David Captures Rabbah

20 In the spring of the year,^[a] when kings normally go out to war, Joab led the Israelite army in successful attacks against the land of the Ammonites. In the process he laid siege to the city of Rabbah, attacking and destroying it. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

David and Bathsheba

11 In the spring of the year,^[a] when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

David Captures Rabbah

²⁶ Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and he captured the royal fortifications.^{[a] 27} Joab sent messengers to tell David, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply.^{[b] 28} Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory.”

²⁹ So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he fought against it and captured it. ³⁰ David removed the crown from the king’s head,^[c] and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and it weighed seventy-five pounds.^[d] David took a vast amount of plunder from the city. ³¹ He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with^[e] saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns.^[f] That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

¹¹ (King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide.^[a] It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)