There happened to be in Gilgal a worthless character named Sheba son of Bikri, of the tribe of Benjamin. He blew the trumpet and called out, "Down with David! We won't follow him! Men of Israel, let's go home!"

He was buried in his own part of the land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say, "Come down and fight the Midianites. Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them." The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah.

"No," Gehazi answered. "But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes."

Messengers from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim announce the bad news.

I will restore the people of Israel to their land. They will eat the food that grows on Mount Carmel and in the region of Bashan, and they will eat all they want of the crops that grow in the territories of Ephraim and Gilead.

Joab's brother Abishai (their mother was Zeruiah) was the leader of "The Famous Thirty." He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among "The Thirty."

and he said to his men, "May the LORD keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the LORD chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the LORD!"

But David said, "You must not harm him! The LORD will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king.

I will attack him while he is tired and discouraged. He will be frightened, and all his men will run away. I will kill only the king

and then bring back all his men to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You want to kill only one man; the rest of the people will be safe."

When Jehu's letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

He answered, "I have an arrangement with Micah, who pays me to serve as his priest."

The priest answered, "You have nothing to worry about. The LORD is taking care of you on this trip."

When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, the people asked them what they had found out.