13 After this, no one else stopped. They all walked straight past him on their way to help Joab capture Sheba.
14 Sheba had gone through all the tribes of Israel when he came to the town of Abel Beth-Maacah. All his best soldiers met him there and followed him into the town.
15 Joab and his troops came and surrounded Abel, so that no one could go in or come out. They made an earth ramp up to the town wall and then started to use a battering ram to knock the wall down.
16 A wise woman shouted from the top of the wall, “Listen to me! Listen to me! I have to talk to Joab! Tell him to come here!”
17 When he came, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”“Yes, I am,” he answered.She said, “Please, listen to what I have to say.”“All right,” he said. “I'll listen.”
18 She said, “Long ago people used to say, ‘If you want good advice, go to the town of Abel to get it.’ The answers they got here were all that was needed to settle any problem.
19 We are Israelites, and we want peace! You can trust us. Why are you trying to destroy a town that's like a mother in Israel? Why do you want to wipe out the Lord's people?”