Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
1 Chronicles 19
After this, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place.
David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites, to Hanun, to comfort him.
But the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father in your eyes because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you in order to search out, overthrow, and spy out the land?”
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments at the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.
They went and told David about the men, and he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
When the Ammonites saw that they had become hateful to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.
They hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, along with the king of Maacah and his people. They came and camped before Medeba. And the Ammonites gathered from their cities and came for battle.
When David heard, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors.
The Ammonites came out and drew up for battle at the entrance of the city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
When Joab saw that the battle line was against him in front and behind, he chose some of the best men in Israel and drew them up against Aram.
He placed the rest of the people under the command of his brother Abishai, and they drew up against the Ammonites.
He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, you will be a help to me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will save you. Be strong, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And the LORD will do what is good in his eyes.”
Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to battle against Aram, and they fled before him.
When the Ammonites saw that Aram had fled, they too fled before his brother Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
When Aram saw that they had been defeated before Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans from beyond the River, with Shophach, commander of Hadadezer’s army, at their head.
When David was told, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, came against them, and drew up against them. David drew up for battle against Aram, and they fought with him.
Aram fled before Israel, and David killed from Aram seven thousand chariot troops and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also put Shophach, commander of the army, to death.
When Hadadezer’s servants saw that they had been defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and served him. And Aram was unwilling to save the Ammonites any longer.