The reading from the book of Second Samuel.

Now there happened to be there a worthless man whose name was Shiba, the son of Bikrai,

a Benjaminite, and he blew the trumpet and said,

We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Every man to his tents, O Israel.

So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba, the son of

Bikri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

And David came to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care

for the house, and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go into them. So they were shut

up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood. Then the king said to Amesa,

call the men of Judah together to me within three days and be here yourself. So Amasa went to

summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him, and David said

to Abashai, now Sheba, the son of Bikrai, will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your Lord's

servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us. And there went out

after him Joab's men, and the Carathites, and the Pelothites, and all the mighty men, they went out from Jerusalem

to pursue Sheba, the son of Bikry. When they were at the great stone that is in Gibyan, Amesa came to meet

them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword and its sheath

fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa,

Is it well with you, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him,

but Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand, so Joab struck him with it in the

stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.

Then Joab and Abashai, his brother, pursued Shiba, the son of Bikry.

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