Bupanduki gwa Sheba
1 Ipapo kukabe ne mmwe nthu usi we tjimwe we zina linoyi Sheba, nkololo wa Bikiri we Nbhenjamini, kalidza lunyanga ebe eti, “Atina gobe muna Dafite, naiko atina lukata mu nkololo wa Jesi, imwi, Baiziraela, mmwe ne mmwe ngaayende ku nzi uwe.”
2 Ndizo bathu bose be Iziraela bakashandukila Dafite, bakatobela Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri, koga Bajuda bakatobela Dafite nge kugalikabgwe kudwa ku Jorodani kunoti ku Jerusalema.
3 Ngono Dafite kati eswika ku ng'umba iye ye bushe ku Jerusalema, katola bakadzi babe be bakadzi batukunu baakabe asiya bakalinda ng'umba kababiga mu imwe ng'umba bakalindiwa, ebajisa ngono asingawalilane nabo. Bakazhaliligwa butjilo gwabo gose, baligele se tjilikadzi.
4 Ndizo mambo kadwa Amasa kati, “Undidanile babhayani bose be Juda bazhe kundili nngwani, nawe ubepobo.” 5 Amasa kanodana babhayani be Juda, koga kanonoka kasiswike mu zhuba lakabe labigwa ndi mambo. 6 Dafite kabe edwa Abishayi eti, “Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri unowotithamila mbipo inopinda yatakathamigwa ndi Abusalomu, tola balanda ba tetshi uwo untatamile, ungadwa engina mu mizi yakabakiligwa nge luswingo, ngono tikasitjankunde.” 7 Ndizo babhayani ba Joabu ne Bakhereti ne Bapeleti ne babhayani bose bakasima bakabhuda mu Jerusalema bakatatamila Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri bakatungamigwa ndi Abishayi. 8 Bakati beswika pa shongwe wulu imu Gibiyoni, Amasa kabashanganidza. Ipapo Joabu wakabe akaambala tjiambalo tje ngwa, mu thunji dzidze ana mwandabula wakasungigwa ikhata tjina bukanu muili, kati eyendila mbeli gukawila pasi. 9 Ngono Joabu kadwa Amasa kati, “Unomukazo nkololo wa tate?” Joabu kabhata Amasa nge ndedu nge luboko gwe luji kumputa. 10 Koga Amasa kasibe nge njele ngekwe bukanu gwakabe guli mu luboko gwa Joabu, ndizo Joabu kambhaya ndigo mu ntumbu mabula katebukila pasi, tjinyolotjo kafa, ngono kasimbhaye kakale.
Joabu ne nnung'una uwe Abishayi bakatatamila Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri. 11 Mmwe we babhayani ba Joabu kama pa itumbu tja Amasa kamimila eti, “Mmwe ne mmwe umile na Joabu na Dafite ngaatobele Joabu.” 12 Ngono Amasa kakandalala akadubama mu malopa awe pakati kwe zila, ngono mmwe ne mmwe wakabe eti epinda nge zila kama, ndizo mmwe we babhayani ba Joabu kakwebela itumbu tja Amasa ku shango kaposela ngubo pezhugwi kwatjo. 13 Kukati kusinobe kwadusiwa itumbu tja Amasa mu zila, babhayani bose bakatobela Joabu betatamila Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri.
14 Sheba kapalama njudzi dzose dze Iziraela kunoti ku Abele iku Bhethimaaka, ngono Babiri bose bakakubungana bakantobela mu nzi. 15 Babhayani ba Joabu bakahwa kuti Sheba umukati kwe Abelibetimaka, ipapo bakayenda bakanokomba nzi. Bakabaka duluthulu le mavu kunoti pezhugwi kwe luswingo gukuzhe, ngono bakatangisa kukatsha luswingo kuti baguligile pasi. 16 Ipapo mmwe nkadzi wakabe akatjenjela akamimila ali mukati kwe luswingo eti, “Hwililani! Hwililani! Idwani Joabu azhe ngeno, ‘Ndokumbila lebeleka naye.’ ” 17 Ngono Joabu kazha pejo naye, ipapo nkadzi kambhuzwa kati, “Ndimwi Joabu kene?” Kadabila eti, “Ndimi.” Ndizo kandwa kati, “Teedzani matama e nlandakadzi wenyu.” Ngono kadabila eti, “Ndakateedza.” 18 Ndizo nkadzi kati kunli, “Kwakalebgwa ne bantolo kuyi, ‘Dzene banganokumbila gumbuludzo koga ku Abele,’ ngono shule kwa ikoku, bakapedza ndebo. 19 Imi ndi mmwe we banoda lunyalalo kakale unogalikabgwe mu Iziraela, apa unoshaka kolomola nzi nkulu we Iziraela, ini ungalobesa lukata gwa Yahwe kene?” 20 Joabu kashandula eti, “Ngakube kutjena nami, kube kutjena, kuti ndingaulobesa kene kuli kuukolomola! 21 Atizozwimisila kukolomola nzi wenyu. Koga nlume we shango ye matombo ye Ifureimi, unoyi Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri, wakapandukila Mambo Dafite, mundipe iye koga, ndowobe ndiletjedza kukolomola nzi.” Nkadzi kabe edwa Joabu eti, “Towomuposela nsholo uwe tiutjuludza luswingo.” 22 Ndizo nkadzi kayenda kanobudza bathu nge butjenjedu gugwe. Ngono bakathubula nsholo wa Sheba nkololo wa Bikiri bakauposela kuzhe kuna Joabu. Ndizo Joabu kalidza lunyanga, ngono bakapalala bedwa pa nzi we Abele, mmwe ne mmwe kayenda kanyi kwabo. Ngono Joabu iye kashandukila ku Jerusalema kuna mambo.
23 Ngwenu Joabu kabe ntungamili we babhayani bose be Iziraela, Bhenaya nkololo wa Jehoyada kabe ntungamili we Bakhereti ne Bapeleti. 24 Adoramu wakabe ali nlauli we bashingi, Jehoshafati nkololo wa Ahiludi ali nkwali we zwiyitikalo. 25 Sheva wakabe ali nkwalili, ngono Zadoki na Abiathari bali bapirisiti 26 na Ira we Njairi na iyebo ali mpirisiti wa Dafite.
Sheba Rebels against David
1 A troublemaker from the tribe of Benjamin was there. His name was Sheba the son of Bichri, and he blew a trumpet to get everyone's attention. Then he said, “People of Israel, David the son of Jesse doesn't belong to us! Let's go home.”
2 So they stopped following David and went off with Sheba. But the people of Judah stayed close to David all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
David's Ten Wives
3 David had left ten of his wives in Jerusalem to take care of his palace. But when he came back, he had them taken to another house, and he placed soldiers there to guard them. He gave them whatever they needed, but he never slept with any of them again. They had to live there for the rest of their lives as if they were widows.
The Army Goes after Sheba
4 David said to Amasa, “Three days from now I want you and all of Judah's army to be here!”
5 Amasa started bringing the army together, but it was taking him more than three days. 6 So David said to Abishai, “Sheba will hurt us more than Absalom ever did. Take my best soldiers and go after him. We don't want him to take over any walled cities and get away from us.”
Joab Kills Amasa
7 Abishai left Jerusalem to try and capture Sheba. He took along Joab and his soldiers, as well as David's bodyguard and best troops. 8 They had gone as far as the big rock at Gibeon when Amasa caught up with them. Joab had a dagger strapped around his waist over his military uniform, but it fell out as he started toward Amasa.
9 Joab said, “Amasa, my cousin, how are you?” Then Joab took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand, so that he could greet him with a kiss. 10 Amasa did not see the dagger in Joab's other hand. Joab stuck it in Amasa's stomach, and his insides spilled out on the ground. Joab only struck him once, but Amasa was dying.
Joab and his brother Abishai went off to chase Sheba. 11 One of Joab's soldiers stood by Amasa and shouted, “If any of you are for Joab and David, then follow Joab!”
12 Amasa was still rolling in his own blood in the middle of the road. The soldier who had shouted noticed that everyone who passed by would stop, so he dragged Amasa off the road and covered him with a blanket. 13 After this, no one else stopped. They all walked straight past him on their way to help Joab capture Sheba.
Sheba Hides Out in the Town of Abel
14 Sheba had gone through all of the tribes of Israel when he came to the town of Abel Beth-Maacah. All of his best soldiers met him there and followed him into the town.
15 Joab and his troops came and surrounded Abel, so that no one could go in or come out. They made a dirt ramp up to the town wall and then started to use a battering ram to knock the wall down.
A Wise Woman Saves the Town
16 A wise woman shouted from the top of the wall, “Listen to me! Listen to me! I have to talk to Joab! Tell him to come here!” 17 When he came, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
She said, “Please, listen to what I have to say.”
“All right,” he said. “I'll listen.”
18 She said, “Long ago people used to say, ‘If you want good advice, go to the town of Abel to get it.’ The answers they got here were all that was needed to settle any problem. 19 We are Israelites, and we want peace! You can trust us. Why are you trying to destroy a town that's like a mother in Israel? Why do you want to wipe out the Lord's people?”
20 Joab answered, “No, no! I'm not trying to wipe you out or destroy your town! 21 That's not it at all. There's a man in your town from the hill country of Ephraim. His name is Sheba, and he is the leader of a rebellion against King David. Turn him over to me, and we will leave your town alone.”
The woman told Joab, “We will throw his head over the wall.”
22 She went to the people of the town and talked them into doing it. They cut off Sheba's head and threw it to Joab.
Joab blew a signal on his trumpet, and the soldiers returned to their homes. Joab went back to David in Jerusalem.
Another List of David's Officials
23 Joab was the commander of Israel's entire army.
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of David's bodyguard.
24 Adoram was in charge of the slave-labor force.
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept government records.
25 Sheva was the secretary.
Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
26 Ira from Jair was David's priest.