Samuelis II 20

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Accidit quoque ut ibi esset vir Belial, nomine Seba, filius Bochri, vir Jemineus : et cecinit buccina, et ait : Non est nobis pars in David, neque hæreditas in filio Isai : revertere in tabernacula tua, Israël.	1 Now there happened to be a scoundrel there called Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, who soundedthe trumpet and shouted: We have no share in David, we have no heritage in the son of Jesse. Every man to histents, O Israel!
2 Et separatus est omnis Israël a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri : viri autem Juda adhæserunt regi suo a Jordane usque Jerusalem.	2 At this al the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judahstuck close to their king, from the Jordan al the way to Jerusalem.
3 Cumque venisset rex in domum suam in Jerusalem, tulit decem mulieres concubinas quas dereliquerat ad custodiendam domum, et tradidit eas in custodiam, alimenta eis præbens : et non est ingressus ad eas, sed erant clausæ usque in diem mortis suæ in viduitate viventes.	3 David returned to his palace in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines, whom he had left to lookafter the palace, and put them under guard. He provided for their upkeep but never went near them again; theywere shut away until the day they died, widows, as it were, of a living man.
4 Dixit autem rex Amasæ : Convoca mihi omnes viros Juda in diem tertium, et tu adesto præsens.	4 The king said to Amasa, 'Summon me the men of Judah and be here yourself within three days.'
5 Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Judam, et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat rex.	5 Amasa went off to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time fixed by David.
6 Ait autem David ad Abisai : Nunc magis afflicturus est nos Seba filius Bochri quam Absalom : tolle igitur servos domini tui, et persequere eum, ne forte inveniat civitates munitas, et effugiat nos.	6 David then said to Abishai, 'Sheba son of Bichri is now in a position to do us more damage even thanAbsalom. Take your master's retainers and be after him, before he can reach any fortified towns and elude us.'
7 Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Joab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi : et omnes robusti exierunt de Jerusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.	7 Joab, the Cherethites, the Pelethites and al the champions took the field under Abishai, setting offfrom Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.
8 Cumque illi essent juxta lapidem grandem qui est in Gabaon, Amasa veniens occurrit eis. Porro Joab vestitus erat tunica stricta ad mensuram habitus sui, et desuper accinctus gladio dependente usque ad ilia, in vagina, qui fabricatus levi motu egredi poterat, et percutere.	8 They were near the great stone at Gibeon when Amasa met them, coming the other way. Joab waswearing his uniform, over which he had buckled on a sword hanging from his waist in its scabbard; the swordcame out and fel .
9 Dixit itaque Joab ad Amasam : Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasæ, quasi osculans eum.	9 Joab said to Amasa, 'Are you well, brother?' and, with his right hand, took Amasa by the beard to kisshim.
10 Porro Amasa non observavit gladium quem habebat Joab : qui percussit eum in latere, et effudit intestina ejus in terram, nec secundum vulnus apposuit : et mortuus est. Joab autem, et Abisai frater ejus, persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri.	10 Amasa paid no attention to the sword, which Joab had now picked up, and Joab struck him with it inthe bel y, spil ing his entrails al over the ground. He did not need to strike a second blow; and Amasa died, whileJoab and Abishai hurried on in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.
11 Interea quidam viri, cum stetissent juxta cadaver Amasæ, de sociis Joab, dixerunt : Ecce qui esse voluit pro Joab comes David.	11 One of Joab's men stood on guard beside Amasa, shouting, 'Whoever is on Joab's side, whoever isfor David, fol ow Joab!'
12 Amasa autem conspersus sanguine jacebat in media via. Vidit hoc quidam vir, quod subsisteret omnis populus ad videndum eum, et amovit Amasam de via in agrum, operuitque eum vestimento, ne subsisterent transeuntes propter eum.	12 Amasa meanwhile lay wal owing in his blood in the middle of the road. Seeing that everyone wasstopping, the man dragged Amasa off the road into the field and threw a cloak over him, having realised thateveryone passing would stop.
13 Amoto ergo illo de via, transibat omnis vir sequens Joab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.	13 Once Amasa had been taken off the road, the men all carried on, fol owing Joab in pursuit of Shebason of Bichri.
14 Porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israël in Abelam et Bethmaacha : omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.	14 Sheba crossed al the tribes of Israel as far as Abel Beth-Maacah, and the Bichrites al . . . Theyformed up and fol owed him.
15 Venerunt itaque, et oppugnabant eum in Abela et in Bethmaacha, et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem, et obsessa est urbs : omnis autem turba quæ erat cum Joab, moliebatur destruere muros.	15 Laying siege to him in Abel Beth-Maacah, they threw up a ramp against the outer wal of the town,
16 Et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate : Audite, audite : dicite Joab : Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.	16 while the whole army accompanying Joab undermined the wal to bring it down. A quick-wittedwoman shouted from the town, 'Listen!
17 Qui cum accessisset ad eam, ait illi : Tu es Joab ? Et ille respondit : Ego. Ad quem sic locuta est : Audi sermones ancillæ tuæ. Qui respondit : Audio.	17 Listen! Say to Joab, "Come here, I want to speak to you." ' He came forward, and the woman said,'Are you Joab?' 'I am', he replied. She said, 'Listen to what your servant says.' 'I am listening,' he replied.
18 Rursumque illa : Sermo, inquit, dicebatur in veteri proverbio : Qui interrogant, interrogent in Abela : et sic perficiebant.	18 She then spoke as follows, 'In olden days people used to say, "Abel and Dan are where you shouldenquire
19 Nonne ego sum quæ respondeo veritatem in Israël, et tu quæris subvertere civitatem et evertere matrem in Israël ? quare præcipitas hæreditatem Domini ?	19 whether a tradition established by the faithful of Israel has final y died out." And yet you are trying todestroy a town, a metropolis of Israel. Why do you want to devour Yahweh's heritage?'
20 Respondensque Joab, ait : Absit, absit hoc a me : non præcipito, neque demolior.	20 'The last thing I want to do', said Joab, 'is either to devour or to destroy.
21 Non sic se habet res, sed homo de monte Ephraim, Seba filius Bochri cognomine, levavit manum suam contra regem David : tradite illum solum, et recedemus a civitate. Et ait mulier ad Joab : Ecce caput ejus mittetur ad te per murum.	21 This is not the issue; a man from the highlands of Ephraim, cal ed Sheba son of Bichri, has revoltedagainst the king, against David. Hand that one man over and I wil raise the siege of the town.' 'Very wel ,' thewoman said to Joab, 'his head wil be thrown over the wal to you.'
22 Ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum, et locuta est eis sapienter : qui abscissum caput Seba filii Bochri projecerunt ad Joab. Et ille cecinit tuba, et recesserunt ab urbe, unusquisque in tabernacula sua : Joab autem reversus est Jerusalem ad regem.	22 The woman went and spoke to al the people as her wisdom dictated. They cut off the head of Shebason of Bichri and threw it down to Joab. He had the trumpet sounded and they withdrew from the town and allwent home, while Joab himself went back to the king in Jerusalem.
23 Fuit ergo Joab super omnem exercitum Israël : Banaias autem filius Jojadæ super Cerethæos et Phelethæos :	23 Joab commanded the whole army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada commanded the Cherethites andPelethites;
24 Aduram vero super tributa : porro Josaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis :	24 Adoram was in charge of forced labour; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was herald;
25 Siva autem, scriba : Sadoc vero et Abiathar, sacerdotes.	25 Shiya was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26 Ira autem Jairites erat sacerdos David.	26 also: Ira the Jairite was David's priest.