Joab

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

⁶ Now David had said, “Whoever is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became the chief.

⁷ So David took up residence in the fortress; that is why it was called the City of David.

⁸ He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three.

²⁶ Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

¹⁵ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

¹⁶ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was the scribe;

⁸ On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men.

⁹ The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come stayed by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.

¹⁴ So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.

¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.

² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”

³ But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.

⁵ And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.

⁶ But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.