Samuel's note_Chapter 10

Afterwards, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun 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 his servants to comfort him in the loss of his father. David’s servants came into the territory of the children of Ammon.

But the leaders of the children of Ammon said to their lord Hanun, Do you think David respects your father when he sends someone to comfort you? Didn’t he send his servants to investigate and spy on this city, intending to overthrow it?

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.

Someone told David, and he sent someone to meet them, because they were very ashamed. He told them to stay in Jericho until their beards grew and then come back.

The children of Ammon knew that David detested them, so they sent messengers to recruit the Arameans of Bethlehem and Zobah, with 20000 infantry, one thousand people from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand people from Tob.

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

The children of Ammon came out and set up a formation in front of the city gate. Zobah, along with the Arameans, Tob, and Maacah, set up a formation in the outskirts.

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 be 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 before Abishai and entered the city. So Joab left the children of Ammon and returned to Jerusalem.

When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they gathered again.

Hadadezer sent someone to bring the Arameans from across the river. They arrived in Hiram, and Shophat, the general of Hadadezer, led them.

Someone told David that he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan River to come to Hiram. The Arameans set themselves in formation against David and fought against him.

The Arameans fled before the Israelites. David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen in Aram, and also killed Aram’s general Shophat.

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