⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.^[a](A)

¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

⁴ For the word of the king is powerful, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”^(A)

³ But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold while the eyes of my lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to do this?” ⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of Israel. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan and began from^[a] Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.^{(A) 6} Then they came to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites,^[b] and they came to Dan, and from Dan^[c] they went around to Sidon^{(B) 7} and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba.^{(C) 8} So when they had gone through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

¹⁷ But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.^(A)