7. So Abishai and Joab, together with the king’s bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.
8. As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing his military tunic with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.
9. “How are you, my cousin?” Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.
10. Amasa didn’t notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it so that his insides gushed out onto the ground. Joab did not need to strike again, and Amasa soon died. Joab and his brother Abishai left him lying there and continued after Sheba.
11. One of Joab’s young men shouted to Amasa’s troops, “If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab.”
12. But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab’s man saw that everyone was stopping to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him.
13. With Amasa’s body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba son of Bicri.
14. Meanwhile, Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and eventually came to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the members of his own clan, the Bicrites, assembled for battle and followed him into the town.
15. When Joab’s forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town’s fortifications and began battering down the wall.
16. But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, “Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you.”
17. As he approached, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?”“I am,” he replied.So she said, “Listen carefully to your servant.”“I’m listening,” he said.
18. Then she continued, “There used to be a saying, ‘If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.’