1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, and his name was Seven, i son of Bichri, ii a man of a Jaminite. iii And he blew in the horn and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in Jesse's son. Each to his tents, Israel.” 2 And every man of Israel went up from after David, after Seven, son of Bichri. And Judah's men clung to their king, from the Jordan and unto Jerusalem.
3 And David went in to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, concubines whom he left to keep the house, and gave them to a guarded house and provided for them and did not go in to them. And they were shut up until the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4 And the king said to Amasa, “Call together Judah's men, three days, and you stand here.” 5 And Amasa went to call together Judah and delayed from the appointed time that he had appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now, Seven, son of Bichri, will do us more harm than Absalom. You, take your lords' servants and pursue after him, lest he find fortified cities and escape our eye.” 7 And Joab's men, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and all the mighty men went out after him. And they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Seven, son of Bichri.
8 They were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, and Amasa came in before them. And Joab was girded with his garment, his clothing, and upon him was a belt with a sword in a sheath bound upon his hips, and he went out; and she fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is there peace with you, my brother?” And Joab's right had grabbed Amasa's beard to kiss him. 10 And Amasa was not watchful about the sword that was in Joab's hand, and he struck him with her to the belly. And his organs poured out to land, and he did not do it again to him; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Seven, son of Bichri.
11 And a man stood by him from Joab's young men, and he said, “Whoever delights in Joab and whoever is David's, after Joab.” 12 And Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And the man saw that all the people stood. And he turned Amasa aside from the highway to the field and threw over him a garment, when he saw everyone who came upon him stood still. 13 When he was removed from the highway, every man passed on after Joab to pursue after Seven, son of Birchi.
14 And he passed through all Israel's tribes to Mourning iv and House of Maachah and all the Berites. v So, they were assembled vi and also went after him. 15 And they came and besieged him at Mourning, House of Maachah. And they poured out a mound to the city and it stood at the rampart, and all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to cause it to fall.
16 And a wise woman from the city called out, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, 'Draw near to here, and I will speak to you.'” 17 And he drew near to her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” And he said, “I am.” And she said to him, “Hear words of your maid-servant.” And he said, “I'm listening.” 18 And she spoke, saying, “Indeed, they spoke in the past, saying, 'They surely ask in Mourning.' And thus they finish. 19 I am among the peaceful and faithful of Israel. You are seeking to kill vii a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up Yehvah's inheritance?”
20 And Joab answered and said, “Far be it. Far be it for me, if I should swallow up and if I should destroy. 21 The matter is not so. For a man from mount Ephraim, Seven, son of Bichri, is his name. He has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him up by himself, and I will go from against the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 And the woman in her wisdom went to all the people, and they cut off the head of Seven, son of Bichri; and they threw to Joab. And he blew in the horn, and they scattered from upon the city each to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23 And Joab was over all Israel's army, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, over the Carites viii and the Pelethites, 24 and Adoram ix over the slavery, and Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, the recorder, 25 and Sheya x scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar priests, 26 and also Ira xi the Jairite was priest xii to David. xiii
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.
- שֶׁבַע (sheva`) “Seven” (e.g. same word as in 2 Samuel 5:5 “seven”); NKJV, etc. “Sheba” - found also in 2 Samuel 20:2, 6-7, 10, 13, 20-21. Also, for a Gadite in 1 Chronicles 5:13; and a location in Joshua 19:2. ^
- בִּכְרִי (bikhriy) “Bichri” - found also in 2 Samuel 20:2, 6-7, 10, 13, 21-22. ^
- יְמִינִי (yemiyniy) “Jaminite” = “Benjamite” - see footnote for 1 Samuel 9:1. ^
- אָבֵלָה (âvêlâh) “to Mourning” - see footnote for Genesis 50:11. ^
- בֵּרִים (bêriym) “Berites” - only here. ^
- Written יִּקָּלְהוּ (yiqâlhu) “they were lightly esteemed” or “roasted”; read יִּקָּהֲלוּ (yiqqâhalu) “they were assembled” ^
- לְהָמִית (lehâmiyt) “to kill” CEB, “destroy” NKJV, YLT – same exact word as in e.g. Exodus 17:3 NKJV “to kill.” ^
- Written כּרְיִ (kâri) “Carites” LEB – found also in 2 Kings 11:4, 19; Read “Cherethites” NKJV, etc. ^
- אֲדֹרָם (adorâm) “Adoram” - found also in 1 Kings 12:18 (//2 Chronicles 10:18 הֲדֹרָם [hadorâm] “Hadoram”) ^
- Written שֵׁיָא (shêyâ') “Sheya” only here; Read שְׁוָא (shevâ') “Sheva” - found also in 1 Chronicles 2:49. ^
- עִירָא (iyrâ') “Ira” - found also in 2 Samuel 23:26, 38; 1 Chronicles 11:28, 40; 27:9. ^
- כֹהֵן (khohên) “priest” NAS; “minister” YLT; “chief minister” NKJV; “chief ruler” KJV ^
- לְדָוִד (ledâvid) “to David” YLT, NAS; “under David” NKJV; “about David” KJV ^
And she added to bearing, his brother, Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a worker of the ground. -- “Abel” - הָבֶל (hâvel) - In the Greek New Testament Abel (abel, abel) is found in Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51; Hebrews 11:4; 12:24). In the Hebrew, this name is only found in Genesis 4, in 1 Samuel 6:18 for a stone, and in 2 Samuel 20:14-18 for the name of a town.