II. SAMUEL XX. 4.

evil? ‘ean thy servant taste -what I reat or «what I drink? tcan I hear any_more the_voice_of singing_men and singing_women? wherefore then| should thy servant be he yet a burden unto my -lord the king ?
36 Thy servant will_go a little_way over ¥Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with xsuch a xreward ?
37 FLet thy servant, I_pray_thee, turn_ back_again, that I may_die in mine_ own city, and be buried by the_grave_of my father and of my mother. But be- hold thy servant ¢ Chimham ; 'et him go_over with my -lord the king; and ‘do to him what ‘shall_seem good unto thee.”
%8 And the king answered, “Chimham shall_go_over with me, and ‘£ will_do to him «that which ‘shall_seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt_ ch require of me, that will I-do for thee.”
39 And all the people went_over *Jor- dan, And when the king was_come_ over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him ; and he returned unto his_ own place.
40 Then the king went_on to xGilgal, and Chimham went_on with him: and all the_people_of Judah conducted «the king, and also half the_people_of Israél.
#1 And, behold, all the_t men_of Israél 4came to the king, and said unto the king, “Why shave our brethren the_ imen_of Judah stolen_thee_away, and have_brought the king, and his ~house- hold, and all David's «men with him, over ¥Jordan ?”
# And all the_-‘men_of Judah an- swered the_?men_of Israél, “ Because the king is near_of_kin to us: wherefore then :be_ye_angry for xthis xmatter? shave_we_eaten at all of the king’s cost 2 or :hath_he_given us any gift?”
43 And the_imen_of Israél answered ‘the_imen_of Judah, and said, “We have ten parts in the king, and Wwe have also more right in David than ye: why then did_ye_despise us, that our advice should not be_first_had in bringing_ back our cking? And the_words_of the_‘men_of Judah were_fiercer than the_words_of the_t men_of Israél.
20 AND there happened_to_be there a iman_of Belial, whose name was sSheba, the_son_of Bichri, a Ben-) jamite: and he blew a xtrumpet, and said, “ We have no part in David, neither have weinheritance in the_son_of Jesse: i every_' man to his tents, O_Israél.” 2So every ‘man_of Israél went_up from after David, and followed Sheba | the_son_of Bichri: but the_imen_of} Judah clave unto their king, from *Jor- dan even to Jerusalem.
® And David came to his house at Jerusalem ; and the king took the ten women /is concubines, whom he had_ left to keep the house, and put them in’ h ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were_shut_up unto, the_day_of their death, living in widow- hood.
4 Then said the king to Amasa, “*As-
| 2.4. ish, ish.
B.C, 1023.
he. hence- forth,
37.1 Kin. 2.7.
c.Chimham, | Great_ desire. |
i. is good in thine eyes.
ch. choose.
ISRAEL AND JUDAH. 41-43. vs. 9- 15.
SHEBA. 1022. i, ish. s. Sheba, Oath. -
DAVID'sS Con- CUBINES.
ward.
AMASA,
261
II, SAmvEL XX. 5.
B.C. about 1022,
ABISHAI,
JOABSLAYS AMASA.
@. anah- shim.
c. Chereth- ites, Execu- tioners.
p. Peleth- ites, Run- ners.
pe. peace.
10. 1 Kin. 2. 5, 6.
A
i. ish,
ABEL BESIEGED.
m. mound. r. rampart.
THE WISE WOMAN OF ABEL.
semble me ethe_i men_of Judah within three days, and «be thot here present.”
5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of -Judah : but he tarried longer than ie set_time which he had_appointed
im.
6 And David said to Abishai, “Now shall 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 fenced cities, and escape us.”
7 And there went_out after him Joab's men, and the ¢ Cherethites, and the Pp Pelethites, and all the mighty_men: and they went out_of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the_son_of Bichri.
8 When they were at the great xstone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment that he had_put_on was_girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the_sheath thereof ; and as he went_forth it fell_out.
9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Art thou in pe health, my brother?” And Joab took Amiasa by the beard with the right_ hand to kiss him.
10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth vib, and shed_out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again ; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pur- sued after Sheba the_son_of Bichri.
11 And one of Joab’s imen stood by him, and said, “ He that favoureth Joab, and he that zs for David, let him go after Joab.”
12 And Amasa +wallowed in xblood in the_midst_of the highway. And when the ‘man saw that all the people stood_ still, he removed ~Amasa out_of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every_one xathat came by him -stood_still.
183 When he was_removed out_of the highway, all the people went_on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the_son_of Bichri.
14 And he went_through all the_ tribes_of Israél unto Abel, and to Beth- maachah, and all the Berites : and they were_gathered_together, and went also after him.
15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-xmaachah, and they cast_up a ™ bank against the city, and it stood in the r trench: and all the people that were with Joab «battered the wall, to throw_it_down.
16 Then cried a wise woman out_of the city, “-Hear, shear; «say, I_pray_ you, unto Joab, ‘*Come_near hither, that I may_speak with thee.’ ”
7 And when he was_come-_near unto her, the woman said, “Art thou Joab?” And he answered, “£ am he.” Then she said unto him, “-Hear the_words_ of thine handmaid.” And he answered, “¥ sdo_hear.”
18 Then she spake, saying, “They were_wont to_speak in old_time, say- ing, ‘They shall_surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter.’
19 € am one of them that are peace- able and faithful_in Israél : them +seek-