And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?

And he confessed and did not deny, and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No.

They said then to him, Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?

He said, I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord!” as Isaiah the prophet said.

And those who had been sent were of the Pharisees.

And they asked him and said to him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the Prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize in water; but among you stands One whom you do not know,

He who is coming after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

These things took place in  ¹Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the  ¹Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the  ²world!

This is He of whom I said, A man is coming after me who has become ahead of me, because He was before me.

And I did not know Him, but in order that He might be manifested to Israel, for this reason I came baptizing in water.

And John testified, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a  ¹dove out of heaven, and He abode upon Him.

And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water, He said to me, He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him, this is He who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.

And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.

Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

And looking at Jesus walking, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God!

And the two disciples heard him speak this, and they followed Jesus.

And Jesus, turning and beholding them following, said to them, What are you seeking? And they said to Him, Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?

He said to them, Come, and you will see. They went therefore and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the  ¹tenth hour.

One of the two who heard this from John and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the  ¹Messiah (which translated means Christ).

He led him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted,  ¹Peter).

The next day He wanted to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, Follow Me.

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus, the  ¹son of Joseph, from Nazareth.

And Nathanael said to him, Can anything good be from Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said concerning him, Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile!

Nathanael said to Him, How do You know me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.

Nathanael answered Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the  ¹King of Israel.

Jesus answered and said to him, Is it because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree that you believe? You shall see greater things than these.

And He said to him,  ¹Truly, truly, I say to you, You shall see  ²heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the  ³Son of Man.

And all the people were told, saying, The king is now sitting in the gate. And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled, every man to his tent.

And all the people quarreled throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled out of the land because of Absalom.

But Absalom, whom we anointed as king over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?

And King David sent word to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king ¹?

You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring the king back?

And you shall say to Amasa, Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and even more, if you do not become captain of the army before me continually in the place of Joab.

And he turned the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, and they sent word to the king, saying, Return, you and all your servants.

So the king returned and came to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan.

And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite who was from Bahurim, hurried and went down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

And there were a thousand men with him from Benjamin; and Ziba, the attendant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him were there. And they rushed down to the Jordan before the king.

And the crossing was being made in order to bring the king's household over and to do whatever was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.

And he said to the king, Let not my lord consider me guilty; and do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king went forth from Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart.

For your servant knows that I have sinned; and now I have come today, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down, to meet my lord the king.

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, for he has cursed Jehovah's anointed?

And David said, What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Should any man in Israel be put to death today? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?

And the king said to Shimei, You will not die. And the king swore so to him.

Then Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. Now he had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came back in peace.

And when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, Why did you not come with me, Mephibosheth?

And he said, O my lord the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, I will saddle myself a donkey that I may ride on it and go with the king. For your servant is lame.

And  ¹Ziba slandered your servant before my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God; therefore do what is good in your sight.

For all my father's house were but men worthy of death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right then do I have to cry out more to the king?

And the king said to him, Why speak any more of your affairs? I say that you and Ziba shall divide the land.

And Mephibosheth said to the king, Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has arrived at his house in peace.

Then Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and he crossed over the Jordan with the king, to escort him through the Jordan.

And Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age; and he had provided the king with food while he remained in Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.

And the king said to Barzillai, Cross over with me, and I will provide you with food in Jerusalem at my side.

But Barzillai said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

I am eighty years old today. Can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Can I hear anymore the voice of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king?

Your servant would just cross a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why then should the king reward me with such a reward?

Let your servant return that I may die in my city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king; and do with him what is good in your sight.

And the king said, Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do with him what is good in your sight; and whatever you wish for me to do, I will do for you.

And all the people crossed over the Jordan, and the king crossed over. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.

So the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Chimham crossed over with him. And all the people of Judah, and half the people of Israel as well, brought the king over.

Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan along with the men of David with him?

And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift?

And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, We have ten parts in the king, and in David too we have more than you. Why then have you despised us? And were we not the first to speak of bringing our king back? But the speaking of the men of Judah was more prevailing than the speaking of the men of Israel.

Now there was a worthless fellow there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,
We have no portion in David,
Nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse.
Every man to his tents, O Israel!

And all the men of Israel went up from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri, but the men of Judah clung to their king, 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 keep the house, and put them under guard; and he provided for them but did not go in unto them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living like widows.

Then the king said to Amasa, Call the men of Judah to me in three days, and you be present here.

And Amasa went to call Judah, but he delayed beyond the time that  ¹David appointed to him.

Then David said to Abishai, Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. You take servants of your lord and pursue after him; otherwise he will find himself some fortified cities and escape out of our sight.

So the men of Joab went out after him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went forth from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

When they were at the large stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was in military dress, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath, fastened on his loins; and when he went forward, it fell out.

And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with you, my brother? And he took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand to kiss him.

But Amasa did not notice the sword which was in Joab's hand. And  ¹Joab struck him in the stomach with it and poured out his bowels onto the ground, and he did not strike him a second time; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

And one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.

And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the people stood still. And when he saw that all who came by him were stopping, he carried Amasa off the road into the field and put a garment over him.

As soon as he was removed from the road, all the men went on after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

And  ¹Sheba went on throughout all the tribes of Israel to Abel and to Beth-maacah and unto all the Berites; and they gathered together and also went after him.

And they came and besieged him at Abel of Beth-maacah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

And a wise woman from the city cried out, Listen! Listen! Say to Joab, Come near here that I may speak to you.

And he came near to her; and the woman said, Are you Joab? And he said, I am. And she said to him, Listen to the words of your female servant. And he said, I am listening.

Then she spoke, saying, They used to speak in former times, saying, They shall surely ask for counsel in Abel; and thus they would end matters.

I am of the peaceable and faithful of Israel; you are seeking to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?

And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I would swallow up or destroy.

The matter is not so, but a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, His head will immediately be thrown over the wall to you.

So the woman went to all the people in her wisdom; and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,

And Adoram was over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder,

And Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests,

And Ira the Jairite was also a  ¹chief minister to David.