Font Size
2 Samuel 20:15-17
New Catholic Bible
2 Samuel 20:15-17
New Catholic Bible
15 Joab’s forces then arrived and besieged him in Abel-beth-maacah. After they threw up a siege ramp against the town, all of Joab’s forces began to batter the wall to throw it down.
16 [a]Suddenly a wise woman stood on the rampart and shouted from the town: “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.” 17 When Joab approached her, the woman asked: “Are you Joab?” He answered: “I am.” She continued: “Listen to what your maidservant has to say.” He replied: “I am listening.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 20:16 A wise woman . . . shouted from the town: this marks the second incidence in 2 Samuel of a wise woman taking on a traditional male role as spokesperson (see 2 Sam 14:1-20). Previously the wise woman from Tekoa interceded with King David at Joab’s instruction. Now another woman speaks up of her own accord and is able to convince Joab to spare her town.
