CHAP. XVIII.
AND David numbred the people that were with him a, and set captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds over them.
2 And David sent forth a third part of the peo∣ple under the hand of Joab b, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah •…•…oabs brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite: and the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you my self also c.
3 But the people answered, Thou shall not go forth d: for if we flee away, they will not ‡ care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art ‡ worth ten thousand of us e: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 now it is better that thou ‡ succour us out of the city f.
4 And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best, I will do. And the king stood by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gate∣side g, and all the people came out by hundreds, and by thousands.
5 And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom h. And all the peo∣ple i heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
6 ¶ So the people went out into the field a∣gainst Israel: and the battel was in the wood of Ephraim k,
7 Where the people of Israel l were slain be∣fore the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.
8 For the battel was there scattered m over the face of all the countrey: and the wood ‡ de∣voured more people n that day than the sword devoured o.