³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you ^(A)said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.”

²⁸ Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, ^(A)“Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of ^(B)Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? ^29 (C)If only this people were under my ^[a]authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So ^[b]he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”

^8 (A)Then Amaziah sent messengers to ^[a]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” ⁹ And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, ^(B)“The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the ^(C)cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. ¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom, and ^(D)your heart has ^[b]lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at ^(E)Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from ^(F)the Gate of Ephraim to ^(G)the Corner Gate—^[c]four hundred cubits. ¹⁴ And he took all ^(H)the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

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?”

²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, ^[a]unless ^(A)you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.”