¹⁷ So when he approached her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” He answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸ Then she said, “In the past people used to say, ‘They will certainly ask advice at Abel,’ and so they settled the dispute. ¹⁹ I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up (devour) the inheritance of the Lord?”