Joab Reproves David’s Lament

19 It was told to Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ² So the victory on that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said on that day, “The king grieves for his son.” ³ The people stole into the city [of Mahanaim] that day, as people who are humiliated and ashamed steal away when they retreat in battle. ⁴ But the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” ⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have put all your servants to shame who this day have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and ^[a]concubines. ⁶ For you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have shown today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I know that if Absalom had lived and all the rest of us had died today, then you would be pleased. ⁷ So now stand up, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, not a man will stay with you tonight. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

David Restored as King

⁸ Then the king stood and sat at the gate [of Mahanaim]. And they told all the people, “The king is sitting at the gate,” and all the people came before the king.

But Israel [Absalom’s troops] had fled, every man to his tent. ⁹ All the people were quarreling throughout the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king rescued us from the hands of our enemies, and he saved us from the hands of the Philistines, but now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So now, why are you [leaders] doing nothing about bringing back the king?”

¹¹ Then King David sent word to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house [in Jerusalem], since the word of all Israel has come to the king, and to his house? ¹² You are my brothers (relatives, relations); you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³ Say to Amasa [the commander of Absalom’s troops], ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’” ¹⁴ In this way he changed the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so they sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your ^[b]servants.” ¹⁵ So David returned and came to the Jordan. And [supporters from] Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king, to escort him across the Jordan.

¹⁶ Then Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men [from the tribe of] of Judah to meet King David, ¹⁷ and a thousand men [from the tribe] of Benjamin with him. And Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him, rushed down to the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸ Then they [repeatedly] crossed the ford to bring over the king’s household (family), and to do what pleased him. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan, ¹⁹ and said to the king, “Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did ^[c]wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart. ²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I have come today, the first of all the ^[d]house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, “Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” ²² David said, “What ^[e]business is this of yours, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³ Therefore the king said to Shimei, “You shall not be put to death.” And so the king gave him his promise.^(A)

²⁴ Then Mephibosheth the [grand]son of Saul came down to meet the king, but he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned in peace and safety. ²⁵ And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶ He said, “My lord the king, my servant [Ziba] betrayed me; for I said, ‘Saddle a donkey for me so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ for your servant is lame [but he took the donkeys and left without me].^{(B) 27} Further, he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is like the angel of God; so do what is good in your eyes. ²⁸ For were not all of my father’s household (family) nothing but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. So what right do I still have to cry out anymore to the king [for help]?” ²⁹ The king said to him, “Why speak anymore of your affairs? I have said, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’” ³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has returned to his own house in safety and peace.”

³¹ Now Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went on to the Jordan with the king to escort him over the Jordan. ³² Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old; and he had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great and wealthy man. ³³ The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and I will provide for you in Jerusalem with me.” ³⁴ But Barzillai said to the king, “How much longer have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am this day eighty years old. Can I [be useful to advise you to] discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or drink? Can I still hear the voices of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward? ³⁷ Please let your servant return, so that I may die in my own city [and be buried] by the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham [my son]; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you.”^{(C) 38} The king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you; and whatever you ask of me, I will do for you.” ³⁹ So all the people crossed over the Jordan. When the king had crossed over, he kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.

⁴⁰ Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah and also half the people of Israel accompanied the king. ⁴¹ And all the men of Israel came to the king and said to him, “Why have our brothers (relatives), the men [from the tribe] of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household and all David’s men with him over the Jordan [instead of waiting for us to arrive]?” ⁴² Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is a close relative to us. So why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has anything been taken for us?” ⁴³ Then the men of ^[f]Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten [tribes’] shares in the king, and we have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt and ignore us [by rushing ahead]? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” ^[g]But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.

Sheba’s Revolt

20 There happened to be there ^[h]a worthless and wicked man named Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. He blew a trumpet [to call Israel to revolt] and said,

² So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah stayed faithfully with their king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³ Then David came to his house (palace) at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, his ^[i]concubines whom he had left to take care of the house, and placed them under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were confined, and lived as widows until the day of their death.

⁴ Now the king said to Amasa [the commander of his army], “Summon the [fighting] men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself.” ⁵ So Amasa went to summon [the fighting men of] Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which David had set for him. ⁶ And David said to Abishai [his nephew], “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and ^[j]escape from our sight.” ⁷ So Joab’s men went after him, along with [David’s bodyguards] the Cherethites and Pelethites and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸ When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing his military uniform, and over it he had a belt with a sheathed sword strapped around his hips; and as he went forward, ^[k]it fell out. ⁹ Joab said to Amasa, “Is it going well with you, my ^[l]brother?” And with his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard [as if] to kiss him [in greeting].

Amasa Murdered

¹⁰ But Amasa [who had replaced Joab as David’s commander] was off guard and not attentive to the sword in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck Amasa in the abdomen with the sword, spilling his intestines to the ground. Without another blow Amasa died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹ Now one of Joab’s young men stood by him and said, “Whoever favors Joab and is for David, let him follow Joab!” ¹² But Amasa was wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people who came by stopped [to look], he moved Amasa from the highway into the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by Amasa stopped.

Revolt Put Down

¹³ When [the body of] Amasa was removed from the highway, everyone followed after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴ Now Joab went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they assembled and also went after Sheba. ¹⁵ And ^[m]the army of Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth-maacah, and they built up an ^[n]assault ramp against the city, and it stood against the outer rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction to make the wall fall. ¹⁶ Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Tell Joab, ‘Come here so that I may speak to you.’” ¹⁷ So when he approached her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” He answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸ Then she said, “In the past people used to say, ‘They will certainly ask advice at Abel,’ and so they settled the dispute. ¹⁹ I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up (devour) the inheritance of the Lord?” ²⁰ Joab answered, “Far be it, far be it from me that I would swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand [in rebellion] against King David. Only hand him over, and I will leave the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” ²² Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people [to inform them of the agreement]. And they beheaded Sheba the son of Bichri and threw his head [down] to Joab. So he blew the trumpet [signaling the end of the attack], and they dispersed from the city, every man to his own tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to [David] the king.^(D)

²³ Now Joab was [commander] over the entire army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was [commander] over the Cherethites and Pelethites [the king’s bodyguards]; ²⁴ Adoram was over the forced labor; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ²⁵ Sheva was the scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; ²⁶ also Ira the Jairite was a priest to David.