2 Samuel 10:7-14

7David heard news about this. So he sent Joab with all the soldiers in his army to fight against them.

8The Ammonite soldiers marched out from their city. They stood in front of the city's gates and they were ready to fight. The Syrian soldiers from Zobah and Rehob and the soldiers from Tob and Maakah stayed in the fields near the city.

9Joab saw that there were two groups of the enemy's soldiers. They were ready to attack his army from different sides. So he chose some of Israel's best soldiers. Joab himself led them to attack the Syrian soldiers in the fields.

10He told his brother Abishai to lead the rest of Israel's army to fight against the Ammonites.

11Joab said to Abishai, ‘If the Syrian soldiers are too strong for me, you must come to rescue me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come to rescue you.

12Be strong! We must be brave as we fight on behalf of our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he decides is good.’

13Then Joab and his group of soldiers went to fight against the Syrians. As they marched towards the Syrian soldiers, they ran away.

14The Ammonites saw that the Syrians were running away from Joab. So they also ran away from his brother Abishai's men. They ran back into their city. So Joab stopped fighting the Ammonites. He returned to Jerusalem with his army.