<p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t report it in Gath,p> <p class="poetry">don&#8217;t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,p> <p class="poetry">the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate!p>

So now assemble the rest of the army<n id="1" /> and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.&#8221;p>

So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Come on!<n id="2" /> Let&#8217;s escape!<n id="3" /> Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring<n id="4" /> disaster on us and kill the city&#8217;s residents with the sword.&#8221;<n id="5" />

Now send word quickly to David and warn him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Don&#8217;t spend the night at the fords of the desert<n id="2" /> tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over,<n id="3" /> or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then David said to Abishai, &#8220;Now Sheba son of Bicri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord&#8217;s servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure<n id="1" /> fortified cities for himself and get away from us.&#8221;