The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers.

Then Abner called out to Joab: "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?"

"As God lives," Joab replied, "if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn't have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning."

As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding.

To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.

Finalize plans through counsel, and wage war with sound guidance.

Don't take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterwards if your opponent humiliates you?

Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,

so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"