<t /><p class="poetry">The roar of battle will rise against your people;p> <p class="poetry">all your fortresses will be devastated,p> <p class="poetry">just as Shalman devastated<n id="1" /> Beth Arbel on the day of battle,p> <p class="poetry">when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.p>

<p class="poetry">They sound like<n id="1" /> chariots rumbling<n id="2" /> over mountain tops,p> <p class="poetry">like the crackling<n id="3" /> of blazing fire consuming stubble,p> <p class="poetry">like the noise of<n id="4" /> a mighty army<n id="5" /> being drawn up for battle.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me &#8211; how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.<n id="1" /> During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle;<n id="2" /> when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet.<n id="3" />

went to war<n id="1" /> against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).<n id="2" />

Come, let&#8217;s deal wisely<n id="1" /> with them. Otherwise<n id="2" /> they will continue to multiply,<n id="3" /> and if<n id="4" /> a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with<n id="5" /> our enemies and fight against us and leave<n id="6" /> the country.&#8221;p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">When Pharaoh released<n id="2" /> the people, God did not lead them<n id="3" /> by the way to the land<n id="4" /> of the Philistines,<n id="5" /> although<n id="6" /> that was nearby, for God said,<n id="7" /> &#8220;Lest<n id="8" /> the people change their minds<n id="9" /> and return to Egypt when they experience<n id="10" /> war.&#8221;

Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to me, &#8220;Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ar<n id="1" /> to the descendants of Lot<n id="2" /> as their possession.

<p class="bodytext">Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,<n id="1" /> and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war!

However, you may chop down any tree you know is not suitable for food,<n id="1" /> and you may use it to build siege works<n id="2" /> against the city that is making war with you until that city falls.p>

<p class="bodytext">The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph&#8217;s firstborn son, was also allotted land.<n id="1" /> The descendants of Makir, Manasseh&#8217;s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received land, for they were warriors.<n id="2" /> They were assigned Gilead and Bashan.<n id="3" />

One of his attendants replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem<n id="2" /> who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior<n id="3" /> and is articulate<n id="4" /> and handsome,<n id="5" /> for the <sc>Lordsc> is with him.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Goliath<n id="1" /> stood and called to Israel&#8217;s troops,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose<n id="3" /> for yourselves a man so he may come down<n id="4" /> to me!

But Saul replied to David, &#8220;You aren&#8217;t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You&#8217;re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!&#8221;p>

Hushai went on to say, &#8220;You know your father and his men &#8211; they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.<n id="1" /> Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

Yet another battle occurred in Gath. On that occasion there was a large man<n id="1" /> who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

<p class="bodytext">When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin<n id="1" /> to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

<p class="bodytext">The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men in their combined armies, warriors who carried shields and swords, were equipped with bows, and were trained for war.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">All these men were warriors who were ready to march.<n id="1" /> They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation;<n id="2" /> all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king.<n id="3" />

When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River,<n id="1" /> and marched against them.<n id="2" /> David deployed his army against the Arameans for battle and they fought against him.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin<n id="1" /> to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.