2 Samuel 10

¹ It happened after this that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.

² And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me. So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

³ And the chiefs of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, In your eyes, does David honor your father in sending comforters to you? Has David not sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?

⁴ Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ And when they reported it to David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.

⁶ And when the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.

⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.

⁸ And the sons of Ammon came out and set themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maachah were by themselves in the field.

⁹ And when Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s choicest and set them in battle array to meet the Syrians.

¹⁰ And the rest of the people he put into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array to meet the sons of Ammon.

¹¹ Then he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall deliver me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to deliver you.

¹² Be strong, and let us be courageous for our people and for the cities of our God. And may Jehovah do what is good in His eyes.

¹³ So Joab and the people with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.

¹⁴ And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ And when the Syrians saw that they had been struck down before Israel, they gathered together.

¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them.

¹⁷ And when it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array to meet David and fought with him.

¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred in chariots and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there.

¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they had been smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the sons of Ammon anymore.