³ And Joab saith unto the king, `Yea, Jehovah thy God doth add unto the people, as they are, a hundred times, and the eyes of my lord the king are seeing; and my lord the king, why is he desirous of this thing?'

¹¹ Jehovah, God of your fathers, is adding to you, as ye `are', a thousand times, and doth bless you as He hath spoken to you.

¹⁴ Jehovah addeth to you, to you, and to your sons.

¹² be strong and strengthen thyself for our people, and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah doth that which is good in His eyes.'

³ And Joab saith, `Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'

⁴ And the word of the king `is' severe against Joab, and Joab goeth out, and goeth up and down in all Israel, and cometh in to Jerusalem.

²⁸ In the multitude of a people `is' the honour of a king, And in lack of people the ruin of a prince.

⁵ Then thou seest, and hast become bright, And thine heart hath been afraid and enlarged, For turn unto thee doth the multitude of the sea, The forces of nations do come to thee.