Joab

David sent this order to Yo'av: "Send me Uriyah the Hitti." Yo'av sent Uriyah to David.

When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo'av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going.

Uriyah answered David, "The ark, Isra'el and Y'hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo'av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo'av and sent it with Uriyah.

So while Yo'av had the city under siege, he assigned Uriyah to the place where he knew the toughest defenders were.

The men of the city went out and fought Yo'av; a number of people fell, including some of David's servants, with Uriyah the Hitti among the dead.

Yo'av sent a message to David reporting all the news concerning the war,

So the messenger left, and on arrival he told David all that Yo'av had sent him to say.

David said to the messenger, "Tell Yo'av, 'Don't let this matter get you down - the sword devours in one way or another. Intensify your battle against the city, and overthrow it.'And encourage him."

Yo'av fought against Rabbah of the people of 'Amon and took the royal city.

Yo'av sent people to David with this message: "I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply.

Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah perceived that the king missed Avshalom;

so Yo'av sent to T'koa, brought from there a clever woman and said to her, "Please, pretend you're a mourner. Put on mourning clothes, and don't anoint yourself with oil, but appear to be a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

Go in to the king and speak to him in this fashion -" and then Yo'av told her just what to say.

The king asked, "Did Yo'av put you up to this?"The woman answered, "As you live, my lord the king, when my lord the king speaks, no one can avoid the issue by turning either right or left. Yes, it was your servant Yo'av who had me do this, and he put in my mouth every word you have heard your servant say.

Your servant Yo'av did this in order to bring about some change in the situation. But my lord is wise, he has the wisdom of an angel of God when it comes to understanding anything going on in the land."

The king said to Yo'av, "All right, I am granting this request. Go, and bring back young Avshalom."

Yo'av fell to the ground on his face, prostrating himself, and blessed the king; Yo'av said, "Today your servant knows that I have won your favor, my lord, king, because the king has done what your servant requested."

Then Yo'av got up, went to G'shur and brought Avshalom to Yerushalayim.

Then Avshalom summoned Yo'av, planning to send him to the king; but he refused to come to him. He summoned him a second time, but he still wouldn't come.

So he said to his servants, "See, Yo'av's field is close to mine, and he has barley there; go, and set it on fire." Avshalom's servants set the field on fire.

Then Yo'av got up, went to Avshalom at his house and asked him, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"

Avshalom answered Yo'av, "Look, I sent a message to you to come here, so that I could send you to the king to ask, 'Why did I come from G'shur? It would have been better for me if I had stayed there. So now, let me appear before the king; and if I'm guilty of anything, he can kill me.'"

Yo'av went to the king and told him; and when he had called for Avshalom, he went to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Avshalom.

Avshalom had put 'Amasa in charge of the army in place of Yo'av. 'Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Yitra the Isra'eli, who had had sexual relations with Avigal the daughter of Nachash, Tz'ruyah's sister and Yo'av's mother.