Chapter 19

¹And it cometh to pass after this, that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon dieth, and his son reigneth in his stead, ²and David saith, `I do kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father did with me kindness;` and David sendeth messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David come in unto the land of the sons of Ammon, unto Hanun, to comfort him, ³and the heads of the sons of Ammon say to Hanun, `Is David honouring thy father, in thine eyes, because he hath sent to thee comforters? in order to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out, the land, have not his servants come in unto thee?` ⁴And Hanun taketh the servants of David, and shaveth them, and cutteth their long robes in the midst, unto the buttocks, and sendeth them away. ⁵And [some] go, and declare to David concerning the men, and he sendeth to meet them -- for the men have been greatly ashamed -- and the king saith, `Dwell in Jericho till that your beard is grown, then ye have returned.` ⁶And the sons of Ammon see that they have made themselves abhorred by David, and Hanun and the sons of Ammon send a thousand talents of silver, to hire to them, from Aram-Naharaim, and from Aram-Maachah, and from Zobah, chariots and horsemen; ⁷and they hire to them two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they come in and encamp before Medeba, and the sons of Ammon have been gathered out of their cities, and come in to the battle. ⁸And David heareth, and sendeth Joab, and all the host of the mighty men, ⁹and the sons of Ammon come out and set battle in array at the opening of the city, and the kings who have come [are] by themselves in the field. ¹⁰And Joab seeth that the front of the battle hath been unto him, before and behind, and he chooseth out of all the choice in Israel, and setteth in array to meet Aram, ¹¹and the remnant of the people he hath given into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set in array to meet the sons of Ammon. ¹²And he saith, `If Aram be stronger than I, then thou hast been to me for salvation; and if the sons of Ammon be stronger than thou, then I have saved thee; <sup>13</sup>be strong, and we strengthen ourselves, for our people, and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah doth that which is good in His eyes.` ¹⁴And Joab draweth nigh, and the people who [are] with him, before Aram to battle, and they flee from his face; ¹⁵and the sons of Ammon have seen that Aram hath fled, and they flee -- they also -- from the face of Abishai his brother, and go in to the city. And Joab cometh in to Jerusalem. ¹⁶And Aram seeth that they have been smitten before Israel, and send messengers, and bring out Aram that [is] beyond the River, and Shophach head of the host of Hadarezer [is] before them. ¹⁷And it is declared to David, and he gathereth all Israel, and passeth over the Jordan, and cometh in unto them, and setteth in array against them; yea, David setteth in array the battle to meet Aram, and they fight with him; ¹⁸and Aram fleeth from the face of Israel, and David slayeth of Aram seven thousand charioteers, and forty thousand footmen, and Shophach head of the host he hath put to death. ¹⁹And the servants of Hadarezer see that they have been smitten before Israel, and they make peace with David and serve him, and Aram hath not been willing to help the sons of Ammon any more.