2 Samuel 10

1Some time later the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.

2David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console him about his father. When David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites,

3the Ammonite commanders said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending men to console you? Has David not sent his servants to you to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”

4So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.

5When David was told about it, he sent messengers to meet them, because the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then come home.”

6When the Ammonites realized that they had made themselves offensive to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and twelve thousand men from Tob.

7When David heard about it, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors.

8The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open field.

9When Joab saw that the battle lines were set against him both in front and behind, he chose some of the best troops of Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.

10The rest of the troops he put under the command of his brother Abishai, and he deployed them against the Ammonites.

11Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must come to rescue me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come to rescue you.

12Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and for the towns of our God. May Yahweh do what seems good to him.”

13So Joab and the troops who were with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

14When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai and went into the city. Then Joab came back from fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.

15When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped.

16Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

17When David was told, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans drew up in battle formation to face David and fought against him.

18But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand horsemen. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there.

19When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.