2 Samuel 20

1 There happened to be there a wicked 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, Israel!"

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

3 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 custody and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

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

5 So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he stayed longer than the set time which had been appointed to him. 6 David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord’s servants and pursue after him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and escape out of our sight."

7 Joab’s men went out after him with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was clothed in his apparel of war that he had put on, and on it was a sash with a sword fastened on his waist in its sheath; and as he went along it fell out. 9 Joab said to Amasa, "Is it well with you, my brother?" Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he struck him with it in the body and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 One of Joab’s young men stood by him, and said, "He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!"

12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. 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 everyone who came by him stood still. 13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 14 He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites. They were gathered together, and went also after him. 15 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 who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.

16 Then a wise woman cried out of the city, "Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come near here, that I may speak with you.’" 17 He came near to her; and the woman said, "Are you Joab?"

He answered, "I am."

Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your servant."

He answered, "I’m listening."

18 Then she spoke, saying, "They used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19 I am among those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up Yahweh’s inheritance?"

20 Joab answered, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. 21 The matter is not so. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Just deliver him, and I will depart from the city."

The woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall."

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

23 Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites, 24 Adoram was over the men subject to forced labor, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder, 25 Sheva was scribe, Zadok and Abiathar were priests, 26 and Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.

Te Tutūtanga a Hēpā

1 Nā, i tūpono ki reira tētahi tangata o Periara, ko tōna ingoa ko Hēpā, he tama nā Pikiri, nō Pineamine. Nā, whakatangihia ana e ia te tētere, ā, ka mea,

"Kāhore ō tātou wāhi i a Rāwiri,

kāhore he wāhi tūturu mō tātou i te tama a Hehe!

Ki ō koutou tēneti, e tērā, e tērā o Īharaira!"

2 Nā, ka tākiritia ngā tāngata katoa o Īharaira i te whai i a Rāwiri, ā, whai ana i a Hēpā tama a Pikiri; ko ngā tāngata ia o Hūrā i piri ki tō rātou kīngi, o Horano mai anō a Hiruhārama atu ana.

3 Nā, haere ana a Rāwiri ki tōna whare ki Hiruhārama, ā, ka mau te kīngi ki ngā wāhine kotahi tekau, ki ngā wāhine iti i waiho rā hei tiaki i te whare, ā, whakanohoia ana ki te whare kia tiakina, atawhaitia iho rātou e ia. Otiia, kīhai ia i haere ki roto, ki a rātou. Nā, tūtakina atu ana rātou, he noho pouaru ā taea noatia te rā i mate ai rātou.

4 Kātahi ka mea te kīngi ki a Amaha, "Huihuia mai ngā tāngata o Hūrā ki ahau i roto i ngā rā e toru, ā, me tae mai anō koe ki konei." 5 Nā, haere ana a Amaha ki te huihui i ngā tāngata o Hūrā; otiia i roa atu ia i te wā i whakaritea ki a ia.

6 Nā, ka mea a Rāwiri ki a Āpihai, "Ākuanei rahi atu te kino e mahia e Hēpā tama a Pikiri ki a tātou i tā Apohārama; tangohia ngā tāngata a tōu ariki, whāia, kei whiwhi ia ki ngā pā taiepa, ā, ka ora atu i ō tātou kanohi." 7 Nā, haere ana ngā tāngata a Ioapa i muri i a ia, me ngā Kereti, me ngā Pereti, me ngā mārohirohi katoa; haere atu ana rātou i Hiruhārama ki te whai i a Hēpā tama a Pikiri.

8 I a rātou i te kōhatu nui i Kipeono, ka tae mai a Amaha kia tūtaki ki a rātou. Nā, ko te kākahu i kākahuria e Ioapa, he mea whītiki, ā, i waho ake he whītiki anō, me tētahi hoari, he mea whakamau ki tōna hope, i roto anō i tōna pūkoro; ā, i a ia e haere ana, ka makere.

9 Nā, ka mea a Ioapa ki a Amaha, "Kei te ora rānei koe, e tōku teina?" Nā, ka mau te ringa matau o Ioapa ki te kumikumi o Amaha, kia kihi i a ia. 10 Kīhai ia a Amaha i mahara ki te hoari i te ringa o Ioapa; nā, werohia ana ia e ia ki te kōpū ki taua mea, ā, ka tuakina ōna whēkau ki te whenua, kīhai hoki i tuaruatia e tērā; nā, ka mate ia. Nā, ka whai a Ioapa rāua ko tōna teina, ko Āpihai i a Hēpā tama a Pikiri.

11 Nā, tērā tētahi o ngā taitama a Ioapa i tōna taha e tū ana, ā, ka mea tērā, "Ko te tangata e pai ana ki a Ioapa, ā, ko te tangata e mea ana mō Rāwiri, me whai ia i a Ioapa." 12 Heoi, takoto ana a Amaha, okeoke ana i roto i ōna toto i waenganui o te huarahi. Ā, ka kite taua tangata e tū ana te iwi katoa, nā, ka amohia atu e ia a Amaha i te huarahi ki te pārae, ā, hīpokina iho ana ki te kākahu, i tōna kitenga e tū ana te hunga katoa e tika ana nā reira. 13 Ka oti ia te neke atu i te huarahi, nā, haere ana te iwi katoa i muri i a Ioapa ki te whai i a Hēpā tama a Pikiri.

14 Nā, hāereerea ana e ia ngā iwi katoa o Īharaira, ki Apere, ā, ki Petemaaka, ki ngā Peri katoa; nā, ka huihui rātou katoa, ā, haere ana hoki i muri i a ia. 15 Nā, haere ana rātou, kei te whakapae i a ia ki Apere o Petemaaka, ā, whakahaupūtia ake ana e rātou tētahi pukepuke ki te pā, nā, kua hāngai ki te pekerangi. Nā, kei te āki te nuinga katoa o Ioapa i te taiepa kia hinga. 16 Nā, ka karanga tētahi wahine mōhio i roto i te pā, "Whakarongo mai, whakarongo mai; tēnā, kī atu ki a Ioapa, ‘Whakatata mai ki konei, kia kōrero ai ahau ki a koe.’ " 17 Nā, ka whakatata ia ki a ia; ā, ka mea te wahine, "Ko koe ianei a Ioapa?"

Ka mea tērā, "Tēnei ahau."

Nā, ko te kīanga a tērā ki a ia, "Whakarongo ki ngā kupu a tāu pononga."

Ka whakahokia e ia, "E whakarongo ana."

18 Nā, ka mea tērā, "Ko tā rātou nā kupu onamata, i mea, ‘Me ui rawa rātou he kupu ki Apere’; ā, ka mutu tā rātou i tērā. 19 Nō roto ahau i te hunga āta noho, pono hoki i roto i a Īharaira. E whai ana koe kia whakangaromia he pā, he whaea nō Īharaira; he aha ka horomia ai e koe te wāhi tupu a Ihowā?"

20 Nā, ka whakahokia e Ioapa; i mea ia, "Hore rawa, hore rawa i ahau; ā, kore e horomia, e kore e hunā e ahau. 21 Kāhore āku pērā, engari he tangata tērā nō Maunga Ēparaima, ko tōna ingoa ko Hēpā tama a Pikiri, kua ara tōna ringa ki te kīngi, ki a Rāwiri; hōmai tōna kotahi, ā, ka haere atu ahau i te pā."

Kātahi taua wahine ka mea ki a Ioapa, "Nanā, ka ākiritia atu tōna upoko ki a koe rā runga i te taiepa."

22 Nā, haere ana taua wahine, me tōna whakaaro mōhio, ki te iwi katoa. Nā, pōutoa ana e rātou te upoko o Hēpā tama a Pikiri, makā atu ana ki a Ioapa. Kātahi ia ka whakatangi i te tētere, ā, whakarērea ana e rātou te pā, pakaru noa atu ana ki tōna tēneti, ki tōna tēneti. Ā, hoki ana a Ioapa ki Hiruhārama ki te kīngi.

23 Nā, ko Ioapa te rangatira o te ope katoa o Īharaira; ko Penaia hoki, tama a Iehoiara te rangatira o ngā Kereti rātou ko ngā Pereti; 24 ko Arorama te rangatira takoha; ko Iehohāpata tama a Ahiruru te kaiwhakamahara; 25 ko Hewha te kaituhituhi; ā, ko Hāroko rāua ko Apiātara ngā tohunga; 26 ā, ko Ira Hairi anō hoki he tino kaiwhakahaere nā Rāwiri.