1 Chronik 19

1 Danach starb der Ammoniterkönig Nachas, und sein Sohn ward König an seiner Statt.

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

2 Da sprach David: "Ich will dem Chanun, des Nachas Sohn, Liebes tun, weil sein Vater mir Liebes getan hat." So sandte David Boten, ihn wegen seines Vaters zu trösten. So kamen Davids Diener ins Ammoniterland zu Chanun, ihn zu trösten.

[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,

3 Da sprachen die Ammoniterfürsten zu Chanun: "Ehrt David nach deiner Ansicht deinen Vater, daß er dir Tröster schickt? Kommen seine Diener nicht zum Ausforschen, Erkunden und Ausspähen des Landes zu dir?"

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.”

4 Da ergriff Chanun die Diener Davids, schor sie und schnitt ihnen die Gewänder halb bis ans Gesäß ab. So schickte er sie fort.

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].

5 Sie gingen. Nun berichtete man David über die Männer. Da sandte er ihnen entgegen. Denn die Männer waren schwer beschimpft. Der König ließ sagen: "Bleibt in Jericho, bis euch der Bart gewachsen ist! Dann kommt heim!"

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.”

6 Die Ammoniter aber merkten, daß sie sich bei David verhaßt gemacht hatten. Da schickten Chanun und die Ammoniter tausend Silbertalente, sich bei den Aramäern in Mesopotamien und den Aramäern von Maaka und Soba Wagen und Reiter zu dingen.

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].

7 Sie dingten sich 32.000 Wagen sowie den König von Maaka mit seinem Volk. Dann zogen sie heran und lagerten vor Medeba. Auch die Ammoniter sammelten sich aus ihren Städten und zogen zum Kampf aus.

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].

8 Als David dies hörte, schickte er Joab mit dem ganzen Heer der Krieger aus.

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

9 Da rückten die Ammoniter aus und stellten sich am Eingang der Stadt zum Kampfe auf. Die Könige aber, die gekommen waren, standen für sich im Gelände.

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.

10 Als Joab sah, daß ihm ein Angriff von vorn und von hinten drohe, wählte er Leute aus allen Erlesenen Israels und stellte sich den Aramäern entgegen.

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.

11 Den Rest des Volkes aber unterstellte er seinem Bruder Absai. Und sie stellten sich den Ammonitern gegenüber.

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.

12 Er sprach: "Werden die Aramäer mir zu stark, dann komm du mir zu Hilfe! Sind aber die Ammoniter dir zu stark, dann helfe ich dir.

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.

13 Sei tapfer! Seien wir mutig für unser Volk und die Diener unseres Gottes! Der Herr aber tue, was ihm gefällt!"

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.”

14 So rückte Joab mit dem Volke bei ihm zum Kampfe gegen die Aramäer vor. Da flohen sie vor ihm.

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

15 Als die Ammoniter sahen, daß die Aramäer flohen, flohen auch sie vor seinem Bruder Absai und zogen sich zurück. Hierauf zog Joab nach Jerusalem.

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.

16 Als die Aramäer sahen, daß sie von Israel geschlagen waren, sandten sie Boten und ließen die Aramäer jenseits des Stromes ausrücken. Und Hadarezers Feldherr Sophak stand an ihrer Spitze.

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.

17 Dies ward David gemeldet. Da bot er ganz Israel auf, überschritt den Jordan, zog gegen sie und stellte sich ihnen zum Kampf. David stellte sich also gegen die Aramäer zum Kampfe auf, und sie stritten mit ihm.

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.

18 Aber die Aramäer mußten vor Israel fliehen, und David schlug von den Aramäern 7.000 Wagenkämpfer und 40.000 Mann Fußvolk. Auch den Feldherrn Sophak tötete er.

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.

19 Als Hadarezers Diener sahen, daß sie von Israel geschlagen waren, schlossen sie Frieden mit David und waren ihm untertan. Und die Aramäer hatten keine Lust mehr, den Ammonitern weiter zu helfen.

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.