2 Samuel 20 (NET)

2 Samuel 20:1¹Now a wicked man named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjaminite, happened to be there. He blew the trumpet and said, “We have no share in David; we have no inheritance in this son of Jesse! Every man go home, O Israel!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:2²So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:3³Then David went to his palace in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. Though he provided for their needs, he did not sleep with them. They remained under restriction until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:4⁴Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together for me in three days, and you be present here with them too.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:5⁵So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than the time that the king had allotted him.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:6⁶Then David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord’s servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure fortified cities for himself and get away from us.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:7⁷So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:8⁸When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his waist. When he advanced, it fell out.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:9⁹Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa’s beard as if to greet him with a kiss.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:10¹⁰Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:11¹¹One of Joab’s soldiers who stood over Amasa said, “Whoever is for Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:12¹²Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came across Amasa stopped, the man pulled him away from the path and into the field and threw a garment over him.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:13¹³Once he had removed Amasa from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:14¹⁴Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth Maacah and all the Berite region. When they had assembled, they too joined him.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:15¹⁵So Joab’s men came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city that stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through the wall so that it would collapse,Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:16¹⁶a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen up! Listen up! Tell Joab, ‘Come near so that I may speak to you.’”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:17¹⁷When he approached her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” He replied, “I am.” She said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” He said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:18¹⁸She said, “In the past they would always say, ‘Let them inquire in Abel,’ and that is how they settled things.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:19¹⁹I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to destroy an important city in Israel. Why should you swallow up the Lord ’s inheritance?”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:20²⁰Joab answered, “Not at all! I don’t intend to swallow up or destroy anything!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:21²¹That’s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Sheba son of Bikri. He has rebelled against King David. Give me just this one man, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Joab, “This very minute his head will be thrown over the wall to you!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:22²²Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. Joab blew the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each going to his own home. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:23²³Now Joab was the general in command of all the army of Israel. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Perethites.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:24²⁴Adoniram was supervisor of the work crews. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the secretary.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:25²⁵Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

2 Samuel 20:26²⁶Ira the Jairite was David’s personal priest.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s