The king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”
All the people heard when the king commanded all the captains concerning Absalom.
So the people went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.
The people of Israel were struck there before David’s servants, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
For the battle was there spread over the surface of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.