⁹ Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall^[a] at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰ Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly ^(A)melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, ^(B)from Dan to Beersheba, ^(C)as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.