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¹ There was a famous man of Belial there, whose name was Seba ye sonne of Bichri, a ma of Iemini, which blewe the trompe, and sayde: We haue no porcion in Dauid, ner inheritaunce in ye sonne of Isai: let euery get him to his tent, O Israel.² Then fell euery man in Israel from Dauid, and folowed Seba the sonne of Bichri. But the men of Iuda cleued vnto their kynge from Iordane vnto Ierusale.³ Whan Dauid came home to Ierusalem, he toke the ten concubynes ( whom he had lefte to kepe the house) and put them in a holde to be kepte, and made prouysion for them: but he laye not with them, and so were they shut vp vnto their death, and lyued wedowes.

⁴ And ye kynge sayde vnto Amasa: Call me all the men of Iuda together agaynst the thirde daye, & be thou here present also.⁵ And Amasa wete to call Iuda together. And he was slacke to come at ye tyme which he had appoynted him.⁶ And Dauid sayde vnto Abisai: Now shall Seba the sonne of Bichri do vs more harme then Absalom. Take thou yi lordes seruauntes, and folowe vpon him, yt he fynde not some stroge cities for him, and so escape out of oure sighte.⁷ Then wente Ioabs me forth after him, and the Chrethians and Plethians, and all the mightie me: and they wete out of Ierusalem to folowe vpon Seba the sonne of Bichri.⁸ But whan they were by the greate stone at Gibeon, Amasa came before them. As for Ioab, he was gyrded aboue his garment which he had on, and vpon it he had a swerde gyrded, which hanged by his thye in the sheeth, and wente easely out and in, and fell fro him.⁹ And Ioab sayde vnto Amasa: Peace be with the my brother. And Ioab toke Amasa by the beerde with his righte hade, to kysse him.¹⁰ And Amasa toke no hede vnto ye swerde in Ioabs hande, and he thrust him therwith in to the bely, yt his bowels ranne out vpon the earth, and he thrust at him nomore. And so he dyed. Ioab & his brother Abisai folowed vpon Seba ye sonne of Bichri.¹¹ And one of Ioabs seruauntes stode by him, and sayde: What is he this yt wolde be agaynst Ioab to please Dauid, and to be with Dauid in Ioabs steade?¹² As for Amasa, he laye rolled in the bloude in ye myddes of the strete. But wha one sawe that all the people stode there still, he remoued Amasa from the strete vnto the felde, and cast a clothe vpon him, for so moch as he sawe, that who so euer came by him, stode styll.¹³ Now whan he was put out of the waye, euery man wete after Ioab, to folowe vpon Seba the sonne of Bichri.

¹⁴ And he wente thorow all ye trybes of Israel vnto Abel Beth Maacha, and all the best chosen men gathered them selues together, & folowed after him,¹⁵ and came and beseged him at Abel Beth Maacha, and made a banke aboute to cite harde on ye wall. And all the people that was with Ioab, layed to their ordynaunce, and wolde haue cast downe the wall.¹⁶ Then cried there a wyse woma out of ye cite: Heare, heare, saye vnto Ioab that he come hither, I wyl speake with him.¹⁷ And wha he came to her, the woman sayde: Art thou Ioab? He sayde: Yee. She sayde vnto him: Heare the wordes of thy handmayden. He sayde: I heare.¹⁸ She sayde: The comonsayenge was somtyme: Who so wyll axe, let him axe at Abel, and so came it to a good ende.¹⁹ This is ye noble and faithfull cite in Israel, and wilt thou destroye the cite and the mother in Israel? Why wilt thou swalowe vp the enheritaunce of the LORDE?²⁰ Ioab answered and sayde: That be farre, that be farre fro me, that I shulde swalowe vp and destroye.²¹ The matter is not so, but a certayne man of mount Ephraim named Seba the sonne of Bichri, hath lifte vp him selfe agaynst kynge Dauid, delyuer him onely, and I wyl departe from the cite. The woman sayde vnto Ioab: Beholde, his heade shal be cast vnto the ouer the wall.²² And the woman came in to all the people with hir wyßdome. And they smote of the heade of Seba the sonne of Bichri, and cast it vnto Ioab. Then blewe he the trompe, and they departed from the cite, euery one vnto his tent. But Ioab came agayne to Ierusalem vnto the kynge.

²³ Ioab was captayne ouer all the hoost of Israel: Benaia ye sonne of Ioiada was ouer the Chrethians and Plethians:²⁴ Adoram was rent gatherer: Iosaphat the sonne of Ahilud was Chaunceler:²⁵ Seia was the scrybe: Sadoc and Abiathar were the prestes:²⁶ Ira also ye Iairite was Dauids prest.