¹⁹ The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn right or left from anything that my lord the king has said. For it was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.^(A)

³ Go to the king and speak to him as follows.” And Joab put the words into her mouth.^(A)

²⁶ And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence praying to the Lord.^(A)

¹⁵ for I will give you words^[a] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.^(A)

² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.^(A)

⁵ “Moreover, you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war and putting innocent blood^[a] on the belt around my^[b] waist and on the sandals on my^[c] feet.^{(A) 6} Act, therefore, according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.^(B)

David Has Uriah Killed

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.^{(A) 15} In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”^(B)

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths,^[a] and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.”^(A)

And all the people wept over him again.