The Rebellion of Sheba
1 Now there happened to be there da worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,
e“We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
fevery man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took gthe ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
4 Then the king said to hAmasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take iyour lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”1 7 And there went out after him Joab’s men and the jCherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand kto kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. lSo Joab struck him with it min the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12 And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. 13 When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14 And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to nAbel of nBeth-maacah,2 and all othe Bichrites3 assembled and followed him in. 15 And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in nAbel of Beth-maacah. pThey cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. 16 Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” 17 And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” 18 Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at nAbel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you qswallow up rthe heritage of the Lord?” 20 Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should qswallow up or destroy! 21 That is not true. But a man of sthe hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people tin her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, uevery man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23 vNow Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 and wAdoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 and Sheva was secretary; and xZadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and yIra the Jairite was also David’s priest.
Final Warnings
1 kThis is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established lby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 mI warned nthose who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that oif I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ pis speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but qis powerful among you. 4 For rhe was crucified in weakness, but slives by the power of God. For twe also are weak in him, but in dealing with you uwe will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. vTest yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that wJesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when xwe are weak and you are strong. Your yrestoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come zI may not have to be asevere in my use of bthe authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers,1 rejoice. cAim for restoration, comfort one another,2 dagree with one another, elive in peace; and the God of love and fpeace will be with you. 12 gGreet one another with a holy kiss. 13 hAll the saints greet you.
14 iThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and jthe love of God and kthe fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
A Lament for Tyre
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Now you, tson of man, uraise a lamentation over Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, who dwells at vthe entrances to the sea, wmerchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:
“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am xperfect in beauty.’
4 Your borders are yin the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.
5 They made all your planks
of fir trees from zSenir;
they took aa cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
6 Of boaks of Bashan
they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
from cthe coasts of Cyprus,
inlaid with ivory.
7 dOf fine embroidered linen from Egypt
was your sail,
serving as your banner;
blue and purple from cthe coasts of Elishah
was your awning.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and eArvad
were your rowers;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you;
they were fyour pilots.
9 The elders of gGebal and her skilled men were in you,
hcaulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
to barter for your wares.
10 i“Persia and jLud and iPut were in your army as your men of war. kThey hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. 11 Men of eArvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made xperfect your beauty.
12 l“Tarshish did mbusiness with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your nwares. 13 oJavan, pTubal, and pMeshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 From qBeth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules rfor your wares. 15 The men of sDedan1 traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16 Syria tdid business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares uemeralds, upurple, vembroidered work, wfine linen, coral, and xruby. 17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise ywheat of zMinnith, meal,2 honey, oil, and abalm. 18 bDamascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and cwool of Sahar 19 and casks of wine3 from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, dcassia, and ecalamus were bartered for your merchandise. 20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of fKedar were your favored dealers fin lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you. 22 The traders of gSheba and gRaamah traded with you; they exchanged hfor your wares ithe best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold. 23 jHaran, Canneh, jEden, traders of Sheba, kAsshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 In your market these traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of lblue and lembroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure. 25 mThe ships of nTarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden oin the heart of the seas.
26 “Your rowers have brought you out
into the high seas.
pThe east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
your mariners and qyour pilots,
ryour caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,
and all your men of war who are in you,
with all your crew
that is in your midst,
sink into the heart of the seas
son the day of your fall.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots
tthe countryside shakes,
29 and down from their ships
ucome all who handle the oar.
The mariners and all the pilots of the sea
stand on the land
30 uand shout aloud over you
and cry out bitterly.
vThey cast dust on their heads
wand wallow in ashes;
31 they xmake themselves bald for you
and put sackcloth on their waist,
and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,
with bitter mourning.
32 In their wailing they yraise a lamentation for you
and lament over you:
z‘Who is like Tyre,
like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares came from the seas,
ayou satisfied many peoples;
with your abundant wealth and merchandise
ayou enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now byou are wrecked by the seas,
in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew in your midst
have sunk with you.
35 cAll the inhabitants of the coastlands
are appalled at you,
and dthe hair of their kings bristles with horror;
their faces are convulsed.
36 eThe merchants among the peoples fhiss at you;
gyou have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.’”
God Will Judge with Equity
To the choirmaster: according to lDo Not Destroy. mA Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is nnear.
We1 recount your wondrous deeds.
2 “At othe set time that I appoint
I will judge pwith equity.
3 When the earth qtotters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its rpillars. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, s‘Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes tlifting up,
7 but it is uGod who executes judgment,
vputting down one and lifting up another.
8 wFor in the hand of the Lord there is xa cup
with foaming wine, ywell mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall zdrain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 aAll the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
bbut the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with cstringed instruments. A Psalm of dAsaph. A Song.
1 In Judah God is eknown;
his name is great in Israel.
2 His fabode has been established in gSalem,
his hdwelling place in Zion.
3 There he ibroke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
jthan the mountains full of kprey.
5 lThe stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
mthey sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both nrider and horse lay stunned.
7 oBut you, you are to be feared!
Who can pstand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
qthe earth feared and was still,
9 when God rarose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10 Surely sthe wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant2 of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11 tMake your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around him ubring gifts
to him who vis to be feared,
12 who wcuts off the spirit of princes,
who xis to be feared by the kings of the earth.
