¹ Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse`s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!” <sup>2</sup> So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. <sup>3</sup> When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. <sup>4</sup> Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” <sup>5</sup> But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him. <sup>6</sup> David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master`s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.” ⁷ So Joab`s men and the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri. ⁸ While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.