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20 When springtime arrived, the time when kings go out to war, Joab led out the army, ravaged the land of the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and pulled it down.

David took the gold crown of their king[a] from his head. It weighed seventy-five pounds[b] and had a precious stone in it. It was placed on[c] David’s head. He brought out large amounts of plunder from the city. He brought out the people who were in the city. He put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes.[d] David did the same to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.

War With the Philistines

After this, war arose at Gezer[e] with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai,[f] one of the descendants of Rapha the giant,[g] and the Philistines were subdued.

There was another battle with the Philistines. Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

There was another battle, this time at Gath. There was a very tall man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four digits in all. He also was descended from Rapha the giant.[h] He taunted Israel, but Jonathan, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him. These were descended from the giant in Gath. They fell by the hand of David and the men who served him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 Or their god, Milcom
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:2 Or a talent (estimates for a talent vary from 68 to 130 pounds)
  3. 1 Chronicles 20:2 Or over. The weight of the crown seems too heavy for a person to wear, at least for any length of time.
  4. 1 Chronicles 20:3 The reading of the main Hebrew text is he sawed with a saw, with iron picks and with saws. This could mean that he cut up the city or the people. This verse is translated in harmony with the parallel text in 2 Samuel 12:31.
  5. 1 Chronicles 20:4 In 2 Samuel 21:18 this battle is located at Gob.
  6. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Also called Saph in 2 Samuel 21:18
  7. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Literally the Rephaim. Rapha was the ancestor of a group of very tall men who lived among the Philistines. They are called the Rephaim, and the valley where some of these battles were fought was named after them.
  8. 1 Chronicles 20:6 Literally the Rapha, which serves as the name of the patriarch of this clan of giants, also in verse 8

The Capture of Rabbah(A)

20 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah(B) and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.(C) David took the crown from the head of their king[a]—its weight was found to be a talent[b] of gold, and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes.(D) David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

War With the Philistines(E)

In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer.(F) At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites,(G) and the Philistines were subjugated.

In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.(H)

In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 Or of Milkom, that is, Molek
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:2 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms