<t /><p class="bodytext">In the spring of the year, at the time when kings<n id="1" /> normally conduct wars,<n id="2" /> David sent out Joab with his officers<n id="3" /> and the entire Israelite army.<n id="4" /> They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Her brother Absalom said to her, &#8220;Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don&#8217;t take it so seriously!&#8221;<n id="1" /> Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, &#8220;Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new<n id="1" /> king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.<n id="2" />

The king asked, &#8220;Where is your master&#8217;s grandson?&#8221;<n id="1" /> Ziba replied to the king, &#8220;He remains in Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> for he said, &#8216;Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather&#8217;s<n id="3" /> kingdom.&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,<n id="1" /> and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself.

<t /><p class="bodytext">These are the names of David&#8217;s warriors:p> <p class="bodytext">Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers.<n id="1" /> He killed eight hundred men with his spear in one battle.<n id="2" />

Uriah replied to David, &#8220;The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord&#8217;s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations<n id="1" /> with my wife? As surely as you are alive,<n id="2" /> I will not do this thing!&#8221;