13. Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house.
14. Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15. He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die."
16. So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men.
17. The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18. Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war.
19. He charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king,
20. and if it happens that the king's wrath rises and he says to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
21. Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw 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 dead also.'"
22. So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
23. The messenger said to David, "The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate.