Abner said to Joab, &#8220;Let the soldiers get up and fight<n id="1" /> before us.&#8221; Joab said, &#8220;So be it!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But the king&#8217;s edict stood, despite Joab&#8217;s objections.<n id="1" /> So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">So David sent a message to Joab that said, &#8220;Send me Uriah the Hittite.&#8221; So Joab sent Uriah to David.

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab blew the trumpet<n id="1" /> and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt.

<p class="bodytext">Joab said to Amasa, &#8220;How are you, my brother?&#8221; With his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa&#8217;s beard as if to greet him with a kiss.

<p class="bodytext">One of Joab&#8217;s soldiers who stood over Amasa said, &#8220;Whoever is for<n id="1" /> Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab sent a full battle report to David.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported<n id="1" /> Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he<n id="2" /> ran to the tent of the <sc>Lordsc> and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">So Joab and his men<n id="1" /> marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled before him.

When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

<p class="bodytext">So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see<n id="1" /> Absalom.

Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.&#8221; Then Joab told her what to say.<n id="1" />p>

Then ten soldiers who were Joab&#8217;s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab said to the Cushite, &#8220;Go and tell the king what you have seen.&#8221; After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off.

<p class="bodytext">Joab answered, &#8220;Get serious!<n id="1" /> I don&#8217;t want to swallow up or destroy anything!