It chanced that there was a turbulent fellow there, called Seba, son of Bochri, from Benjamin, who now sounded his trumpet and raised the cry: David, then, is none of ours; not for us the son of Jesse; go back, men of Israel, to your homes!

Accidit quoque ut ibi esset vir Belial, nomine Seba, filius Bochri, vir Jemineus: et cecinit buccina, et ait: Non est nobis pars in David, neque hæreditas in filio Isai: revertere in tabernacula tua, Israël.

And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Seba, the son of Bochri, a man of Jemini: and he sounded the trumpet, and said: We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Isai: return to thy dwellings, O Israel.

Thereupon all the Israelites parted from David’s company, and marched away with Seba, son of Bochri; it was only the men of Juda that escorted David all the way from Jordan to Jerusalem.

Et separatus est omnis Israël a David, secutusque est Seba filium Bochri: viri autem Juda adhæserunt regi suo a Jordane usque Jerusalem.

And all Israel departed from David, and followed Seba the son of Bochri: but the men of Juda stuck to their king from the Jordan unto Jerusalem.

So the king came home. As for the ten concubines he had left in charge of the palace, he shut these away, giving them their allowance of food still, but never again having commerce with them; they remained shut away in their widowhood as long as they lived.

Cumque venisset rex in domum suam in Jerusalem, tulit decem mulieres concubinas quas dereliquerat ad custodiendam domum, et tradidit eas in custodiam, alimenta eis præbens: et non est ingressus ad eas, sed erant clausæ usque in diem mortis suæ in viduitate viventes.

And when the king was come into his house at Jerusalem, he took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, allowing them provisions: and he went not in unto them, but they were shut up unto the day of their death living in widowhood.

And now the king said to Amasa, Muster all the warriors of Juda, three days from now, and present thyself here with them.

Dixit autem rex Amasæ: Convoca mihi omnes viros Juda in diem tertium, et tu adesto præsens.

And the king said to Amasa: Assemble to me all the men of Juda against the third day, and be thou here present.

Amasa went to muster them, but dallied beyond the time which the king had named;

Abiit ergo Amasa ut convocaret Judam, et moratus est extra placitum quod ei constituerat rex.

So Amasa went to assemble the men of Juda, but he tarried beyond the set time which the king had appointed him.

and David said to Abisai, This Seba, son of Bochri, will do us more harm than ever Absalom did. Take the royal troops with thee, and go in pursuit of him; or he will find refuge within city walls and escape us.

Ait autem David ad Abisai: Nunc magis afflicturus est nos Seba filius Bochri quam Absalom: tolle igitur servos domini tui, et persequere eum, ne forte inveniat civitates munitas, et effugiat nos.

And David said to Abisai: Now will Seba the son of Bochri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou therefore the servants of thy lord, and pursue after him, lest he find fenced cities, and escape us.

So in pursuit of Seba they went, under Abisai’s command, Joab’s men, and the Cerethites and Phelethites, and all the picked warriors in Jerusalem;

Egressi sunt ergo cum eo viri Joab, Cerethi quoque et Phelethi: et omnes robusti exierunt de Jerusalem ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.

So Joab’s men went out with him, and the Cerethi and the Phelethi: and all the valiant men went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Seba the son of Bochri.

and when they reached the great stone of Gabaon, they fell in with Amasa. Joab was there, clad in a tight-fitting cloak of the same length as his coat, and girt with a dagger whose sheath only reached to his loins, such that he could draw it easily and strike.

Cumque illi essent juxta lapidem grandem qui est in Gabaon, Amasa veniens occurrit eis. Porro Joab vestitus erat tunica stricta ad mensuram habitus sui, et desuper accinctus gladio dependente usque ad ilia, in vagina, qui fabricatus levi motu egredi poterat, et percutere.

And when they were at the great stone which is in Gabaon, Amasa coming met them. And Joab had on a close coat of equal length with his habit, and over it was girded with a sword hanging down to his flank, in a scabbard, made in such manner as to come out with the least motion and strike.

Greetings to thee, brother, said Joab, and with that he clapped his right hand under Amasa’s chin, as if he would kiss him;

Dixit itaque Joab ad Amasam: Salve mi frater. Et tenuit manu dextera mentum Amasæ, quasi osculans eum.

And Joab said to Amasa: God save thee, my brother. And he took Amasa by the chin with his right hand to kiss him.

then, with the dagger that had gone unmarked, he struck him in the side, and spilt his entrails on the ground, so that he died without a second blow. After this, Joab and his brother Abisai continued their pursuit of Seba, son of Bochri.

Porro Amasa non observavit gladium quem habebat Joab: qui percussit eum in latere, et effudit intestina ejus in terram, nec secundum vulnus apposuit: et mortuus est. Joab autem, et Abisai frater ejus, persecuti sunt Seba filium Bochri.

But Amasa did not take notice of the sword, which Joab had, and he struck him in the side, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and gave him not a second wound, and he died. And Joab, and Abisai his brother pursued after Seba the son of Bochri.

And among Joab’s men, that stood beside the body, the word went round, Here he lies that would have been David’s chosen friend in place of Joab.

Interea quidam viri, cum stetissent juxta cadaver Amasæ, de sociis Joab, dixerunt: Ecce qui esse voluit pro Joab comes David.

In the mean time some men of Joab’s company stopping at the dead body of Amasa, said: Behold he that would have been in Joab’s stead the companion of David.

There Amasa lay, drenched in his own blood, till one who saw all the passers-by stopping to look at him, carried the body off into a field, away from the road; so they would halt on their journey no more.

Amasa autem conspersus sanguine jacebat in media via. Vidit hoc quidam vir, quod subsisteret omnis populus ad videndum eum, et amovit Amasam de via in agrum, operuitque eum vestimento, ne subsisterent transeuntes propter eum.

And Amasa imbrued with blood, lay in the midst of the way. A certain man saw this that all the people stood still to look upon him, so he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and covered him with a garment, that they who passed might not stop on his account.

And sure enough, when it had been taken aside from the road, all were ready to follow Joab in pursuit of Seba, the son of Bochri.

Amoto ergo illo de via, transibat omnis vir sequens Joab ad persequendum Seba filium Bochri.

And when he was removed out of the way, all the people went on following Joab to pursue after Seba the son of Bochri.

Seba had gone through all the tribes of Israel, till he reached Abela that is called Beth-Maacha; and all their choicest warriors had rallied to him.

Porro ille transierat per omnes tribus Israël in Abelam et Bethmaacha: omnesque viri electi congregati fuerant ad eum.

Now he had passed through all the tribes of Israel unto Abela and Bethmaacha: and all the chosen men were gathered together unto him.

So to Abela Beth-Maacha they went, and besieged him there, surrounding the city with works, so that it was quite cut off; nor did Joab’s men spare any pains to make a breach in the wall.

Venerunt itaque, et oppugnabant eum in Abela et in Bethmaacha, et circumdederunt munitionibus civitatem, et obsessa est urbs: omnis autem turba quæ erat cum Joab, moliebatur destruere muros.

And they came, and besieged him in Abela, and in Bethmaacha, and they cast up works round the city, and the city was besieged: and all the people that were with Joab, laboured to throw down the walls.

But now a wise woman cried out from within the city, A word with you, a word with you! Bid Joab come here, and let me speak to him.

Et exclamavit mulier sapiens de civitate: Audite, audite: dicite Joab: Appropinqua huc, et loquar tecum.

And a wise woman cried out from the city: Hear, hear, and say to Joab: Come near hither, and I will speak with thee.

Thou art Joab? she asked, as he came near; and when he answered to the name, Listen, she besought him, to what thy handmaid has to say. Listen I will, said he.

Qui cum accessisset ad eam, ait illi: Tu es Joab? Et ille respondit: Ego. Ad quem sic locuta est: Audi sermones ancillæ tuæ. Qui respondit: Audio.

And when he was come near to her, she said to him: Art thou Joab? And he answered: I am. And she spoke thus to him: Hear the words of thy handmaid. He answered: I do hear.

There is an old proverb, she told him, that says, They who ask counsel must ask it at Abela; and so they did.

Rursumque illa: Sermo, inquit, dicebatur in veteri proverbio: Qui interrogant, interrogent in Abela: et sic perficiebant.

And she again said: A saying was used in the old proverb: They that inquire, let them inquire in Abela: and so they made an end.

Here dwells a woman that tells Israelites the truth; and wouldst thou overthrow such a city, a mother-city in Israel? Why wouldst thou bring ruin on the Lord’s chosen land?

Nonne ego sum quæ respondeo veritatem in Israël, et tu quæris subvertere civitatem et evertere matrem in Israël? quare præcipitas hæreditatem Domini?

Am not I she that answer truth in Israel, and thou seekest to destroy the city, and to overthrow a mother in Israel? Why wilt thou throw down the inheritance of the Lord?

Never that, never that, Joab answered; ruin and destruction are not for me.

Respondensque Joab, ait: Absit, absit hoc a me: non præcipito, neque demolior.

And Joab answering said: God forbid, God forbid that I should, I do not throw down, nor destroy.

The case stands otherwise; there is one Seba, son of Bochri, from the hill-country of Ephraim, that is in rebellion against king David; hand that one man over, and we will raise the siege. Wait then, said the woman; his head shall be thrown down to thee from the wall.

Non sic se habet res, sed homo de monte Ephraim, Seba filius Bochri cognomine, levavit manum suam contra regem David: tradite illum solum, et recedemus a civitate. Et ait mulier ad Joab: Ecce caput ejus mittetur ad te per murum.

The matter is not so, but a man of mount Ephraim, Seba the son of Bochri by name, hath lifted up his hand against king David: deliver him only, and we will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab: Behold his head shall be thrown to thee from the wall.

And with that she went in, and spoke to the defenders in the wisdom that was her craft; whereupon they cut off the head of Seba, son of Bochri, and cast it down to Joab. So he blew his trumpet, and his men raised the siege and went to their tents; Joab himself went back to the king’s court at Jerusalem.

Ingressa est ergo ad omnem populum, et locuta est eis sapienter: qui abscissum caput Seba filii Bochri projecerunt ad Joab. Et ille cecinit tuba, et recesserunt ab urbe, unusquisque in tabernacula sua: Joab autem reversus est Jerusalem ad regem.

So she went to all the people, and spoke to them wisely: and they cut off the head of Seba the son of Bochri, and cast it out to Joab. And he sounded the trumpet, and they departed from the city, every one to their home: and Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

Joab, then, commanded the army of Israel, and Banaias son of Joiada the Cerethites and Phelethites;

Fuit ergo Joab super omnem exercitum Israël: Banaias autem filius Jojadæ super Cerethæos et Phelethæos:

So Joab was over all the army of Israel: and Banaias the son of Joiada was over the Cerethites and Phelethites,

Aduram was overseer of the revenues, and Josaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the records;

Aduram vero super tributa: porro Josaphat filius Ahilud, a commentariis:

But Aduram over the tributes: and Josaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.

Siva was secretary, Sadoc and Abiathar chief priests;

Siva autem, scriba: Sadoc vero et Abiathar, sacerdotes.

And Siva was scribe: and Sadoc and Abiathar, priests.

Ira, too, the Jairite, was one of David’s ministers.

Ira autem Jairites erat sacerdos David.

And Ira the Jairite was the priest of David.