Joab said, “If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue.

The Lord thundered from the sky; the sovereign One shouted loudly.

He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me.

For I am aware of all his regulations, and I do not reject his rules.

But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

But he refused to listen to her. He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her.

So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than the time that the king had allotted him.

Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he hurled down fiery coals.

From the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three.

He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

David inquired, “How were things going? Tell me!” He replied, “The people fled from the battle and many of them fell dead. Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead!”

David seized from him 1,700 charioteers and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear! May the Lord punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!”

So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built all around it, from the terrace inwards.

When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.

The elders of his house stood over him and tried to lift him from the ground, but he was unwilling, and refused to eat food with them.

If I had acted at risk of my own life – and nothing is hidden from the king! – you would have abandoned me.”

So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.

Once he had removed Amasa from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen up! Listen up! Tell Joab, ‘Come near so that I may speak to you.’”