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¹ And it happened after this, that King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place.² And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, for his father acted with kindness toward me; and David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of Davidcame to the land of the Ammonites, to Hanun,to comfort him.³ And the chiefs of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Is David honoring your father, in your eyes, because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come in to you in order to search out and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?⁴ And Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut their long robes in half, to the buttocks, and sent them away.⁵ And some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, Remain in Jericho until your beard has grown, then return.

⁶ And the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves odious to David; and Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver in order to hire to themselves chariots and horsemen from Syria of Naharaim and Syria of Maachah and from Zobah.⁷ And they hired thirty two thousand chariots to themselves, and the king of Maachah and his people. And they came in and pitched before Medeba; and the Ammonites had gathered out of their cities and had come to the battle.⁸ And David heard, and sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.⁹ And the Ammonites came out and set the battle in order at the entrance to the city; and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.¹⁰ And Joab saw that the face of the battle was against him before and behind; and he chose out all the choice ones in Israel, and set in order to meet Syria;¹¹ and the rest of the people he gave into the hand of his brother Abishai; and they set in order to meet the sons of Ammon.¹² And he said, If Syria is stronger than I, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.¹³ Be strong, even let us take courage for our people and for the cities of our God; and Jehovah will do that which is good in His eyes.¹⁴ And Joab and the people with him drew near before Syria to do battle; and they fled before him.¹⁵ And the Ammonites saw that Syria had fled, and they ran away, they also, from before his brother Abishai, and went into the city. And Joab came to Jerusalem.¹⁶ And Syria saw that they had been stricken before Israel, and sent messengers and brought out Syria that was beyond the river; and Shophach, Hadarezer's army commander, was before them.¹⁷ And it was told to David, and he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan, and came to them and set in order against them; yea, David set the battle in order to meet Syria, and they fought with him;¹⁸ and Syria fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand charioteers of Syria, and forty thousand footmen, and he killed Shophach, the army commander.¹⁹ And the servants of Hadarezer saw that they had been stricken before Israel, and they made peace with David and served him; and Syria was not willing to help the Ammonites any more.