2 Samuel 10
10
Israel Fights Ammon
(1 Chronicles 19.1-19)
1Some time later, King Nahash of Ammon died, and his son Hanun became king. 2David said, “Nahash was kind to me, and I will be kind to his son.” So he sent some officials to the country of Ammon to tell Hanun how sorry he was that his father had died.
3But Hanun's officials told him, “Do you really believe David is honoring your father by sending these people to comfort you? He probably sent them to spy on our city, so he can destroy it.” 4Hanun arrested David's officials and had their beards shaved off on one side of their faces. He had their robes cut off just below the waist, and then he sent them away. 5They were terribly ashamed.
When David found out what had happened to his officials, he sent a message and told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back. Then you can come home.”
6The Ammonites realized that they had made David very angry, so they hired more foreign soldiers. Twenty thousand of them were foot soldiers from the Aramean cities of Beth-Rehob and Zobah, 1,000 were from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 were from the region of Tob. 7David heard what they had done, and he sent out Joab with all of his well-trained soldiers.
8The Ammonite troops came out and got ready to fight in front of the gate to their city. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the soldiers from Tob and Maacah formed a separate group in the nearby fields.
9Joab saw that he had to fight in front and behind at the same time, and he picked some of the best Israelite soldiers to fight the Arameans. 10He put his brother Abishai in command of the rest of the army and gave them orders to fight the Ammonites. 11Joab told his brother, “If the Arameans are too much for me to handle, you can come and help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come and help you. 12Be brave and fight hard to protect our people and the cities of our God. I pray that the Lord will do whatever pleases him.”
13Joab and his soldiers attacked the Arameans, and the Arameans ran from them. 14When the Ammonite soldiers saw that the Arameans had run away, they ran from Abishai's soldiers and went back into their own city. Joab stopped fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.
15The Arameans realized they had lost the battle, so they brought all their troops together again. 16Hadadezer sent messengers to call in the Arameans who were on the other side of the Euphrates River. Then Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army, led them to the town of Helam.
17David found out what the Arameans were doing, and he brought Israel's whole army together. They crossed the Jordan River and went to Helam, where the Arameans were ready to meet them. 18The Arameans attacked, but then they ran from Israel. David killed 700 chariot drivers and 40,000 cavalry.#10.18 cavalry: The Hebrew manuscripts and ancient translations differ as to how many and what kind of soldiers were killed. He also killed Shobach, their commander.
19When the kings who had been under Hadadezer's rule saw that Israel had beaten them, they made peace with Israel and accepted David as their ruler. The Arameans were afraid to help Ammon any more.
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2 Samuel 10: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
2 Samuel 10
10
Aram Vanquished
1It came about after this that the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned in his place.
2Then David thought, “Let me show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent word by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived at the land of the children of Ammon,
3the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David is really honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to explore the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
4So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.
5When they informed David, he sent word to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, then return.”
6Now when the children of Ammon saw that they had become a stench to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, plus 12,000 men from Tob.
7When David heard about it, he sent Joab and the whole army—the mighty warriors.
8The children of Ammon came out and lined up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.
9When Joab saw that there was a battle line against him front and rear, he chose of all the best troops of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans,
10but the rest of the troops he committed to the command of his brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the children of Ammon.
11Then he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will help me, but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.
12Chazak! And let us take courage for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God, and may Adonai do what is good in His eyes.”
13So Joab and the troops with him advanced to battle against the Arameans—and they fled before him.
14When the children of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and withdrew into the city. Then Joab returned from assaulting the children of Ammon, and went to Jerusalem.
15When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped.
16Hadadezer sent word and brought out the Arameans from across the River, and they came to Helam, with Hadadezer’s army commander Shobach before them.
17When David was told, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans arrayed their lines against David and fought him.
18But the Arameans fled before Israel—David killed 700 charioteers of the Arameans and 40,000 horsemen, and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, so he died there.
19When the vassal kings of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became servants to them. Then the Arameans were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.
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