¹³ And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? So may God do to me and more, if you are not the commander of my army from now on, in place of Joab.’ ”^(A)

²⁵ Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army in the place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite,^[a] who had married Abigal daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.^(A)

² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”^(A)

¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;^(A)

⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your officers who have saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and your concubines, ⁶ for love of those who hate you and for hatred of those who love you. You have made it clear today that commanders and officers are nothing to you, for I perceive that, if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. ⁷ So go out at once and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

²⁹ May the bloodguilt fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who has a defiling skin disease, or who holds a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food!”^{(A) 30} So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.^(B)

¹⁸ Then the spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said,^[a]

Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.^(A)

¹⁶ and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.^{(A) 17} Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.^(B)

¹¹ Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”