19 Now it came to pass after this, that Nachash Melech Bnei Ammon died, and bno reigned in his place.

² And Dovid said, I will show chesed unto Chanun Ben Nachash, because aviv (his father) showed chesed to me. And Dovid sent malachim to bring condolences to him concerning aviv. So the avadim of Dovid came into the eretz Bnei Ammon to Chanun, to console him.

³ But the sarim of the Bnei Ammon said to Chanun, Thinkest thou that Dovid doth honor avicha, that he hath sent menachamim (comforters) unto thee? Are not his avadim come unto thee for to reconnoiter, and to overthrow, and to spy out ha’aretz?

⁴ Therefore Chanun arrested Dovid’s avadim, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ Then there went certain ones, and told Dovid about the anashim. And he sent to meet them, for the anashim were greatly humiliated. And HaMelech said, Tarry at Yericho until your zakan be grown, and then return.

⁶ And when the Bnei Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to Dovid, Chanun and the Bnei Ammon sent elef kikar (talents) kesef to hire them chariots and parashim out of Aram Naharayim, and out of Aram Ma’achah, and out of Tzovah.

⁷ So they hired thirty and two elef chariots, and Melech Ma’achah and his troop, who came and encamped before Meidva. And the Bnei Ammon gathered themselves together from their towns, and moved out for milchamah.

⁸ And when Dovid heard of it, he sent Yoav, and kol tzava hagibborim.

⁹ And the Bnei Ammon came out, and drew up for milchamah before the gate of the Ir, and the melachim that were come were by themselves in the sadeh.

¹⁰ Now when Yoav saw that the milchamah was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the best of Yisroel, and deployed them to engage Aram (the Syrians).

¹¹ And the rest of the people he delivered unto the yad of Avishai his brother, and they deployed to engage the Bnei Ammon.

¹² And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt save me, but if the Bnei Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will save thee.

¹³ Chazak (Be strong)! And let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the towns of Eloheinu, and let Hashem do that which is hatov in His eyes.

¹⁴ So Yoav and the troop that were with him drew near before the Syrians unto the milchamah; and they fled before him.

¹⁵ And when the Bnei Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Avishai his brother, and entered into the ir [Rabbah]. Then Yoav returned to Yerushalayim.

¹⁶ And when the Syrians saw that they were routed before Yisroel, they sent malachim, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, and Shophach sar tzava Hadadezer went before them.

¹⁷ And it was told Dovid; and he gathered kol Yisroel, and crossed over Yarden, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when Dovid had so deployed, they fought with him.

¹⁸ But the Syrians fled before Yisroel; and Dovid slaughtered of the Syrians shivah alafim in chariots, and forty elef foot soldiers, and killed Shophach sar hatzava.

¹⁹ And when avadim of Hadadezer saw that they were routed before Yisroel, they made shalom with Dovid, and became his avadim; neither would the Syrians help the Bnei Ammon any more. [T.N. 2Sm chp 11 is not repeated here, but the going of Dovid to Rabbah‖-see 2Sm 12:27-29‖is elucidated. In the hero lists, it is important to remember that some in their heroism were corruptible and some were incorruptible, Uriah being one of the latter]

20 And it came to pass, at the time of eshuvat hashanah, at the time that melachim go out to battle, Yoav led forth the chayl hatzava, and laid waste the eretz Bnei Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But Dovid tarried at Yerushalayim. And Yoav struck Rabbah, and destroyed it.

² And Dovid took the ateret of their melech from off his rosh, and found it to weigh a talent of zahav, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon rosh Dovid; and he brought also exceeding much plunder out of the Ir.

³ And he brought out the people that were in it, and consigned them to saws, and to picks of barzel (iron), and to axes. Even so dealt Dovid with all the towns of the Bnei Ammon. And Dovid and kol HaAm returned to Yerushalayim.

⁴ And it came to pass after this, that there arose milchamah at Gezer with the Pelishtim (Philistines); at which time Sibbechai the Chushati slaughtered Sippai, that was of the yeledim of the Refa’im, and they were subdued.

⁵ And there was milchamah again with the Pelishtim (Philistines); and Elchanan ben Yair slaughtered Lachmi the brother of Golyat (Goliath) the Gitti, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.

⁶ And yet again there was milchamah at Gat, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each yad, and six on each foot and he also was of Rapha descent.

⁷ But when he defied Yisroel, Yehonatan ben Shimea achi Dovid slaughtered him.

⁸ These were from the Rapha descended in Gat; and they fell by the yad of Dovid, and by the yad of his avadim.

21 And Satan stood up against Yisroel, and provoked Dovid to number Yisroel.

² And Dovid said to Yoav and to the sarei HaAm, Go, number Yisroel from Beer Sheva even to Dan; and bring the mispar (number) of them to me, that I may know it.

³ But Yoav answered, Hashem make His people a hundred times so many more as they be, but, adoni HaMelech, are not they all the avadim of adoni? Why then doth adoni require this thing? Why will he be a cause of ashmah to Yisroel?

⁴ Nevertheless the davar HaMelech prevailed against Yoav. Therefore, Yoav departed, and went throughout kol Yisroel, and came to Yerushalayim.

⁵ And Yoav gave up the sum of the number of HaAm unto Dovid. And kol Yisroel were 1,100,000 ish that drew cherev; and Yehudah was 470,000 ish that drew cherev.

⁶ But Levi and Binyamin counted he not among them, for the davar HaMelech was abominable to Yoav.

⁷ And HaElohim was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Yisroel.

⁸ And Dovid said unto HaElohim, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing, but now, take away the avon of Thy eved, for I have done very foolishly.

⁹ And Hashem spoke unto Gad, Chozeh Dovid (seer of David) saying,

¹⁰ Go and tell Dovid, saying, Thus saith Hashem, I offer thee shalosh (three); choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

¹¹ So Gad came to Dovid, and said unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Choose for thee

¹² Either shalosh shanim ra’av (famine); or shloshah chodashim to be subdued before thy foes, while that the cherev of thine oyevim overtaketh thee; or else sheloshet yamim cherev Hashem, even the dever, in HaAretz, and the Malach Hashem destroying throughout all the borders of Yisroel. Now therefore advise thyself what davar I shalll bring to Him that sent me.

¹³ And Dovid said unto Gad, I am in a great distress; let me fall now into the Yad Hashem; for rabbim me’od (very great) are His rachamim but let me not fall into the yad adam.

¹⁴ So Hashem sent dever upon Yisroel, and there fell of Yisroel shiv’im elef ish.

¹⁵ And HaElohim sent a Malach unto Yerushalayim to destroy her, and as he was destroying, Hashem beheld, and He relented Him of the ra’ah, and said to the Malach that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine yad. And the Malach Hashem stood by the goren (threshing floor) of Ornan the Yevusi.

¹⁶ And Dovid lifted up his eyes, and saw the Malach Hashem stand between Ha’Aretz and HaShomayim, having a drawn cherev in his yad stretched out over Yerushalayim. Then Dovid and the Zekenim, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

¹⁷ And Dovid said unto HaElohim, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done harah indeed; but as for these tzon, what have they done? Let Thine Yad, Hashem Elohai, be on me, and on the Bais Avi, but not on Thy people, not with magefah (plague, see Isa 53:8 for fulfillment).

¹⁸ Then the Malach Hashem commanded Gad to say to Dovid, that Dovid should go up, and set up a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem in the goren (threshing floor) of Ornan the Yevusi.

¹⁹ And Dovid went up at the davar of Gad, which he spoke B’Shem Hashem.

²⁰ And Ornan turned back, and saw the Malach, and his four banim with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing chittim (wheat).

²¹ And as Dovid came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw Dovid, and went out from the goren (threshing floor), and prostated himself to Dovid with his face to the ground.

²² Then Dovid said to Ornan, Give me the makom of this goren (threshing floor), that I may build a Mizbe’ach therein unto Hashem; thou shalt give it me for the kesef male (full price), that the magefah (plague) may be withdrawn from HaAm.

²³ And Ornan said unto Dovid, Take it to thee, and let adoni HaMelech do that which is tov in his eyes; see, I give thee the bakar also for olot (burnt offerings), and the threshing tools for wood, and the chittim (wheat) for the minchah (grain offering, meal offering); I give it all.

²⁴ And HaMelech Dovid said to Ornan, Lo (no), but I will verily buy it for the kesef male (full price), for I will not take that which is thine for Hashem, nor offer olah (burnt offerings) without cost.

²⁵ So Dovid gave to Ornan for the makom (place, site) six hundred shekels of zahav by weight.

²⁶ And Dovid built there a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem, and offered olot (burnt offerings) and shelamim (peace offerings), and called upon Hashem, and He answered him from Shomayim by eish upon the Mizbe’ach HaOlah.

²⁷ And Hashem commanded the Malach, and He put back his cherev again into the nedan (sheath) thereof.

²⁸ At that time when Dovid saw that Hashem had answered him on the goren (threshing floor) of Ornan the Yevusi, then he sacrificed there.

²⁹ For the Mishkan Hashem, which Moshe made in the midbar, and the Mizbe’ach HaOlah, were at that time in the bamah (high place) at Giveon.

³⁰ But Dovid could not go before it to inquire of Elohim, for he was afraid because of the cherev Malach Hashem.