14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah.
15 He wrote: “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed.”
16 So while Joab was besieging the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew the enemy was strong.
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?