⁷ The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day.

⁶ For ^(A)Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, ^(B)because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

¹⁶ And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷ Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.

⁴¹ Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and ^(A)brought the king, his household, and all David’s men with him across the Jordan?”

⁴² So all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is ^(B)a close relative of ours. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”

⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have ^(C)ten shares in the king; therefore we also have more right to David than you. Why then do you despise us—were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?”

Yet ^(D)the words of the men of Judah were ^[a]fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

⁶ In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. ^(A)So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

³¹ But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died.

²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”

¹⁷ So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.