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.
ثورة شبع على داود
1 إتّفقَ أنَّه كانَ هُناكَ رجلٌ لئيمٌ اسمُهُ شَبَعُ بنُ بكري مِنْ بَني بنيامينَ، فنفخَ في البوقِ وقالَ: «لا نصيـبَ لنا معَ داوُدَ ولا لنا ميراثٌ معَ ابنِ يَسَّى. كُلُّ واحدٍ إلى خَيمتِهِ يا رجالَ إِسرائيلَ!» 2 فارتَدَّ رجالُ إِسرائيلَ عَنْ داوُدَ وتبِــعوا شبَعَ بنَ بِكري. أمَّا رجالُ يَهوذا، فرفعوا داوُدَ ملِكَهمُ مِنَ الأردُنِّ إلى أورُشليمَ.
3 فلمَّا وصلَ داوُدُ إلى قصرهِ في أورُشليمَ، أخذَ العَشْرَ الجواريَ اللَّواتي تركَهُنَّ للعنايةِ بالقصرِ، وأقامهُنَّ في بَيتِ الحَجزِ، وكانَ يتكفَّلُ بمَعيشتِهِنَّ ولكنْ لم ينَمْ معَهُنَّ، فكُنَّ كأرامِلَ إلى يومِ وفاتهِنَّ معَ أنَّ أزواجهُنَّ ما زالوا أحياءً.
4 وقالَ المَلِكُ لعماسا: «إجمَعْ رجالَ يَهوذا في ثلاثةِ أيّامٍ، واحضُرْ معَهُم إلى هُنا». 5 فذهبَ عماسا ليجمَعَ رجالَ يَهوذا، فأبطَأ عنِ الموعِدِ الّذي عيَّنَهُ المَلِكُ. 6 فقالَ المَلِكُ لأبـيشايَ: «إنَّ شبَعَ بنَ بِكري أشدُّ خطرا علَينا مِنْ أبشالومَ، فخُذْ رجالي وطاردوهُ لِئلَّا يجِدَ لَه مُدُنا حصينةً ويختفي عَنْ عُيونِنا». 7 فخرَجَ رجالُ يوآبَ والحرَسُ المَلَكيُّ وجميعُ المُحاربـينَ الأشدَّاءُ من أورُشليمَ وساروا بقِـيادةِ أبـيشايَ في طلبِ شبعَ بنِ بِكري. 8 فلمَّا وصَلوا إلى الصَّخرةِ العظيمةِ الّتي في جبعونَ استَقبَلَهُم عماسا، وكان يوآبُ في لباسِ الحربِ، وسيفُهُ في غِمدِهِ مشدودٌ إلى جَنبِه، وفي مُتَناوَلِ يدِه. 9 فقالَ يوآبُ لِعماسا: «أبِـخيرٍ أنتَ يا أخي؟» وأمسَكَ بـيدِهِ اليُمنى لِحيَةَ عماسا ليُقبِّلَهُ. 10 ولم يأخُذْ عماسا حذرَهُ منَ السَّيفِ في يدِ يوآبَ الّذي طعَنَهُ في بطنِه فسقَطَت أمعاؤُهُ إلى الأرضِ، ولم يكُنْ في حاجةٍ لطَعنِه ثانيةً لأنَّهُ ماتَ على الفورِ. ثُمَّ واصَلَ السَّيرَ معَ أبـيشايَ أخيهِ في طلَبِ شبَعَ بنِ بِكري. 11 ووقفَ عِندَ عماسا واحدٌ مِنْ رجالِ يوآبَ وقالَ: «مَنْ أحَبَّ يوآبَ ووالى داوُدَ، فليَتبَعْ يوآبَ». 12 وكانَ عماسا غائِصا في دمِهِ وسَطَ الطَّريقِ، فرَأى رجُلٌ أنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ مرَّ هُناكَ يَتوقَّفُ، فنَقلَ الجثَّةَ جانبا وغطَّاها بثوبٍ. 13 فلمَّا نقَلَهُ مِنَ الطَّريقِ، عبَرَ كُلُّ واحدٍ وراءَ يوآبَ في طلَبِ شَبعَ بنِ بِكري.
14 ومرَّ شبَعُ على جميعِ أسباطِ إِسرائيلَ وأخيرا وصَلَ إلى مدينةِ آبَلَ في بَيت معكَةَ، وخلفَهُ أنصارُهُ الّذينَ انضمُّوا إليهِ. 15 فجاءَ رجالُ يوآبَ وحاصروهُ في المدينةِ ورفعوا تلا حَولَ السُّورِ ومِنْ هذا التلِّ أخذوا يعملونَ على هَدمِها. 16 فنادَتِ امرأةٌ حكيمةٌ مِنَ المدينةِ: «إسمَعوا. إسمَعوا. قولوا ليوآبَ أنْ يقترِبَ مِنْ هُنا لأُكلِّمَهُ». 17 فاقترَبَ يوآبُ مِنها فقالَت لَه: «هل أنتَ يوآبُ؟» فقالَ لها: «أنا هوَ». فقالَت لَه: «إسمَعْ كلامي يا سيِّدي». قالَ: «أنا سامعٌ». 18 فقالَت: «كانَ يُقالُ مِنْ قَبلُ: أُطلُبِ النَّصيحةَ في آبَلَ. هكذا كانَت تُسَوَّى الأمورُ. 19 مدينتُنا أكثرُ المُدنِ مُسالَمةً وولاءً، بل هيَ أمُّ المُدُنِ في إِسرائيلَ، فلماذا تُريدُ أنْ تهدمَها؟ لماذا تُتلِفُ ميراثَ الرّبِّ؟» 20 فأجابَ يوآبُ: «حرامٌ عليَّ أنْ أُتلِفَ أو أهدمَ. 21 هذا غيرُ صحيحٍ، ولكِنَّ رجلا مِنْ جبَلِ أفرايمَ اسمُهُ شبَعُ بنُ بِكري ثارَ على المَلِكِ داوُدَ. سلِّموهُ وحدَهُ وأنا أنصرِفُ عنِ المدينةِ». فقالَت لَه المرأةُ: «رأسُهُ سيُلقى إليكَ مِنْ فوقِ السُّورِ». 22 وذهبَت إلى أهلِ المدينةِ وأقنعَتهُم برأيِها، فقطَعوا رأسَ شَبعَ بنِ بِكري وألقَوهُ إلى يوآبَ، فنفَخَ في البوقِ فارتَدَّ رجالُهُ عنِ المدينةِ وذهبوا إلى بُيوتِهِم، ورجَعَ يوآبُ إلى المَلِكِ في أورُشليمَ.
23 وكانَ يوآبُ قائِدا لجميعِ جيشِ إِسرائيلَ، وبنايا بنُ يوياداعَ قائدا لحرَسِ المَلِكِ، 24 وأدورامُ مُديرا لأشغالِ سُخرَةٍ، ويوشافاطُ بنُ أخيلودَ المتحدِّثُ باسمِ المَلِكِ مُسجِّلا 25 وشيوا كاتبا، وصادوقُ وأبـياثارُ كاهنَينِ، 26 وعيرا اليائيريُّ أيضا كانَ كاهنا لداوُدَ.
