1 Chronicles 19

1 Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people-group, died. Then his son Hanun became their king.

It came about later that Nahash, king of the people of Ammon, died, and that his son became king in his place.

2 [When] David [heard about that, he] thought [to himself], “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that he was sorry to hear that Hanun’s father [had died]. But when David’s officials came to Hanun in the land where the Ammon people-group lived,

David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. David's servants entered the land of the Ammonites and went to Hanun, in order to console him.

3 the leaders of the Ammon people-group said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is really to honor your father that King David is sending these men to say that he is sorry that your father died? [We think that] his men have come to (look around/spy) our city in order to determine how his [army] can conquer us.”

But the Ammonite princes said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent men to comfort you? Do not his servants come to you to explore and examine the land in order to overthrow it?”

4 Hanun [believed what they said, so he commanded some soldiers to] seize the officials whom David had sent, and shave off their beards, and [insult them by] cutting off the lower part of their robes, and then send them away. [So his soldiers did that].

So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut off their garments to the waist, up to their buttocks, and sent them away.

5 The officials were greatly humiliated/ashamed. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent some messengers to them to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”

When they explained this to David, he sent to meet with them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”

6 Then the [leaders of the] Ammon people-group realized that they had greatly insulted [IDM] David. So Hanun and some of his officials sent about (37,000 pounds/34,000 kg.) of silver to hire chariots and chariot-drivers from [the] Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah and Zobah [regions of Syria northeast of Israel].

When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire Aramean chariots and horsemen from Naharaim, Maacah, and Zobah.

7 They hired 32,000 chariots and chariot-drivers, as well as the king of [the] Maacah [region] and his army. They came and set up their tents near Medeba [town in Moab region]. The soldiers from the Ammon people-group also marched out and (stood in their positions/arranged themselves for battle) [at the entrance to their capital city, Rabbah].

They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his army, who came and encamped before Medeba. Then the Ammonites gathered themselves together from their cities and came out to battle.

8 When David heard about that, he sent Joab and all his army.

When David heard of it, he sent Joab and his entire army to meet them.

9 The soldiers of the Ammon people-group came out of their city and lined up for battle at the entrance to [their capital city, Rabbah]. Meanwhile, the other kings who had come [with their armies] stood in their positions in the open fields.

The people of Ammon came out and lined up for battle at the city gate, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

10 Joab saw that there were groups of enemy soldiers in front of his troops and behind his troops. So he selected some of the best Israeli troops and put them in positions to fight against the soldiers of Syria.

When Joab saw the battle lines facing him both in front and behind, he chose some of Israel's best fighters and arranged them against the Arameans.

11 He appointed his [older] brother Abishai to be the commander of his other soldiers and he told them to (stand in their positions/arrange themselves) in front of [the army of] the Ammon people-group.

As for the rest of the army, he gave it into the command of Abishai his brother, and he put them into battle lines against the army of Ammon.

12 Joab said to them, “If the soldiers from Syria are too strong for us to defeat them, then your soldiers must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people-group are too strong for you to defeat them, then my soldiers will come and help your men.

Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you, Abishai, must rescue me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you.

13 We must be strong/courageous, and fight hard to [defend] our people and our cities (that belong to/where we worship) our God. I will pray that Yahweh will do what he considers to be good.”

Be strong, and let us show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, for Yahweh will do what is good in his eyes.”

14 So Joab and his troops [advanced to] fight the army of Syria, and the soldiers from Syria ran away from them.

So Joab and the soldiers of his army advanced to the battle against the Arameans, who were forced to flee before the army of Israel.

15 And when the soldiers of the Ammon people-group saw that the soldiers from Syria were running away, they also started to run away from Abishai and his army, and they retreated back inside the city. So Joab [and his army] returned to Jerusalem.

When the army of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Joab's brother Abishai and went back into the city. Then Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went back to Jerusalem.

16 After [the leaders of the army of] Syria realized that they had been defeated by [the army of] Israel, they sent messengers to [another part of Syria on] the east side of the [Euphrates] river, and brought troops from there [to the battle area], with Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.

When the Arameans saw that they were being defeated by Israel, they sent for reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer's army.

17 When David heard about that, he gathered all the Israeli soldiers, and they crossed the Jordan [River]. They advanced and took their battle positions to attack the army of Syria.

When David was told this, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and came upon them. He arranged the army for battle against the Arameans, and they fought him.

18 But the army of Syria ran away from the soldiers of Israel. However, David’s soldiers killed 7,000 of their chariot-drivers and 40,000 other soldiers. They also killed Shophach, their army commander.

The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak, the commander of the army.

19 When the kings who had been ruled by Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israeli army, they made peace with David, and agreed to allow him to rule them. So the rulers of Syria did not want to help the rulers of the Ammon people-group any more.

When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served them. So the people of Aram were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.