Ner's son Abner and the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon. Zeruiah's son Joab and some of David's staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool. read more. Abner told Joab, "Let's have the young men get up and fight in our presence." Joab replied, "Let them come." So they got up and twelve were counted to represent Benjamin and Saul's son Ish-bosheth and twelve to represent members of David's staff. Each man grabbed his opponent by the head, plunged his sword into his opponent's side, and then they both fell together. That's why the place at Gibeon was named The Field of Swords. The battle was very violent that day, with Abner and the men of Israel being defeated in the presence of David's servants. Zeruiah's three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles.

Zeruiah's three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles. So Asahel ran straight after Abner, following him. read more. When Abner looked behind him, he said, "Is that you, Asahel?" He answered, "I am." Abner told him, "Go off to your right or left after one of the young men and grab some war spoils." But Asahel would not stop following him, so Abner told Asahel again, "Stop following me. Why should I strike you down? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?" But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner struck Asahel in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He collapsed to the ground and died where he fell. Everyone gathered round the place where Asahel had collapsed and died, and stood still there. Meanwhile, Joab and Abishai continued to chase Abner. At dusk, as they approached the hill of Ammah that is located near Giah on the way to the Gibeon desert, the descendants of Benjamin rallied around Abner, forming a single military force. They took their stand on top of the hill. Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever? Don't you realize that the end result is bitterness? How long will it take for you to order your army to stop pursuing their own relatives?" Joab answered, "As God lives, if you hadn't spoken up, by morning my army would have broken off their pursuit of their own relatives." So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting. Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning. Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David's soldiers were missing besides Asahel. Meanwhile, other soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. They retrieved Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.

Right about then, David's servants returned from a raid, bringing plenty of war booty with them, but Abner wasn't in Hebron with David, since David had sent him away and Abner had left in peace. When Joab returned with his entire army, Joab was informed, "Ner's son Abner visited the king, and he has dismissed him. He has left in peace." read more. So Joab approached the king and asked him, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! What's this? You sent him away? He's long gone now!

So Joab approached the king and asked him, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! What's this? You sent him away? He's long gone now! You know Ner's son Abner came to mislead you, to learn your troop movements, and to learn everything you're doing!"

You know Ner's son Abner came to mislead you, to learn your troop movements, and to learn everything you're doing!" As soon as Joab left David, Joab sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah, but David was not aware of this. read more. When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen. So he died for shedding the blood of Joab's brother Asahel.

Zeruiah's son Joab served in charge of the army, Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat was his personal archivist,

So David summoned Joab, and told him, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah arrived, David inquired about how Joab was doing, how the army was doing, and how the war was progressing. read more. Then David told Uriah, "Go on down to your house and relax a while." So Uriah left the king's palace, and the king sent a gift along after him. But Uriah spent the night sleeping in the alcove of the king's palace in the company of all his master's staff members. He refused to go down to his own home. When David was told that Uriah hadn't gone home the previous night, he quizzed him, "You just arrived from a long journey, so why didn't you go down to your own house?" Uriah replied, "The ark, along with Israel and Judah, are encamped in tents, while my commanding officer Joab and my master's staff members are camping out in the open fields. Should I go home, eat, drink, and have sex with my wife? Not on your life! I won't do something like this, will I?" Then David invited Uriah, "Stay here today, and tomorrow I'll send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem all that day and the next.

Meanwhile, what David had done grieved the LORD, so the LORD sent Nathan to David. Then at David's invitation, he and Uriah dined and drank wine together, and David got him drunk. Later that evening, Uriah went out to lie on a couch in the company of his lord's servants, and he did not go down to his house. read more. The next morning, David sent a message to Joab that Uriah took with him in his hand. In the message, he wrote: "Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed." So as Joab began to attack the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew valiant men would be stationed. When the men of the city came out to fight Joab, some of David's army staff members fell, and Uriah the Hittite died, too. Then Joab sent word to David about everything that had happened at the battle. He instructed the courier, "When you have finished conveying all the news about the battle to the king, if the king starts to get angry and asks you, "Why did you get so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot from the wall? Who killed Jerubbesheth's son Abimelech? Didn't a woman kill him by throwing an upper millstone on him from the wall at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?' then tell him, "Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.'" So the messenger left Joab, set out for Jerusalem, and disclosed to David everything that Joab had sent him to say. The messenger told David, "The men surprised us and attacked us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's staff members are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite has died as well." David responded to the messenger, "Here's what you're to tell Joab: "Don't be troubled by this incident, because the battle sword consumes one or another from time to time. Consolidate your attack against the city and conquer it.' Be sure to encourage him." When Uriah's wife heard about the death of her husband Uriah, she went into mourning for the head of her household.

At this, David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the LORD's tent to worship. Then he went back to his palace where, at his request, they served him food and he ate.

Meanwhile, Zeruiah's son Joab knew that the king's attention was focused on Absalom,

As they were going out, the king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat young Absalom gently for my sake." Everyone heard what the king had ordered his commanders about Absalom. David's army left for the battlefield to fight Absalom and his Israeli followers, and they also fought in the Ephraim forest, read more. where David's army of servants defeated the Israelis. Many died that day 20,000 men. The battle spread throughout the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more casualties that day than did the sword fighting. Absalom happened to run into David's soldiers. While Absalom was trying to get away on his mule, it ran under the thick branches of a giant oak tree, and Absalom's head got caught in the tree! As his mule ran out from under him, Absalom was left hanging above the ground. When one of the soldiers saw what had happened, he told Joab, "I saw Absalom stuck in an oak tree!" Joab asked the man who was reporting to him, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would've given you ten pieces of silver and a warrior's sash!" But the soldier replied to Joab, "I wouldn't have touched the king's son even if you dropped 1,000 pieces of silver right into my hands, because we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, "Watch how you treat the young man Absalom!' If I had taken his life, the king would have uncovered everything about it, and you would never have protected me!" "There's no reason to wait for you!" Joab retorted. Then he took three spears in his hand and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive, dangling from the branches of the oak tree.

"There's no reason to wait for you!" Joab retorted. Then he took three spears in his hand and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive, dangling from the branches of the oak tree.

"There's no reason to wait for you!" Joab retorted. Then he took three spears in his hand and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive, dangling from the branches of the oak tree. Ten young men who served as Joab's personal assistants then surrounded Absalom, striking him repeatedly and killing him. read more. At this, Joab sounded his battle trumpet and his troops stopped pursuing the other Israelis. Meanwhile, Joab's army grabbed Absalom's body, tossed it into a large pit in the forest, and filled it up with a huge pile of rocks. Then the Israelis ran away back to their homes.

Joab went up to the palace and rebuked the king: "Today you've humiliated your entire army who just saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives and mistresses! You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! You've made it abundantly clear today that your officers and the men under them mean nothing to you! I've learned today that you would rather have Absalom alive today and all the rest of us dead!

You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! You've made it abundantly clear today that your officers and the men under them mean nothing to you! I've learned today that you would rather have Absalom alive today and all the rest of us dead! Now get up and restore the morale of your army. I swear by the LORD that if you don't get out there, you won't have a single man left in your army by nightfall! You'll be in more trouble today than all the disasters you've been through from your boyhood until now!"

Meanwhile, David ordered Amasa, "Muster the army of Judah here within three days, and be here yourself!" But when Amasa went out to muster the army of Judah, he delayed to act within the time allotted to him. read more. So David told Abishai, "Now Bichri's son Sheba is about to do more damage than did Absalom. So take my personal guards and go after them. Otherwise, he'll run to one of the fortified cities and escape from us." So Joab's men, the special forces and mercenaries, and all of David's elite forces left Jerusalem in pursuit of Bichri's son Sheba. When they arrived at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was dressed in a soldier's uniform, over which was a belt that fastened a sword sheath to his thigh. As he walked forward, the sword was exposed. Joab asked Amasa, "Is everything going well with you, my brother?" As Joab took Amasa by his beard to greet him,

Joab asked Amasa, "Is everything going well with you, my brother?" As Joab took Amasa by his beard to greet him, Amasa did not notice the sword that Joab was holding in his hand. Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, spilling his intestines to the ground in a single stroke and killing him. After this, Joab and his brother pursued Bichri's son Sheba.

Amasa did not notice the sword that Joab was holding in his hand. Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, spilling his intestines to the ground in a single stroke and killing him. After this, Joab and his brother pursued Bichri's son Sheba. One of Joab's soldiers stood by Amasa while he lay dying and announced, "Whoever is in favor of Joab and David, let him follow Joab." read more. While Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway, everybody who passed by was stopping to stare at him, so when the soldier saw that all of the army was stopping, he carried Amasa off the highway into a nearby field and covered him with a garment. After Amasa had been removed from the highway, the rest of the army followed Joab in pursuit of Bichri's son Sheba. Meanwhile, Sheba traveled throughout the tribes of Israel in the direction of Abel and Beth-maacah, and all of the descendants of Beri gathered together and followed him inside. All of the men who had accompanied Joab arrived and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They threw up a siege ramp against the city rampart and began to batter the wall to demolish it. Just then a wise woman called out from the city. "Attention!" she said, "Go tell Joab "Come here! I want to talk to you!'" Joab came over and the woman asked him, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he answered. So she told him, "Listen to what your servant has to say!" "I'm listening," he replied. So she said, "In days past, people used to settle a dispute by saying "Let's ask for advice at Abel!' I'm one of the peaceful and faithful citizens of Israel. You're trying to destroy a city that's a mother in Israel. Why are you devouring the heritage of the LORD?" But Joab replied, "No way! No way! I'm not here to devour or destroy! That's a lie! But there is a man from the Ephraim hill country he's known as Bichri's son Sheba who has rebelled against King David. Turn him over and I'll withdraw from the city!" So the woman replied, "Watch this! His head will be thrown to you over the city wall." Then the woman wisely went back to her people. They cut off the head of Bichri's son Sheba and threw it out to Joab, so Joab sounded his battle trumpet and they withdrew from the city. Everybody went back home and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

So the woman replied, "Watch this! His head will be thrown to you over the city wall." Then the woman wisely went back to her people. They cut off the head of Bichri's son Sheba and threw it out to Joab, so Joab sounded his battle trumpet and they withdrew from the city. Everybody went back home and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

He had the support of Zeruiah's son Joab and of Abiathar the priest, who followed Adonijah and assisted him,

"Furthermore, you're aware of what Zeruiah's son Joab did to me and to those two commanders of the armies of Israel, Ner's son Abner and Jether's son Amasa, whom he killed, and how he shed the blood of wartime during times of peace, staining the very belt he wears around his waist and the sandals he wears on his feet. So act consistently with your wisdom, and don't let him die as a peaceful old man.

Jehoiada's son Benaiah then approached Joab, attacked him, killed him, and had him buried at Joab's home in the wilderness.

along with their sisters Zeruiah and Abigail.

Othniel's descendants were Hathath and Meonothai, who fathered Ophrah. Seraiah fathered Joab, who fathered the Ge-harashim, because they became artisans.

David had announced, "Whoever first attacks the Jebusites will be appointed chief and commander." When Zeruiah's son Joab went up first, he became chief. David occupied the fortress, so it was named the City of David after him. read more. He built up the walls surrounding the city in a complete circle from the terrace ramparts, and Joab repaired the rest of the city. David became more and more prestigious because the LORD of the Heavenly Armies was with him.

Descendants of Pahath-moab; that is, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,812

From Joab's descendants: Jehiel's son Obadiah and 218 men with him.

Pahath-moab's descendants; that is, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,818

Lod, and Ono's Craftsmen Valley,