1 Chronicles 19

CHAPTER 19

The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men

^1aNow it happened afterwards, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place.

²So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.

³But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”

⁴So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

⁵Then certain persons went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “¹Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

⁶Then the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David. So Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent ¹1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and ^afrom Zobah.

⁷So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before ^aMedeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle.

⁸Then David heard of it, and he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men.

⁹And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle at the entrance of the city. But the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

¹⁰Then Joab saw that the ¹battle was set against him in front and in the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel and ²they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans.

¹¹But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of ¹Abshai his brother; and they arranged themselves to meet the sons of Ammon.

¹²And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you.

¹³“Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.”

¹⁴So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Arameans for the battle, and they fled before him.

¹⁵Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they themselves also fled before Abshai his brother and came into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Then the Arameans saw that they had been ¹defeated by Israel. So they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the ²River, and Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer ³led them.

¹⁷And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and arranged for battle against them. So David arranged them in battle to meet the Arameans. And they fought against him.

¹⁸But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death Shophach the commander of the army.

¹⁹Then the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were ¹defeated by Israel. So they made peace with David and served him. And the Arameans were not willing to save the sons of Ammon anymore.