¹⁷ And when he came near her, the woman said, Are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid. He answered, I am listening.

¹⁸ Then she said, People used to say, Let them but ask counsel at Abel, and so they settled the matter.

¹⁹ I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city which is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?