²⁴ but Joab and Abishai went after Abner. The sun was setting when they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the Gibeon wilderness. ²⁵ The Benjaminites rallied behind Abner, forming a single unit. Then they took their positions on the top of a hill. ²⁶ Abner yelled down to Joab, “Must the sword keep killing forever? Don’t you realize that this will end bitterly? How long before you order the troops to stop chasing their brothers?”

²⁷ “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you hadn’t just said that, the soldiers would have continued after their brothers until morning.” ²⁸ Joab blew the trumpet,^[a] and all the soldiers stopped. They didn’t pursue Israel anymore, nor did they continue to fight.

²⁹ Abner and his men then marched all night through the wilderness, crossing the Jordan River and marching all morning^[b] until they got to Mahanaim. ³⁰ Joab, meanwhile, returned from pursuing Abner and assembled the troops. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were counted missing in addition to Asahel. ³¹ But David’s soldiers had defeated the Benjaminites, killing three hundred sixty of Abner’s soldiers. ³² They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. When daylight came, they were in Hebron.