2 Samuel 20:22

¹⁹Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

¹There happened to be there a wicked fellow, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet, and said, “We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, Israel!”

¹⁶Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held the people back.

⁶David sent to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷When Uriah had come to him, David asked him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. ⁸David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and didn’t go down to his house. ¹⁰When they had told David, saying, “Uriah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”

¹¹Uriah said to David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah, are staying in tents; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open field. Shall I then go into my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing!”

¹²David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day. ¹³When David had called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. At evening, he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn’t go down to his house. ¹⁴In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵He wrote in the letter, saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck and die.”

¹⁶When Joab kept watch on the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. ¹⁷The men of the city went out and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of David’s servants; and Uriah the Hittite died also. ¹⁸Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; ¹⁹and he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king, ²⁰it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he asks you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”

¹⁶Then a wise woman cried out of the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come near here, that I may speak with you.’”

¹¹Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

²⁸So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, and they fought no more.

²⁸Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹Let it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house. Let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” ³⁰So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, and clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn in front of Abner.” King David followed the bier. ³²They buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at Abner’s grave; and all the people wept. ³³The king lamented for Abner, and said, “Should Abner die as a fool dies? ³⁴Your hands weren’t bound, and your feet weren’t put into fetters. As a man falls before the children of iniquity, so you fell.” All the people wept again over him.

³⁵All the people came to urge David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else, until the sun goes down.”

³⁶All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸The king said to his servants, “Don’t you know that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? ³⁹I am weak today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May the LORD reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

¹³I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me. ¹⁴There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. ¹⁵Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. ¹⁶Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. ¹⁷The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. ¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.