2 Samuel 18:1-8 ▼

1 And Dauid numbred the people that were with him, and set captaynes of thousandes and of hundredes ouer them.

2 And Dauid set foorth the third part of the people vnder the hande of Ioab, and the third part vnder the hand of Abisai the sonne of Zaruia Ioabs brother, and the other third part vnder the hand of Ithai the Gethite: And the king said vnto the people, I will go with you my selfe also.

3 And the people aunswered, Thou shalt not go foorth: for if we flee away, they wil not care for vs, neither shal they regard vs, though halfe of vs were slaine: but thou art nowe worth ten thousande of vs, Wherfore it is better that thou succour vs out of the citie.

4 And the king sayde vnto them: What seemeth you best, that wil I do. And the king stoode by the gate syde, and all the people came out by hundredes, and by thousandes.

5 And the king commaunded Ioab, and Abisai, and Ithai, saying: Intreate the young man Absalom gently for my sake. And all the people hearde that the king gaue all the captaynes charge concerning Absalom.

6 And so the people wet out into the fielde against Israel (and the battel was in the wood of Ephraim)

7 Where the people of Israel were slaine before the seruauntes of Dauid: & there was a great slaughter that day, euen of twentie thousande men.

8 For the battell was scattered ouer al the countrey: And the wood deuoured mo people that day, then dyd the sword.