1 Chronicles 19

1After this Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place.

2David said, "I will deal kindly with Hanun son of Nahash, because his father dealt kindly with me." So David sent messengers to console him about his father. David's servants came to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun, to console him.

3The chiefs of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, "Do you think David honors your father by sending comforters to you? Haven't his servants come to you to search the land, to overthrow it, and to spy it out?"

4Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle to their buttocks, and sent them away.

5They went and told David about the men, so he sent to meet them because the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return."

6When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves detestable to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen for themselves from Aram-naharaim, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.

7They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, the king of Maacah, and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba, while the sons of Ammon assembled from their cities and advanced to battle.

8David heard and sent Joab and all the army of the champions.

9The Ammonites advanced and drew up for battle at the city entrance, while the kings who had arrived stood apart in the field.

10Joab saw that the battle was arrayed against him from front and back, so he chose from all the choice men of Israel and drew them up to meet the Arameans.

11He put the rest of the people into the hand of his brother Abishai, and they drew up in formation against the sons of Ammon.

12He said, "If the Arameans are stronger than me, then you will be my deliverance; but if the sons of Ammon are stronger than you, then I will deliver you."

13Be strong, and let us be strong for our people and the cities of our God, and may Yahweh do what is good in his eyes.

14Joab and the people with him advanced against the Syrians for battle, and they fled before him.

15Ammon's sons saw that the Arameans had fled, so they too fled before Abishai, his brother, and came to the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

16When the Arameans saw they had been beaten before Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans from beyond the river, with Shophach the captain of Hadadezer's army before them.

17David was informed, so he mustered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced on them, and deployed his forces against them. When David had drawn up in battle order against the Arameans, they fought him.

18The Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean chariots and forty thousand foot soldiers, along with Shophach the commander of the army.

19When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants, and Aram refused to save the children of Ammon any longer.