<p class="bodytext">Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai.<n id="1" /> Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night.

All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city.<n id="1" /> They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley.<n id="2" />

Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and attacked them.<n id="1" />

The Philistines arranged their forces to fight<n id="1" /> Israel. As the battle spread out,<n id="2" /> Israel was defeated by<n id="3" /> the Philistines, who<n id="4" /> killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field.p>

<p class="bodytext">Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found<n id="1" /> the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">There was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever Saul saw anyone who was a warrior or a brave individual, he would conscript him.p>

and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the <sc>Lordsc> saves! For the battle is the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s, and he will deliver you into our hand.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly<n id="1" /> and they ran away from him.

<p class="bodytext">Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David&#8217;s soldiers.<n id="1" />

However, the war was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David. David was becoming steadily stronger, while the house of Saul was becoming increasingly weaker.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">As the war continued between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was becoming more influential<n id="1" /> in the house of Saul.

<p class="bodytext">When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel&#8217;s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.<n id="1" />

In the letter he wrote: &#8220;Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.&#8221;p>

The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.p>

<p class="bodytext">Later there was another battle with the Philistines, this time in Gob. On that occasion Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of Rapha.

Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews;<n id="1" /> the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.<n id="2" />

Ahab asked, &#8220;By whom will this be accomplished?&#8221;<n id="1" /> He answered, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;By the servants of the district governors.&#8217;&#8221; Ahab<n id="2" /> asked, &#8220;Who will launch the attack?&#8221; He answered, &#8220;You will.&#8221;p>

While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.

<t /><p class="bodytext">These were the men who joined David in Ziklag, when he was banished<n id="1" /> from the presence of Saul son of Kish. (They were among the warriors who assisted him in battle.

When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel&#8217;s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.<n id="1" />