9 When Joʹab saw that the battle charges were coming against him from the front and the rear, he chose some of the best troops in Israel and drew them up in battle formation to meet the Syrians.+ 10 He put the rest of the men under the command* of his brother A·bishʹai,+ in order to draw them up in battle formation to meet the Amʹmon·ites.+ 11 Then he said: “If the Syrians become too strong for me, then you must come to my rescue; but if the Amʹmon·ites become too strong for you, I will come to your rescue. 12 We must be strong and courageous+ for our people and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah will do what is good in his eyes.”+