17 The enemy troops came out of the city and fought Joab's forces; some of David's officers were killed, and so was Uriah.
18 Then Joab sent a report to David telling him about the battle,
19 and he instructed the messenger, “After you have told the king all about the battle,
20 he may get angry and ask you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight them? Didn't you realize that they would shoot arrows from the walls?
21 Don't you remember how Abimelech son of Gideon was killed? It was at Thebez, where a woman threw a millstone down from the wall and killed him. Why, then, did you go so near the wall?’ If the king asks you this, tell him, ‘Your officer Uriah was also killed.’ ”
22 So the messenger went to David and told him what Joab had commanded him to say.
23 He said, “Our enemies were stronger than we were and came out of the city to fight us in the open, but we drove them back to the city gate.