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20  Na i tupono ki reira tetahi tangata o Periara, ko tona ingoa ko Hepa, he tama na Pikiri, no Pineamine: na whakatangihia ana e ia te tetere, a ka mea, Kahore o tatou wahi i a Rawiri, kahore he wahi tuturu mo tatou i te tama a Hehe: ki o koutou ten eti, e tera, e tera o Iharaira!

Na ka takiritia nga tangata katoa o Iharaira i te whai i a Rawiri, a whai ana i a Hepa tama a Pikiri: ko nga tangata ia o Hura i piri ki to ratou kingi, o Horano mai ano a Hiruharama atu ana.

Na haere ana a Rawiri ki tona whare ki Hiruharama, a ka mau te kingi ki nga wahine kotahi tekau, ki nga wahine iti i waiho ra hei tiaki i te whare, a whakanohoia ana ki te whare kia tiakina, atawhaitia iho ratou e ia; otiia kihai ia i haere ki ro to, ki a ratou. Na tutakina atu ana ratou, he noho pouaru a taea noatia te ra i mate ai ratou.

Katahi ka mea te kingi ki a Amaha, Huihuia mai nga tangata o Hura ki ahau i roto i nga ra e toru, a me tae mai ano koe ki konei.

Na haere ana a Amaha ki te huihui i nga tangata o Hura: otiia i roa atu ia i te wa i whakaritea ki a ia.

Na ka mea a Rawiri ki a Apihai, Akuanei rahi atu te kino e mahia e Hepa tama a Pikiri ki a tatou i ta Apoharama: tangohia nga tangata a tou ariki, whaia, kei whiwhi ia ki nga pa taiepa, a ka ora atu i o tatou kanohi.

Na haere ana nga tangata a Ioapa i muri i a ia, me nga Kereti, me nga Pereti, me nga marohirohi katoa: haere atu ana ratou i Hiruharama ki te whai i a Hepa tama a Pikiri.

I a ratou i te kohatu nui i Kipeono, ka tae mai a Amaha kia tutaki ki a ratou. Na, ko te kakahu i kakahuria e Ioapa, he mea whitiki, a i waho ake he whitiki ano, me tetahi hoari, he mea whakamau ki tona hope, i roto ano i tona pukoro; a i a ia e haere ana, ka makere.

Na ka mea a Ioapa ki a Amaha, Kei te ora ranei koe, e toku teina? Na ka mau te ringa matau o Ioapa ki te kumikumi o Amaha, kia kihi i a ia.

10 Kihai ia a Amaha i mahara ki te hoari i te ringa o Ioapa: na werohia ana ia e ia ki te kopu ki taua mea, a ka tuakina ona whekau ki te whenua, kihai hoki i tuaruatia e tera; na ka mate ia. Na ka whai a Ioapa raua ko tona teina, ko Apihai i a Hep a tama a Pikiri.

11 Na tera tetahi o nga taitama a Ioapa i tona taha e tu ana, a ka mea tera, Ko te tangata e pai ana ki a Ioapa, a ko te tangata e mea ana mo Rawiri, me whai ia i a Ioapa.

12 Heoi takoto ana a Amaha, okeoke ana i roto i ona toto i waenganui o te huarahi. A ka kite taua tangata e tu ana te iwi katoa, na ka amohia atu e ia a Amaha i te huarahi ki te parae, a hipokina iho ana ki te kakahu, i tona kitenga e tu ana te hun ga katoa e tika ana na reira.

13 Ka oti ia te neke atu i te huarahi, na, haere ana te iwi katoa i muri i a Ioapa ki te whai i a Hepa tama a Pikiri.

14 Na haereerea ana e ia nga iwi katoa o Iharaira, ki Apere, a ki Petemaaka, ki nga Peri katoa: na ka huihui ratou katoa a haere ana hoki i muri i a ia.

15 Na haere ana ratou, kei te whakapae i a ia ki Apere o Petemaaka, a whakahauputia ake ana e ratou tetahi pukepuke ki te pa, na kua hangai ki te pekerangi. Na kei te aki te nuinga katoa o Ioapa i te taiepa kia hinga.

16 Na ka karanga tetahi wahine mohio i roto i te pa, Whakarongo mai, whakarongo mai; tena, ki atu ki a Ioapa, Whakatata mai ki konei, kia korero ai ahau ki a koe.

17 Na ka whakatata ia ki a ia; a ka mea te wahine, Ko koe ianei a Ioapa? Ka mea tera, Tenei ahau. Na ko te kianga a tera ki a ia, Whakarongo ki nga kupu a tau pononga. Ka whakahokia e ia, E whakarongo ana.

18 Na ka mea tera, Ko ta ratou na kupu onamata, i mea, Me ui rawa ratou he kupu ki Apere: a ka mutu ta ratou i tera.

19 No roto ahau i te hunga ata noho, pono hoki i roto i a Iharaira. E whai ana koe kia whakangaromia he pa, he whaea no Iharaira: he aha ka horomia ai e koe te wahi tupu a Ihowa?

20 Na ka whakahokia e Ioapa; i mea ia, Hore rawa, hore rawa i ahau; a kore e horomia, e kore e huna e ahau.

21 Kahore aku pera, engari he tangata tera no Maunga Eparaima, ko tona ingoa ko Hepa tama a Pikiri, kua ara tona ringa ki te kingi, ki a Rawiri: homai tona kotahi a ka haere atu ahau i te pa. Katahi taua wahine ka mea ki a Ioapa, Nana, ka akiritia atu tona upoko ki a koe ra runga i te taiepa.

22 Na haere ana taua wahine, me tona whakaaro mohio, ki te iwi katoa. Na poutoa ana e ratou te upoko o Hepa tama a Pikiri, maka atu ana ki a Ioapa. Katahi ia ka whakatangi i te tetere, a whakarerea ana e ratou te pa, pakaru noa atu ana ki tona tene ti, ki tona teneti. A hoki ana a Ioapa ki Hiruharama ki te kingi.

23 Na ko Ioapa te rangatira o te ope katoa o Iharaira; ko Penaia hoki, tama a Iehoiara te rangatira o nga Kereti ratou ko nga Pereti:

24 Ko Arorama te rangatira takoha: ko Iehohapata tama a Ahiruru te kaiwhakamahara:

25 Ko Hewha te kaituhituhi: a ko Haroko raua ko Apiatara nga tohunga:

26 A ko Ira Hairi ano hoki he tino kaiwhakahaere na Rawiri.

Sheba Rebels Against David

20 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,

“We have no share(A) in David,(B)
    no part in Jesse’s son!(C)
Every man to his tent, Israel!”

So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines(D) he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

Then the king said to Amasa,(E) “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Abishai,(F) “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”[a] So Joab’s men and the Kerethites(G) and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

While they were at the great rock in Gibeon,(H) Amasa came to meet them. Joab(I) was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger(J) in Joab’s(K) hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

11 One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt(L) there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. 13 After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites,[b](M) who gathered together and followed him. 15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah.(N) They built a siege ramp(O) up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman(P) called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”

“I’m listening,” he said.

18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful(Q) and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”(R)

20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “His head(S) will be thrown to you from the wall.”

22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,(T) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

David’s Officials

23 Joab(U) was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram[c](V) was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat(W) son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok(X) and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite[d] was David’s priest.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 20:6 Or and do us serious injury
  2. 2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
  3. 2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
  4. 2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite