5. Joab then came to the king, and said, Thou hast affronted, this day, all thy servants, who have saved thy life, and those of thy sons and daughters, and of thy wives and concubines; 6. By shewing love to thine enemies, and hate to thy friends: for thou hast shewn this day, that thou regardest neither chiefs nor servants; for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and we all had died, it had pleased thee well. 7. Now, therefore, arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to thy servants; for I swear by the Eternal, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night; and that will be worse to thee than all the evil that befel thee from thy youth until now.

8. Then he arose, and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, Lo, the king sits in the gate. Then they all came before him; for all Israel had fled to their homes.

9. Now all the people reproached each other thro' all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us from our enemies; he delivered us from the Philistines; but now he is fled out of the land for Absalom. 10. And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle? now, therefore, why are ye silent about bringing the king back?

11.Then king David sent to Zadok, and Abiathar, the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah thus, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house, seeing the purpose of all Israel is come to the king. 12. Ye are my brethren, my bones and my flesh: why then are ye the last to bring the king back? 13. Say ye also to Amasa, Art thour not my bone, and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not chief captain of the host under me henceforth in the room of Joab.

14. Thus he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah to a man; so that they sent to the king, saying, Return thou, and all thy servants. 15. So the king returned to Jordan. And Judah came to Gil

gal, to meet him, and conduct him over Jordan.

16. Shimei too, the forementioned Gera's son, a Benjaminite, of Bahurim, hasted to come down with the men of Judah. 17. Accompanied with a thousand men of Benjamin, and Ziba, servant of Saul's house, with his fifteen sons, and his twenty servants; who went over Jordan before the king. 18. And were very useful in bringing over the king's household, and to do what was pleasing to him. Then Shimei, Gera's son, fell down before the king as he came over Jordan; 19. Saying, Let not my lord impute my guilt to me, nor resent the injury which thy servant did to thee, the day my lord king went out of Jerusalem, let not the king regard it. 20. For thy servant is conscious of his crime, therefore, behold, I come first this day of all Joseph's house, to meet my lord king. 21. But Abishai, Zeruiah's son, said, Shall not Shimei be put to death, because he reviled the Eternal's anointed? 29. Then David said, Why will ye concern yourselves with mine affairs, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day make me odious? There shall no man be put to death this day in Israel; for I know that I am this day king over Israel. 23. Therefore the king said to Shimei,

Thou shalt not die: and he sware to him.

24. Then Mephibosheth, Saul's son, came to meet the king, having neither bathed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed till the day of his safe return. 25. And being come from Jerusalem to meet the king, he said to Mephibosheth, Why wentest thou not with me? 26. He answered, My lord king, my servant betrayed me; for thy servant said, because I am lame, I will saddle me an ass to ride on, and go to the king. 27. But he slandered thy servant to my lord king; but my lord king is like an angel of God: do then what pleaseth thee. 28. For all my father's house deserved death from my lord king; yet thou didst set thy servant among them.

that ate at thine own table; what further right, then, have I to complain to the king? 29. The king replied, Speak no more of the matter? I said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. 30. Then Mephibosheth said, Yea, let him take all, since my lord king is returned safely home.

31. Barzillai, the Gileadite, also came from Rogelim, to go over Jordan with the king, and conduct him over. 32. Now he was very old, being in his eightieth year; he supplied the king while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very wealthy man. 33. Then the king said to him, Come over with me, and I will supply thee with me at Jerusalem. 34. But Barzillai said, How long have I to live, that I should go with thee to Jerusalem? 35. I am this day eighty years old; and can I discern good or bad? can thy servant relish what I eat or drink? can I attend any more to the voice of men and women singers? why then should thy servant be further burdensome to my lord king? 36. Thy servant will just cross the Jordan with the king; for why would he recompense me with such a reward? 37. Let thy servant, I pray thee, return, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and mother: but, lo, let thy servant Chimham go along with my lord king, and do to him what pleaseth thee. 38. Then the king answered, Chimham shall go with me, and I will do to him whatever seems good to thee: and whatever thou shalt desire for thyself, that I will do it.

39. Then all the people went over Jordan. And the king being come over, he embraced Barzillai, and blessed him; so he returned to his own place. 40. Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham accompanied him. Thus far all Judah, and part of Israel, conducted the king.

41. When lo, all the Israelites came to the king, and said, Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen thee away, and without us brought the king,

and his household, and all his adherents, over Jordan? 42. Then all the men of Judah answered those of Israel, Because the king is our near kinsman; why then are ye angry for this? have we eaten at all of the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift? 43. Then the men of Israel answered them of Judah, We have ten shares in the king, so we are more interested for David than ye; why then did ye so slight us, that our advice should not be first had about bringing back our king? but by words the men of Judah were overbearing the men of Israel,

CHAP. XX.

SHEBA MAKes a rebelLION.

Now there happened to be a turbulent man, named Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, who blew a trumpet, and said, We have no share in David, nor portion in Jesse's son; every man to his own home, O Israel. 2. So every man of Israel forsook David, and followed Sheba, son of Bichri; but the men of Judah kept close to their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

3. When David came to his house at Jerusalem, he took the ten concubine wives, whom he left to keep his house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in to them; so they lived as widows, shut up to the day of their death.

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

5. So Amasa went to do it; but he tarried longer than the time appointed. 6. Then David said to Joab, Now Sheba, son of Bichri, may do us more harm than Absalom; take thy lord's servants, and pursue him, lest he get possession of fenced cities, and evade our search.

7. So Joab and his men went after him, with the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty

men, from Jerusalem, in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri. 8. When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them; and Joab having his gar. ment girded with a sword hanging at his side, in its sheath, in going along it fell out.

9. Then he said to Amasa, Art thou well, my brother and took him by the beard with the right hand to kiss it. 10, But Amasa observed not the sword in Joab's other hand; so he smote him there, with at the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels on the ground; he died without striking again. Joab and Abishai his brother then pursued Sheba, son of Bichri. 11. Now one of Joab's men stood by Amasa, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab. 12. Now Amasa, weltered in his blood on the highway; but the man seeing all the people that came up to him, stop and stand still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth over him. 13. So being removed from the highway, all the people went after Joab, to pursue Sheba, son of Bichri. 14, Who went through ail the tribes of Israel to Abel, Bethmaachah; and all the discontented, who were gathered, and went after him. 15. So they came and besieged him in Abel Bethmaachah; and cast up a mound against the outer wall of the city, and it stood in the fort; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall to make it fall.

16. Then a wise woman cried from the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, to Joab, come hither, that I may speak with thee. 1.And being come near, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. Then she said, Hearken to the words of thine handmaid. He answered, I hear. 18. Then she said, They were wont to say in old time, Enquire well, then shall ye surely act well. 19. We are peaceable and faithful Israelites, thou seekest to destroy a mother city in Israel; why wilt thou devour the Eternal's inheritance? 20. Then Joab replied,