He made the sky sink ¹  as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet.

David then sent out the army – a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

They ¹  entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally wounded him ²  in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.

Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his ¹  mule, it ²  went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, ³  while the mule he had been riding kept going.

Then David went to his palace ¹  in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. ²  Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them. ³  They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.

The one true God completely vindicates me; ¹  he makes nations submit to me. ² 

You widen my path; ¹  my feet ²  do not slip.

You give me strength for battle; ¹  you make my foes kneel before me. ² 

I wipe them out and beat them to death; they cannot get up; they fall at my feet.

He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army ¹  and they were deployed ²  against the Ammonites.

Ira the Jairite was David’s personal priest. ¹ 

He removed ¹  the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy ²  with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem. ³ 

So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers ¹  were.

Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.’” ¹ 

I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground; I crush them and stomp on them like clay ¹  in the streets.

Foreigners are powerless before me; ¹  when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. ² 

Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon. ¹ 

Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from ¹  beyond the Euphrates River, ²  and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them. ³ 

So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him ¹  in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel. ²