Sheba Ogbote Dawidi be
1 Mano kozi aza orivoya lau Gilegala ya, ävuruna Sheba, ŋgwa Bikeri ro, nda Benjamina'ba yi. Nda vo cekuṛe te, ago atate ekye:
“Ama teinye vo ako Dawidi be.
Ama teinye vo ako ŋgwa Yisai robe,
Yisaraele'bai! Migo ri ba 'ba amiro yasi!”
2 Ago lidri cini Yisaraele ro e'be Dawidi te, ago soyite Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro vo, oko lidri Yuda ro ni Golo Yaradene yasi le Yerusalema ya soyite 'du 'Bädri'ba Dawidi vo.
3 Ago ondro Dawidi kikyite zo 'desi miri ro ndaro ya Yerusalema ya oko; nda ru 'ditoko ogyeako ndaro se 'butealo se nda ke'bebe vo zo 'desi miri ro ondrene kai te, ago 'ba ànya te vookwa'ba zele. Ago nda ozo ŋga te ànyari, oko u'du kote ànya be. Ago riyite vookwa'bai zele inye madale tu odra ànyaro rosi, uguyi ori te oso ävuzii ronye.
4 'Dooko 'bädri'ba atate Amasa ri ekye: “Mizi manoàgo Yuda ro voaloya ikyine mare u'du nätu ya, ago andivo miro nya'do kpa noŋwa.” 5 Ondro Amasa koyite lidri Yuda ro uzine oko; nda ru tute amba ndrani tuse 'bädri'ba kaka'dabe ndäri drisi. 6 Ago Dawidi atate Abisai ri ekye: “Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro ozona rriti ndi ndra ämäri ni Abisolomo drisi. Ka'do inye miru ruindu'bai ma opi miro ro ago miso nda vo, ukyi nda uru 'ba'desi se abebe ṛatara ro 'da andivo ndaro ri, ago opavo 'da ni ämäri.” 7 Ago Yoaba ndi Kerete'ba be ndi vookwa'bai Pelete'ba robe soyi kpate Abisai vo, ndi kyila'bai cini be; ànya foyite tesi ni Yerusalema yasi osone Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro vo. 8 Ondro ànya kesayite kuni 'desi se Gibeona ya ana pa oko, Amasa 'be drî te ànya yibe. Ago Yoaba so boŋgo kyila rote, ago so bando te foro ya embete kyini kundu ndaro ya. Ago ondro nda kate efo mileya oko, bando e'dete ni foro yasi. 9 Ago Yoaba atate Amasa ri ekye: “Oko nya'do gwo eŋwonyeya ädrupi maro?” Ago Yoaba ru Amasa te tivu yasi drigwo ndaro si nda njunjune. 10 Oko Amasa ndre bando se drì Yoaba roya ana kote; ago Yoaba 'di Amasa te sina ya ya, ago lakazà yasi ndaro i'durute vuru gyini dri ago nda drate, teinye u'di ṛiri aza u'di ako.
'Dooko Abisai ndi ädrupi ndaro Yoaba be soyite Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro vo. 11 Ago mano alo aza Yoaba ro edrete avo Amasa ro dri, ago atate ekye: “Nda se kole Yoaba be, ago nda se orivoya Dawidi ro, mi'ba nda koso Yoaba vo.” 12 Ago Amasa u'dute ruŋgoṛi ŋgoṛi ro kari iro ya liti 'desi dri. Ago 'dise kabe lävu nasi, ndreyi nda te oko, edreyite. Ago ondro nda kondrete lidri cini kate edre oko, nda ŋgyi avo Amasa ro teni liti 'desi drisi le cowa ago vo boŋgo te nda dri. 13 Ondro äŋgyi avo teni liti 'desi drisi oko lidri cini oyite Yoaba vo osone Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro vo.
14 Ago Sheba lävute wari 'bakala cini Yisaraele ro ro yasi ago ikyite le 'bakici Abele Beta Maka ro ya; ago Bikeri'bai mbikalate, ago soyite nda vo 'bakici ya. 15 Ago manoàgo se cini Yoaba be ikyiyite ago muyidri Sheba ro te Abele Beta Maka ya. Ànya beyi gyini te donjo tiṛi 'bakici ro tesisi 'do lomvosi, ago uguyi vo u'di te tiṛi zelesi tana ko'de robe vuru. 16 Toko tavouni'ba aza ni 'bakici yasi trete ni tiṛi drisi ekye: “Nyeri! Nyeri! Nyata Yoaba ri ikyine noŋwa, tana male atane nda be.” 17 Ago Yoaba ikyite loto anya re; ago toko ana atate ekye: “Inye'do mi Yoaba owo ya?”
Yoaba zatadrite ekye: “Ma owo.”
'Dooko anya atate ndäri ekye: “Nyeri ata ma ruindu'ba miro ro.”
Ago nda zatadrite ekye: “Ma erina.”
18 'Dooko toko ana atate ekye: “Tuse kyeno ana si ata aza atate ekye: ‘Nyoyi Abele ya ta tadriozaro ta;’ ago 'do ni ŋgase ànya koyeyi be owo. 19 Ma ni alo aza ànya se orivoya liatokpero ago 'diri ro Yisaraele ya owo. Nya 'bakici se orivoya endrero Yisaraele ya ono ufuna etaya! Mile gwo drimbi OPI ro perene etaya?”
20 Ago Yoaba zatadrite ekye: “Ma i'do ta 'do ya, ma i'do kigye, märi 'bakici perene kode ufune i'do! 21 'Do ko taŋgye yi. Mano aza 'bädri lutu ro Eperaima ro ro, äzite Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro, ogbote 'Bädri'ba Dawidi be. Nyozo mano se alodi ono ämäri, ago meŋgyena ma 'da ni 'bakici lomvosi.”
Ago toko ana atate Yoaba ri ekye: “Mindre, mevona drî ndaro 'da miri tiṛidri yasi.” 22 'Dooko toko ana oyite lidri 'bakici ro re tavouni anyaro si. Ago ànya täṛiyi drî Sheba ŋgwa Bikeri ro rote, ago evoyite tesi Yoaba ri. Ndi Yoaba vo cekuṛe te, ago ànya pererute ni 'bakici lomvosi, ago mano alo gote kovole 'ba iro ya. Ago Yoaba gote Yerusalema ya 'bädri'ba re.
Dri'bai Losi Oyero Miri Dawidi ro ro
23 Yoaba ni otaozo'ba kyila'bai cini Yisaraele ro ro; ago Benaya ŋgwa Yoyada ro ni otaozo'ba Kerete'bai ndi Pelete'bai be ro; 24 ago Adorama ni dri'ba losi'bai se o'bana losi oyene mbarasi ro, Yosapata ŋgwa Ailuda ro ni kala egyi'ba yi; 25 ago Seva ni egyi'ba Vureope'bai ro; ago Zadoka ndi Abiatara be ni kohanii; 26 ago Ira ni 'ba'desi Jaira ro yasi kpa ni alo aza kohanii Dawidi ro ro.
Sheba's Rebellion
1 There happened to be in Gilgal a worthless character named Sheba son of Bikri, of the tribe of Benjamin. He blew the trumpet and called out, “Down with David! We won't follow him! Men of Israel, let's go home!” 2 So the Israelites deserted David and went with Sheba, but the men of Judah remained loyal and followed David from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 When David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace, and put them under guard. He provided for their needs, but did not have intercourse with them. They were kept confined for the rest of their lives, living like widows.
4 The king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together and be back here with them by the day after tomorrow.” 5 Amasa went to call them, but he did not get back by the time the king had told him to. 6 So the king said to Abishai, “Sheba will give us more trouble than Absalom. Take my men and go after him, or else he may occupy some fortified towns and escape from us.” 7 So Joab's men, the royal bodyguards, and all the other soldiers left Jerusalem with Abishai to go after Sheba. 8 When they reached the large rock at Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was dressed for battle, with a sword in its sheath fastened to his belt. As he came forward, the sword fell out. 9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my friend?” and took hold of his beard with his right hand in order to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on guard against the sword that Joab was holding in his other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the belly, and his insides spilled out on the ground. He died immediately, and Joab did not have to strike again.
Then Joab and his brother Abishai went on after Sheba. 11 One of Joab's men stood by Amasa's body and called out, “Everyone who is for Joab and David follow Joab!” 12 Amasa's body, covered with blood, was lying in the middle of the road. Joab's man saw that everybody was stopping, so he dragged the body from the road out into the field and threw a blanket over it. 13 After the body had been removed from the road, everyone followed Joab in pursuit of Sheba.
14 Sheba passed through the territory of all the tribes of Israel and came to the city of Abel Beth Maacah, and all the members of the clan of Bikri assembled and followed him into the city. 15 Joab's men heard that Sheba was there, and so they went and besieged the city. They built ramps of earth against the outer wall and also began to dig under the wall to make it fall down. 16 There was a wise woman in the city who shouted from the wall, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here; I want to speak with him.” 17 Joab went, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
“Listen to me, sir,” she said.
“I'm listening,” he answered.
18 She said, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Go and get your answer in the city of Abel’—and that's just what they did. 19 Ours is a great city, one of the most peaceful and loyal in Israel. Why are you trying to destroy it? Do you want to ruin what belongs to the Lord?”
20 “Never!” Joab answered. “I will never ruin or destroy your city! 21 That is not our plan. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, who is from the hill country of Ephraim, started a rebellion against King David. Hand over this one man, and I will withdraw from the city.”
“We will throw his head over the wall to you,” she said. 22 Then she went to the people of the city with her plan, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall to Joab. He blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to leave the city, and they went back home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
David's Officials
23 Joab was in command of the army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; 24 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records; 25 Sheva was the court secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests, 26 and Ira from the town of Jair was also one of David's priests.