2 Samuel 10

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.