4. The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.” So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.
5. The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
6. David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
7. There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men.