³ But Joab^(A) replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,^(B) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase^(A) you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!^(B)

³ But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over.^(A) My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.

¹² Be strong,^(A) and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”^(B)