2 Samuel 10
10
1-2a Sometime after this, the king of the Ammonites died and Hanun, his son, succeeded him as king. David said, “I’d like to show some kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash—treat him as well and as kindly as his father treated me.” So David sent Hanun condolences regarding his father.
2b-3 But when David’s servants got to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite leaders warned Hanun, their head delegate, “Do you for a minute suppose that David is honoring your father by sending you comforters? Don’t you think it’s because he wants to snoop around the city and size it up that David has sent his emissaries to you?”
4So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved off half their beards, cut off their robes halfway up their buttocks, and sent them packing.
5When all this was reported to David, he sent someone to meet them, for they were seriously humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow out. Only then come back.”
6When it dawned on the Ammonites that as far as David was concerned they stunk to high heaven, they hired Aramean soldiers from Beth-Rehob and Zobah—twenty thousand infantry—and a thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.
7When David heard of this, he dispatched Joab with his strongest fighters in full force.
8-12The Ammonites marched out and arranged themselves in battle formation at the city gate. The Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah took up a position out in the open fields. When Joab saw that he had two fronts to fight, before and behind, he took his pick of the best of Israel and deployed them to confront the Arameans. The rest of the army he put under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them to confront the Ammonites. Then he said, “If the Arameans are too much for me, you help me. And if the Ammonites prove too much for you, I’ll come and help you. Courage! We’ll fight tooth and nail for our people and for the cities of our God. And God will do whatever he sees needs doing!”
13-14But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels from Abishai and went into the city.
So Joab left off fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.
15-17a When the Arameans saw how badly they’d been beaten by Israel, they picked up the pieces and regrouped. Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were across the River. They came to Helam. Shobach, commander of Hadadezer’s army, led them. All this was reported to David.
17b-19 So David mustered Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven hundred chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. And he mortally wounded Shobach, the army commander, who died on the battlefield. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace and became Israel’s vassals. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again.
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2 Samuel 10: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
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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