2 Samuel 10

1After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place.

2And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father, and David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.

3And the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Is David honoring your father in your sight because he has sent comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”

4So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle up to their buttocks, and sent them away.

5When they told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

6When the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.

7When David heard, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.

8Then the sons of Ammon came out and drew up for battle at the entrance of the gate, while Aram of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

9When Joab saw that the battle line was set against him in front and in the rear, he chose from all the choice men of Israel and arrayed them to meet Aram.

10And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and he drew them up to meet the sons of Ammon.

11He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will go to help you.”

12Be strong, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, and may Yahweh do what is good in his eyes.

13Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to battle against Aram, and they fled before him.

14And when the sons of Ammon saw that Aram had fled, they fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

15When Aram saw that it had been defeated before Israel, they gathered together.

16Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer’s army before them.

17When it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. Then Aram drew up in battle formation to meet David and fought with him.

18Aram fled from before Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen from Aram. He also struck down Shobach, the commander of their army, and he died there.

19When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So Aram was afraid to save the sons of Ammon anymore.