1 Chronicles 19

¹ And it comes to pass after this, that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon dies, and his son reigns in his stead, ² and David said, "I do kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father did with me kindness"; and David sends messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David come in unto the land of the sons of Ammon, unto Hanun, to comfort him, ³ and the heads of the sons of Ammon say to Hanun, "Is David honoring your father, in your eyes, because he has sent to you comforters? in order to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out, the land, have not his servants come in unto you?" ⁴ And Hanun takes the servants of David, and shaves them, and cuts their long robes in the midst, unto the buttocks, and sends them away. ⁵ And [some] go, and declare to David concerning the men, and he sends to meet them - for the men have been greatly ashamed - and the king said, "Dwell in Jericho till that your beard is grown, then you have returned." ⁶ And the sons of Ammon see that they have made themselves abhorred by David, and Hanun and the sons of Ammon send a thousand talents of silver, to hire to them, from Aram-Naharaim, and from Aram-Maachah, and from Zobah, chariots and horsemen; ⁷ and they hire to them two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they come in and encamp before Medeba, and the sons of Ammon have been gathered out of their cities, and come in to the battle. ⁸ And David hears, and sends Joab, and all the host of the mighty men, ⁹ and the sons of Ammon come out and set battle in array at the opening of the city, and the kings who have come [are] by themselves in the field. ¹⁰ And Joab sees that the front of the battle has been unto him, before and behind, and he chooses out of all the choice in Israel, and sets in array to meet Aram, ¹¹ and the remnant of the people he has given into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set in array to meet the sons of Ammon. ¹² And he said, "If Aram be stronger than I, then you have been to me for salvation; and if the sons of Ammon be stronger than you, then I have saved you; ¹³ be strong, and we strengthen ourselves, for our people, and for the cities of our Elohim, and Yahweh does that which is good in His eyes." ¹⁴ And Joab draws nigh, and the people who [are] with him, before Aram to battle, and they flee from his face; ¹⁵ and the sons of Ammon have seen that Aram has fled, and they flee - they also - from the face of Abishai his brother, and go in to the city. And Joab comes in to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ And Aram sees that they have been smitten before Israel, and send messengers, and bring out Aram that [is] beyond the River, and Shophach head of the host of Hadarezer [is] before them. ¹⁷ And it is declared to David, and he gathers all Israel, and passes over the Jordan, and comes in unto them, and sets in array against them; yea, David sets in array the battle to meet Aram, and they fight with him; ¹⁸ and Aram flees from the face of Israel, and David slays of Aram seven thousand charioteers, and forty thousand footmen, and Shophach head of the host he has put to death. ¹⁹ And the servants of Hadarezer see that they have been smitten before Israel, and they make peace with David and serve him, and Aram has not been willing to help the sons of Ammon any more.