it from me , that I should destroy or ruin . * The matter is not so ; but a man from the mountains of Ephraim , Sheba ’ the son of Bichri is his name , hath lifted up his hand against the king , against David : give him up alone , and I will withdraw from the city . And the woman said unto Joab , Behold , his head shall be cast down to thee over the wall . * And the woman came unto all the people with her wisdom ; and they cut off the head of Sheba ’ the son of Bichri , and cast it down to Joab : and he blew the cornet , and they scattered themselves from the city , every man to his tents . And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king . * Now Joab was over all the army of Israel ; and Benayah the son of Yehoyada ’ was over the Kerethites and over the Pelethites ; * And Adoram was over the tribute ; and Jehoshaphat the son of Achilud was recorder ; * And Sheva was scribe ; and Zadok and Ebyathar were priests ; * And ‘Ira also the Yairite was an officer of state unto David . * And there was a famine in the days of David three years , year after year ; and David besought the presence of the Lord . And the Lord said , On account of Saul , and on account of the house of blood , is this ; because he hath slain the Gib ’onites . * And the king called for the Gib ’onites , and said unto them : * Wherefore David said unto the Gib ’onites , What shall I do for you ? and wherewith shall I make the atonement , that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord ? * And the Gib ’onites said unto him , We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul and with his house : nor do we wish to kill any man in Israel . And he said , What ye say , will I do for you . * And they said to the king , The man that consumed us , and that devised against us that we should be destroyed , so that we should have no footing in all the boundaries of Israel . * Let there be delivered unto us seven men of his sons , and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gib ’ah of Saul , the chosen of the Lord . And the king said , I will give them . * But the king had pity on Mephibosheth , the son of Jonathan the son of Saul , because of the Lord ’s oath that was between them , between David and Jonathan the son of Saul . * And the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Ayah , whom she had born unto Saul , Armoni and Mephibosheth ; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul , whom she had brought up for ‘Adriel the son of Barzillai the Mecholathite : * And he delivered them into the hand of the Gib ’onites , and they hanged them on the mount before the Lord ; and they fell , these seven , together ; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest , in the beginning of the barley –harvest . * And Rizpah the daughter of Ayah took sackcloth , and spread out it for herself upon the rock , from the beginning of the harvest until water dropped down upon them out of heaven , and she suffered neither the birds of heaven to rest on them by day , nor the beasts of the field by night . * And it was told to David what Rizpah the daughter of Ayah , the concubine of Saul , had done . * And David then went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Yabeshgil ’ad , who had stolen them from the market –place of Bethshan , where the Philistines had hanged them up , at the time the Philistines had smitten Saul at Gilboa ’: * And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son ; and they gathered up the bones of those that had been hanged . * And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin at Zela ’, in the sepulchre of Kish his father : and they performed all that the king had commanded . And after that God was entreated for the land . * And the Philistines had again a war with Israel ; and David went down , and his servants with him , and fought against the Philistines : and David became fatigued . * And Yishbi at Nob , who was of the children of the Raphah , the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of copper , he being girded with a new armor , thought to slay David . * But Abishai the son of Zeruyah succored him , and smote the Philistine , and killed him . Then swore the men of David unto him , saying , Thou shalt go out no more with us to battle , that thou mayest not quench the lamp of Israel . * And it came to pass after this , that there was again a battle at Gob , with the Philistines : then smote Sibbechai the Chushathite Saph , who was of the children of the Raphah . * And there was again a battle at Gob with the Philistines , when Elchanan the son of Ya ’are –oregim , the Bethlechemite , slew Goliath the Gittite , the staff of whose spear was like a weaver ’s beam . * And there was again a battle in Gath , where was a man of stature , that had on every hand six fingers , and on every foot six toes , four and twenty in number ; and he also was born to the Raphah . * And he defied Israel ; but Jonathan the son of Shim ’ah , the brother of David , slew him . * These four were born to the Raphah in Gath ; and they fell by the hand of David , and by the hand of his servants . * And David spoke unto the Lord the words of this song , and on the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies , and out of the hand of Saul .

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