5 Then the king gave Joʹab and A·bishʹai and Itʹtai this order: “Deal gently with the young man Abʹsa·lom for my sake.”+ All the men heard it when the king gave all the chiefs the order about Abʹsa·lom.

14 To this Joʹab said: “I am not going to waste any more time with you!” So he took three spikes* in his hand and drove them through the heart of Abʹsa·lom while he was still alive in the midst of the big tree.