2 Samuel 8–10

David’s Further Conquests

8After this it came to pass that David ¹attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took ²Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

²Then ^ahe defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s ^bservants, and ^cbrought tribute.

³David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^dZobah, as he went to recover ^ehis territory at the River Euphrates. ⁴David took from him one thousand chariots, ³seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^fhamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

^5gWhen the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So ^hthe Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷And David took ⁱthe shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸Also from ⁴Betah and from ^jBerothai, ⁵cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

⁹When ⁶Toi king of ^kHamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰then Toi sent ⁷Joram his son to King David, to ⁸greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. ¹¹King David also ^ldedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued—¹²from ⁹Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the ^mPhilistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David made himself a ⁿname when he returned from killing ^oeighteen thousand ¹Syrians in ^pthe Valley of Salt. ¹⁴He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and ^qall the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁵So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. ^16rJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; ^sJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ^17tZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ²Seraiah was the ³scribe; ^18uBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the ^vCherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ⁴chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ^ashow him ¹kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

²And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^bZiba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

³Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show ^cthe kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is ^dlame in his feet.”

⁴So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of ^eMachir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

⁵Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶Now when ^fMephibosheth ²the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

⁷So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

⁸Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ^ga dead dog as I?”

⁹And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, ^h“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ⁱshall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had ^jfifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at ³my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹²Mephibosheth had a young son ^kwhose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, ^lfor he ate continually at the king’s table. And he ^mwas lame in both his feet.

The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated

10It happened after this that the ^aking of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. ²Then David said, “I will show ^bkindness to Hanun the son of ^cNahash, as his father showed kindness to me.”

So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon. ³And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”

⁴Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, ^dat their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ¹ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶When the people of Ammon saw that they ^ehad made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired ^fthe Syrians of ^gBeth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of ^hMaacah one thousand men, and from ⁱIsh-Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of ^jthe mighty men. ⁸Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And ^kthe Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

⁹When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. ¹⁰And the rest of the people he put under the command of ^lAbishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. ¹¹Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ^12mBe of good courage, and let us ⁿbe strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may ^othe Lord do what is good in His sight.”

¹³So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁴When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to ^pJerusalem.

¹⁵When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together. ¹⁶Then ²Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ³the River, and they came to Helam. And ⁴Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. ¹⁷When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him. ¹⁸Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand ^qhorsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. ¹⁹And when all the kings who were servants to ⁵Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and ^rserved them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.