David’s Messengers Disgraced
1 After this, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place. 2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites to Hanun, to comfort him.
3 But the leaders of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father by sending comforters to you? Haven’t his servants come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land?”
4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 People informed David how the men were treated. David sent messengers to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 66,000 pounds of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. 7 So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah with his people, who came and encamped near Medeba. The Ammonites gathered together from their cities and came to do battle. 8 When David heard of it, he sent Joab with the whole army of mighty men. 9 The Ammonites came out and set up in battle formation at the gate of the city, and the kings who had come remained in the field by themselves.
David Defeats Ammon and Syria
10 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him in the front and the rear, he chose some from all of the best men of Israel, and set them in battle formation against the Syrians. 11 He committed the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in formation against the Ammonites.
12 He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you are to help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Be courageous and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the Lord do that which seems good to him.”
14 So Joab and the people who were with him came near to the front of the Syrians to the battle, and they fled before him. 15 When the Ammonites saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and called out the Syrians who were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the army of Hadadezer leading them. 17 David was told of this, so he gathered all Israel together, passed over the Jordan, came to them, and set up in battle formation against them. So when David had drawn the battle lines against the Syrians, they fought him.
18 The Syrians fled before Israel, and of the Syrians, David killed 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 footmen, and he also killed Shophach the captain of the army. 19 When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David, and served him. The Syrians would not help the Ammonites any more.