American Standard Version - King James Version

 20:1 ¶ And there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

 20:1 ¶ And thereº happenedºº to be there a manº of Belial,º whose nameº [was] Sheba,º the sonº of Bichri,º a Benjamite:º and he blewºº a trumpet,º and said,ºº We have noº partº in David,º neitherº have we inheritanceº in the sonº of Jesse:º everyº manº to his tents,º O Israel.º

 20:2 So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

 20:2 So everyº manº of Israelº went upºº from afterºº David,º [and] followedº Shebaº the sonº of Bichri:º but the menº of Judahº claveºº unto their king,º fromº Jordanº even toº Jerusalem.º

 20:3 ¶ And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

 20:3 ¶ And Davidº cameºº toº his houseº at Jerusalem;º and the kingº tookººº the tenº womenº [his] concubines,º whomº he had leftººº to keepºº the house,º and putºº them in ward,ºº and fedºº them, but wentº notº inºº untoº them. So they wereº shut upºº untoº the dayº of their death,ºº livingº in widowhood.º

 20:4 ¶ Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.

 20:4 ¶ Then saidºº the kingº toº Amasa,º Assembleºº meº the menº of Judahº within threeº days,º and be thouº hereº present.ºº

 20:5 So Amasa went to call [the men of] Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

 20:5 So Amasaº wentººº to assembleºº [the men of]º Judah:º but he tarried longerºººº thanº the set timeº whichº he had appointedºº him.

 20:6 And David said to Abishai, Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.

 20:6 And Davidº saidºº toº Abishai,º Nowº shall Shebaº the sonº of Bichriº do us more harmºº thanº [did] Absalom:º takeºº thouºº thy lord'sº servants,º and pursueºº afterº him, lestº he getºº him fencedºº cities,º and escapeººº us.º

 20:7 And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

 20:7 And there went outºº afterº him Joab'sº men,ºº and the Cherethites,º and the Pelethites,º and allº the mighty men:º and they went outºº of Jerusalem,ºº to pursueºº afterº Shebaº the sonº of Bichri.º

 20:8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.

 20:8 When theyº [were] atº the greatº stoneº whichº [is] in Gibeon,º Amasaº wentºº beforeº them. And Joab'sº garmentº that he had put onº was girdedºº untoº him, and uponº it a girdleº [with] a swordº fastenedºº uponº his loinsº in the sheathº thereof; and as heº went forthºº it fell out.ºº

 20:9 And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with thee, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

 20:9 And Joabº saidºº to Amasa,º [Art] thouº in health,º my brother?º And Joabº tookºº Amasaº by the beardº with the rightº handº to kissºº him.

 20:10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

 20:10 But Amasaº took noº heedºº to the swordº thatº [was] in Joab'sº hand:º so he smoteºº him therewith inº the fifthº [rib], and shed outºº his bowelsº to the ground,º and struckº him notº again;ºº and he died.ºº So Joabº and Abishaiº his brotherº pursuedºº afterº Shebaº the sonº of Bichri.º

 20:11 And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, He that favoreth Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.

 20:11 And oneº of Joab'sº menººº stoodºº byº him, and said,ºº Heº thatº favourethºº Joab,º and heº thatº [is] for David,º [let him go] afterº Joab.º

 20:12 And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

 20:12 And Amasaº wallowedºº in bloodº in the midstº of the highway.º And when the manº sawºº thatº allº the peopleº stood still,ºº he removedººº Amasaº out ofº the highwayº into the field,º and castºº a clothº uponº him, whenº he sawºº that everyº one that cameºº byº him stood still.ºº

 20:13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

 20:13 Whenº he was removedºº out ofº the highway,º allº the peopleº went onºº afterº Joab,º to pursueºº afterº Shebaº the sonº of Bichri.º

 20:14 ¶ And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

 20:14 ¶ And he wentºº throughº allº the tribesº of Israelº unto Abel,º and to Bethmaachah,º and allº the Berites:º and they were gathered together,ºººº and wentºº alsoº afterº him.

 20:15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

 20:15 And they cameºº and besiegedººº him in Abelº of Bethmaachah,ºº and they cast upºº a bankº againstº the city,º and it stoodºº in the trench:º and allº the peopleº thatº [were] withº Joabº batteredºº the wall,º to throw it down.ºº

 20:16 ¶ Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

 20:16 ¶ Then criedºº a wiseº womanº out ofº the city,º Hear,ºº hear;ºº say,ºº I pray you,º untoº Joab,º Come nearºº hither,ºº that I may speakºº withº thee.

 20:17 And he came near unto her; and the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

 20:17 And when he was come nearºº untoº her, the womanº said,ºº [Art] thouº Joab?º And he answered,ºº Iº [am he]. Then she saidºº unto him, Hearºº the wordsº of thine handmaid.º And he answered,ºº Iº do hear.ºº

 20:18 Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask [counsel] at Abel: and so they ended [the matter].

 20:18 Then she spake,ºº saying,ºº They were wontºº to speakºº in old time,º saying,ºº They shall surelyºº askºº [counsel] at Abel:º and soº they endedºº [the matter].

 20:19 I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?

 20:19 Iº [am one of them that are] peaceableºº [and] faithfulºº in Israel:º thouº seekestºº to destroyºº a cityº and a motherº in Israel:º whyº wilt thou swallow upºº the inheritanceº of the LORD?º

 20:20 And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

 20:20 And Joabº answeredºº and said,ºº Far be it,º far be itº from me, thatº I should swallow upºº orº destroy.ºº

 20:21 The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

 20:21 The matterº [is] notº so:º butº a manº of mountºº Ephraim,º Shebaº the sonº of Bichriº by name,º hath lifted upºº his handº against the king,º [even] against David:º deliverºº him only,º and I will departººº fromºº the city.º And the womanº saidºº untoº Joab,º Behold,º his headº shall be thrownºº toº thee overº the wall.º

 20:22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

 20:22 Then the womanº wentºº untoº allº the peopleº in her wisdom.º And they cut offººº the headº of Shebaº the sonº of Bichri,º and castºº [it] outº toº Joab.º And he blewºº a trumpet,º and they retiredºº fromºº the city,º every manº to his tent.º And Joabº returnedºº to Jerusalemº untoº the king.º

 20:23 ¶ Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;

 20:23 ¶ Now Joabº [was] overº allº the hostº of Israel:º and Benaiahº the sonº of Jehoiadaº [was] overº the Cherethitesººº and overº the Pelethites:º

 20:24 and Adoram was over the men subject to taskwork; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;

 20:24 And Adoramº [was] overº the tribute:º and Jehoshaphatº the sonº of Ahiludº [was] recorder:ºº

 20:25 and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

 20:25 And Shevaººº [was] scribe:ºº and Zadokº and Abiatharº [were] the priests:º

 20:26 and also Ira the Jairite was chief minister unto David.

 20:26 And Iraº alsoº the Jairiteº wasº a chief rulerº about David.º