Joab

That's not how it is. Rather, a man from the hills of Efrayim, Sheva the son of Bikhri, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Just turn him over to me, and I will leave the city." The woman said to Yo'av, "All right, his head will be thrown to you over the wall."

Then the woman went to all the people with her wise plan. They cut off the head of Sheva the son of Bikhri and threw it out to Yo'av. So he sounded the shofar, and they left the city, sending each man to his tent; while Yo'av returned to the king in Yerushalayim.

Once again Yo'av was commander over the whole army of Isra'el, while B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada was over the K'reti and P'leti,

Avishai the brother of Yo'av, the son of Tz'ruyah, was chief of these three. He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them; thus he had a reputation even among the three.

'Asah'el the brother of Yo'av was one of the thirty, Elchanan the son of Dodo of Beit-Lechem,

Tzelek the 'Amoni, Nachrai the Be'eroti, armor-bearer for Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah,

The king said to Yo'av the commander of the army, who was with him, "Go systematically through all the tribes of Isra'el, from Dan to Be'er-Sheva; and take a census of the population; so that I can know how many people there are."

Yo'av said to the king, "May ADONAI your God add to the people a hundredfold, no matter how many there are; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king take pleasure in doing this?"

However, the king's word prevailed against Yo'av and the army officers. So Yo'av and the army officers went out from the king's presence to take a census of the people of Isra'el.

Yo'av reported the results of the census to the king: there were in Isra'el 800,000 valiant men who could handle a sword, while the men of Y'hudah numbered 500,000.

He conferred with Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah and Evyatar the cohen; and they both supported Adoniyah.

He has killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the sons of the king, Evyatar the cohen and Yo'av the commander of the army; but he didn't summon Shlomo your servant.

Adoniyah and all his guests heard it while they were finishing their meal; but it was Yo'av who, when he heard the blast on the shofar, asked, "That noise - what's the meaning of this uproar in the city?"

"Moreover, you are aware of what Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra'el, Avner the son of Ner and 'Amasa the son of Yeter - he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

King Shlomo answered his mother, "Why are you asking Avishag the Shunamit for Adoniyah? Ask the kingdom for him too! After all, he's my older brother! Yes, for him, and for Evyatar the cohen and for Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah!"

When the news came to Yo'av, he fled to the tent of ADONAI and took hold of the horns of the altar; for Yo'av had given his support to Adoniyah, even though he had not supported Avshalom.

King Shlomo was told, "Yo'av has fled to the tent of ADONAI; he's there by the altar." Shlomo sent B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada with the order, "Go, strike him down."

B'nayah came to the tent of ADONAI and said to him, "The king says: leave!" He answered, "No, I'd rather die here." B'nayah brought the message back to the king, "This is what Yo'av said to me."

The king answered him, "Do what he said - strike him down, and bury him. In this way you will take away from me and my father's family the blood which Yo'av shed for no reason.

In this way their blood will return on the head of Yo'av and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his family and his throne there will be peace forever from ADONAI."

Back when David had been in Edom, and Yo'av the commander of the army had gone up to bury the dead, having killed every male in Edom

(for Yo'av and all Isra'el had stayed there six months, until he had eliminated every male in Edom),

When Hadad in Egypt heard that David slept with his ancestors and Yo'av the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me leave, so that I can return to my own country."

and their sisters Tz'ruyah and Avigayil. The sons of Tz'ruyah: Avshai, Yo'av and 'Asah'el, three of them.

David said, "Whoever attacks the Y'vusi first will be commander-in-chief." Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah attacked first and was made commander.