1. And a man of Belial happened to be there, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Jemini, and he blew the shofar, saying, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel.
2. So all the men of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah cleaved unto their king from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.
3. And when David came to his house at Jerusalem, the king took the ten women, his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward and fed them, but did not go in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4. Then the king said to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah for the third day, and be thou here present.
5. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah, but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
6. And David said to Abishai, Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, shall do us more harm than Absalom; take thou thy lord’s slaves and pursue after him lest he find fenced cities and escape us.
7. Then Joab’s men went out after him, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri.
8. When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came out and met them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in its sheath, and as he went forth, it fell out.
9. And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in peace, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.