Chronicles of the Past Dynasties_Chapter 19

Afterwards, Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son succeeded him as king.

David said, I will treat Hanun well according to the grace that his father Nahash treated me well. So David sent messengers to comfort him in the loss of his father. David’s servants came to Hanun within the territory of the Ammonites to comfort him,

But the leaders of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Do you think David respects your father when he sends someone to comfort you? Isn’t his servants coming to see you for a detailed investigation and to overthrow this land?

Hanun then shaved off half of the beards of David’s servants and cut off the lower half of their clothes, exposing their genitals, and sent them back.

When someone told David what had happened to his servants, he sent someone to meet them, because they were deeply ashamed. Tell them to stay in Jericho and wait until their beard grows before returning.

The Ammonites knew that David detested them, so Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram, Maachah, and Zobah,

So he hired 32000 chariots and King Maachah and his army. They came to camp in front of Medeba. The children of Ammon also came out of their cities and gathered together to fight.

When David heard this, he sent Joab to lead the brave army out.

The children of Ammon went out and set up a formation in front of the city gate, and the kings who came also set up a formation in the suburbs.

When Joab saw the enemy setting up a formation before and after him, he selected the best soldiers from the Israelite army and had them set up a formation against the Arameans.

The rest of the soldiers were handed over to his brother Abishai and set up a formation against the children of Ammon.

Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are stronger than me, come and help me.”. If the Ammonites are stronger than you, I will go and help you.

Let us all be strong and become great men for our people and for the cities of God. May the Lord do according to his will.

So Joab and his men advanced and attacked the Arameans. The Arameans fled before Joab.

The children of Ammon saw the Arameans fleeing, and they also fled into the city before Abishai, Joab’s brother. So Joab returned to Jerusalem.

When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they sent messengers to bring the Arameans on the other side of the river, with Shophat, the commander of Hadarezer, leading them.

Someone told David that he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan River, coming to the Arameans and setting up a formation against them. When David set up a formation against the Arameans, they fought against him.

The Arameans fled before the Israelites. David killed seven thousand chariots and forty thousand infantry of Aram, and also killed Aram’s general Shophat.

When the kings of Hadarezer saw that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they reconciled with David and surrendered to him. So the Arameans dared not help the Ammonites anymore.