²⁶ Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”

²⁷ Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” ²⁸ Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. At once, the fighting stopped.