Antiquities of the Jews — Book 7, Chapter 11

1. Now those Hebrews that had been With Absalom, and had retired out of
the battle, when they were all returned home, sent messengers to every
city to put them in mind of what benefits David had bestowed upon them,
and of that liberty which he had procured them, by delivering them from
many and great wars. But they complained, that whereas they had ejected
him out of his kingdom, and committed it to another governor, which
other governor, whom they had set up, was already dead, they did not now
beseech David to leave off his anger at them, and to become friends with
them, and, as he used to do, to resume the care of their affairs, and
take the kingdom again. This was often told to David. And, this
notwithstanding, David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the high priests, that
they should speak to the rulers of the tribe of Judah after the manner
following: That it would be a reproach upon them to permit the other
tribes to choose David for their king before their tribe, "and this,"
said he, "while you are akin to him, and of the same common blood." He
commanded them also to say the same to Amasa the captain of their
forces, That whereas he was his sister's son, he had not persuaded the
multitude to restore the kingdom to David; that he might expect from him
not only a reconciliation, for that was already granted, but that
supreme command of the army also which Absalom had bestowed upon him.
Accordingly the high priests, when they had discoursed with the rulers
of the tribe, and said what the king had ordered them, persuaded Amasa
to undertake the care of his affairs. So he persuaded that tribe to send
immediately ambassadors to him, to beseech him to return to his own
kingdom. The same did all the Israelites, at the like persuasion of
Amasa.

2. When the ambassadors came to him, he came to Jerusalem; and the tribe
of Judah was the first that came to meet the king at the river Jordan.
And Shimei, the son of Gera, came with a thousand men, which he brought
with him out of the tribe of Benjamin; and Ziba, the freed-man of Saul,
with his sons, fifteen in number, and with his twenty servants. All
these, as well as the tribe of Judah, laid a bridge [of boats] over the
river, that the king, and those that were with him, might with ease pass
over it. Now as soon as he was come to Jordan, the tribe of Judah
saluted him. Shimei also came upon the bridge, and took hold of his
feet, and prayed him to forgive him what he had offended, and not to be
too bitter against him, nor to think fit to make him the first example
of severity under his new authority; but to consider that he had
repented of his failure of duty, and had taken care to come first of all
to him. While he was thus entreating the king, and moving him to
compassion, Abishai, Joab's brother, said, "And shall not this man die
for this, that he hath cursed that king whom God hath appointed to reign
over us?" But David turned himself to him, and said, "Will you never
leave off, ye sons of Zeruiah? Do not you, I pray, raise new troubles
and seditions among us, now the former are over; for I would not have
you ignorant that I this day begin my reign, and therefore swear to
remit to all offenders their punishments, and not to animadvert on any
one that has sinned. Be thou, therefore," said he, "O Shimei, of good
courage, and do not at all fear being put to death." So he worshipped
him, and went on before him.

3. Mephibosheth also, Saul's grandson, met David, clothed in a sordid
garment, and having his hair thick and neglected; for after David was
fled away, he was in such grief that he had not polled his head, nor had
he washed his clothes, as dooming himself to undergo such hardships upon
occasion of the change-of the king's affairs. Now he had been unjustly
calumniated to the king by Ziba, his steward. When he had saluted the
king, and worshipped him, the king began to ask him why he did not go
out of Jerusalem with him, and accompany him during his flight. He
replied, that this piece of injustice was owing to Ziba; because, when
he was ordered to get things ready for his going out with him, he took
no care of it, but regarded him no more than if he had been a slave;
"and, indeed, had I had my feet sound and strong, I had not deserted
thee, for I could then have made use of them in my flight: but this is
not all the injury that Ziba has done me, as to my duty to thee, my lord
and master, but he hath calumniated me besides, and told lies about me
of his own invention; but I know thy mind will not admit of such
calumnies, but is righteously disposed, and a lover of truth, which it
is also the will of God should prevail. For when thou wast in the
greatest danger of suffering by my grandfather, and when, on that
account, our whole family might justly have been destroyed, thou wast
moderate and merciful, and didst then especially forget all those
injuries, when, if thou hadst remembered them, thou hadst the power of
punishing us for them; but thou hast judged me to be thy friend, and
hast set me every day at thine own table; nor have I wanted any thing
which one of thine own kinsmen, of greatest esteem with thee, could have
expected." When he had said this, David resolved neither to punish
Mephibosheth, nor to condemn Ziba, as having belied his master; but said
to him, that as he had [before] granted all his estate to Ziba, because
he did not come along with him, so he [now] promised to forgive him, and
ordered that the one half of his estate should be restored to him. 20
Whereupon Mephibosheth said, "Nay, let Ziba take all; it suffices me
that thou hast recovered thy kingdom."

4. But David desired Barzillai the Gileadite, that great and good man,
and one that had made a plentiful provision for him at Mahanaim, and had
conducted him as far as Jordan, to accompany him to Jerusalem, for he
promised to treat him in his old age with all manner of respect—to take
care of him, and provide for him. But Barzillai was so desirous to live
at home, that he entreated him to excuse him from attendance on him; and
said that his age was too great to enjoy the pleasures [of a court,]
since he was fourscore years old, and was therefore making provision for
his death and burial: so he desired him to gratify him in this request,
and dismiss him; for he had no relish of his meat, or his drink, by
reason of his age; and that his ears were too much shut up to hear the
sound of pipes, or the melody of other musical instruments, such as all
those that live with kings delight in. When he entreated for this so
earnestly, the king said, "I dismiss thee, but thou shalt grant me thy
son Chimham, and upon him I will bestow all sorts of good things." So
Barzillai left his son with him, and worshipped the king, and wished him
a prosperous conclusion of all his affairs according to his own mind,
and then returned home; but David came to Gilgal, having about him half
the people [of Israel], and the [whole] tribe of Judah.

5. Now the principal men of the country came to Gilgal to him with a
great multitude, and complained of the tribe of Judah, that they had
come to him in a private manner; whereas they ought all conjointly, and
with one and the same intention, to have given him the meeting. But the
rulers of the tribe of Judah desired them not to be displeased, if they
had been prevented by them; for, said they, "We are David's kinsmen, and
on that account we the rather took care of him, and loved him, and so
came first to him;" yet had they not, by their early coming, received
any gifts from him, which might give them who came last any uneasiness.
When the rulers of the tribe of Judah had said this, the rulers of the
other tribes were not quiet, but said further, "O brethren, we cannot
but wonder at you when you call the king your kinsman alone, whereas he
that hath received from God the power over all of us in common ought to
be esteemed a kinsman to us all; for which reason the whole people have
eleven parts in him, and you but one part 21 we are also elder than you;
wherefore you have not done justly in coming to the king in this private
and concealed manner."

6. While these rulers were thus disputing one with another, a certain
wicked man, who took a pleasure in seditious practices, [his name was
Sheba, the son of Bichri, of the tribe of Benjamin,] stood up in the
midst of the multitude, and cried aloud, and spake thus to them: "We
have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse." And when he
had used those words, he blew with a trumpet, and declared war against
the king; and they all left David, and followed him; the tribe of Judah
alone staid with him, and settled him in his royal palace at Jerusalem.
But as for his concubines, with whom Absalom his son had accompanied,
truly he removed them to another house, and ordered those that had the
care of them to make a plentiful provision for them, but he came not
near them any more. He also appointed Amasa for the captain of his
forces, and gave him the same high office which Joab before had; and he
commanded him to gather together, out of the tribe of Judah, as great an
army as he could, and come to him within three days, that he might
deliver to him his entire army, and might send him to fight against
[Sheba] the son of Bichri. Now while Amasa was gone out, and made some
delay in gathering the army together, and so was not yet returned, on
the third day the king said to Joab, "It is not fit we should make any
delay in this affair of Sheba, lest he get a numerous army about him,
and be the occasion of greater mischief, and hurt our affairs more than
did Absalom himself; do not thou therefore wait any longer, but take
such forces as thou hast at hand, and that [old] body of six hundred
men, and thy brother Abishai, with thee, and pursue after our enemy, and
endeavor to fight him wheresoever thou canst overtake him. Make haste to
prevent him, lest he seize upon some fenced cities, and cause us great
labor and pains before we take him."

7. So Joab resolved to make no delay, but taking with him his brother,
and those six hundred men, and giving orders that the rest of the army
which was at Jerusalem should follow him, he marched with great speed
against Sheba; and when he was come to Gibeon, which is a village forty
furlongs distant from Jerusalem, Amasa brought a great army with him,
and met Joab. Now Joab was girded with a sword, and his breastplate on;
and when Amasa came near him to salute him, he took particular care that
his sword should fall out, as it were, of its own accord: so he took it
up from the ground, and while he approached Amasa, who was then near
him, as though he would kiss him, he took hold of Amasa's beard with his
other hand, and he smote him in his belly when he did not foresee it,
and slew him. This impious and altogether profane action Joab did to a
good young man, and his kinsman, and one that had done him no injury,
and this out of jealousy that he would obtain the chief command of the
army, and be in equal dignity with himself about the king; and for the
same cause it was that he killed Abner. But as to that former wicked
action, the death of his brother Asahel, which he seemed to revenge,
afforded him a decent pretense, and made that crime a pardonable one;
but in this murder of Amasa there was no such covering for it. Now when
Joab had killed this general, he pursued after Sheba, having left a man
with the dead body, who was ordered to proclaim aloud to the army, that
Amasa was justly slain, and deservedly punished. "But," said he, "if you
be for the king, follow Joab his general, and Abishai, Joab's brother:"
but because the body lay on the road, and all the multitude came running
to it, and, as is usual with the multitude, stood wondering a great
while at it, he that guarded it removed it thence, and carried it to a
certain place that was very remote from the road, and there laid it, and
covered it with his garment. When this was done, all the people followed
Joab. Now as he pursued Sheba through all the country of Israel, one
told him that he was in a strong city, called Abelbeth-maachah. Hereupon
Joab went thither, and set about it with his army, and cast up a bank
round it, and ordered his soldiers to undermine the walls, and to
overthrow them; and since the people in the city did not admit him, he
was greatly displeased at them.

8. Now there was a woman of small account, and yet both wise and
intelligent, who seeing her native city lying at the last extremity,
ascended upon the wall, and, by means of the armed men, called for Joab;
and when he came to her, she began to say, That "God ordained kings and
generals of armies, that they might cut off the enemies of the Hebrews,
and introduce a universal peace among them; but thou art endeavoring to
overthrow and depopulate a metropolis of the Israelites, which hath been
guilty of no offense." But he replied, "God continue to be merciful unto
me: I am disposed to avoid killing any one of the people, much less
would I destroy such a city as this; and if they will deliver me up
Sheba, the son of Bichri, who hath rebelled against the king, I will
leave off the siege, and withdraw the army from the place." Now as soon
as the woman heard what Joab said, she desired him to intermit the siege
for a little while, for that he should have the head of his enemy thrown
out to him presently. So she went down to the citizens, and said to
them, "Will you be so wicked as to perish miserably, with your children
and wives, for the sake of a vile fellow, and one whom nobody knows who
he is? And will you have him for your king instead of David, who hath
been so great a benefactor to you, and oppose your city alone to such a
mighty and strong army?" So she prevailed with them, and they cut off
the head of Sheba, and threw it into Joab's army. When this was done,
the king's general sounded a retreat, and raised the siege. And when he
was come to Jerusalem, he was again appointed to be general of all the
people. The king also constituted Benaiah captain of the guards, and of
the six hundred men. He also set Adoram over the tribute, and Sabathes
and Achilaus over the records. He made Sheva the scribe, and appointed
Zadok and Abiathar the high priests.