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Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab and Asahel.
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The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites,
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Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of Ge Harashim. It was called this because its people were skilled workers.
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David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander in chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.
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He built up the city around it, from the terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.
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Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.
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The mighty warriors were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
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Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
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Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;
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On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.
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Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.
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Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.
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Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.
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When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
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The Capture of Rabbah
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.
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So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
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But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
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The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.
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Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
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But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him.
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And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.
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The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.
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Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.
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Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army.
