David’s Forces Defeat the Ammonites

12:26 41 So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 12:27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.42 12:28 So now assemble the rest of the army43 and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.”

12:29 So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. 12:30 He took the crown of their king44 from his head—it was gold, weighed about seventy-five pounds,45 and held a precious stone—and it was placed on David’s head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder. 12:31 He removed46 the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy47 with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.48