⁹ Joab saw that the enemy troops would attack him in front and from the rear, so he chose the best of Israel's soldiers and put them in position facing the Syrians. ¹⁰ He placed the rest of his troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who put them in position facing the Ammonites. ¹¹ Joab said to him, “If you see that the Syrians are defeating me, come and help me, and if the Ammonites are defeating you, I will go and help you.