1 Chronicles
Chapter 19
1 After this happened, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son became king after him.
2 David said, “I will be kind to Hanun, son of Nahash, because his father was kind to me.” David sent messengers to comfort him about his father. David’s servants went to Ammon’s territory to Hanun to comfort him.
3 But the leaders of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think that David wants to honor your father by sending these men to comfort you? Haven’t his servants come to you to explore, overthrow, and spy on the land?”
4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, trimmed their clothes short near their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 Some people went and told David what had happened to the men. He sent messengers to meet them because the men were very embarrassed. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, then come back.”
6 When the Ammonites realized they had become hated by David, Hanun and the Ammonites gave a thousand talents of silver to get chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Maacah, and from Zobah.
7 They paid for 32,000 chariots and the king of Maachah with his army; they arrived and set up camp near Medeba. The people of Ammon also came from their towns, ready to fight.
8 When David found out, he sent Joab and all the strong soldiers.
9 The Ammonites came out and arranged their army for battle in front of the city gate; the kings who had joined forces were alone in the open country.
10 When Joab saw the enemy in front and behind, he picked the best soldiers of Israel and arranged them to fight the Syrians.
11 He gave the rest of the people to his brother Abishai, and they prepared to fight the Ammonites.
12 He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, you must help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.”
13 Let’s be brave and fight bravely for our people and God’s cities, and let God do what is good in his sight.
14 Joab and his soldiers approached the Syrians for battle; the Syrians ran away from them.
15 When the Ammonites saw the Syrians running away, they also ran from Abishai and went back to their city. After that, Joab went to Jerusalem.
16 When the Syrians realized they were losing to Israel, they sent messengers and called for Syrian troops from across the river. Shophach, the leader of Hadarezer’s army, led them.
17 David was told, so he brought all of Israel together, crossed the Jordan, approached them, and arranged his troops for battle. When David had set up his troops against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18 The Syrians ran away from Israel; David killed seven thousand of their chariot soldiers, forty thousand infantry, and Shophach, the army commander.
19 When Hadarezer’s servants saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him; the Syrians would not help the Ammonites anymore.