12. Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realised that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him.
13. After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.
14. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites, who gathered together and followed him.
15. All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down,
16. a wise woman called from the city, ‘Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I can speak to him.’
17. He went towards her, and she asked, ‘Are you Joab?’‘I am,’ he answered.She said, ‘Listen to what your servant has to say.’‘I’m listening,’ he said.