The Capture of Rabbah

20 (A)In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And (B)Joab struck down Rabbah and overthrew it. (C)And David took the crown of their king from his head. He found that it weighed a talent[a] of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor[b] (D)with saws and iron picks and axes.[c] And thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Philistine Giants Killed

(E)And after this there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giants, and the Philistines were subdued. And there was again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of (F)Jair struck down Lahmi (G)the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of (H)Shimea, David's brother, struck him down. These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:3 Compare 2 Samuel 12:31; Hebrew he sawed
  3. 1 Chronicles 20:3 Compare 2 Samuel 12:31; Hebrew saws

Defeat of the Ammonites

20 In the spring, the time when kings go to war, Joab marched out with the army, destroyed the land of the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. David stayed in Jerusalem while Joab attacked Rabbah and overthrew it. David took Milcom’s[a] crown from his head. He found that it weighed one kikkar of gold and was set with a valuable stone. It was placed on David’s head. The amount of loot David took from the city was huge. After removing the people who were in the city, David demolished the city with saws, iron picks, and axes,[b] as he did to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

War with the Philistines

Once again war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephah,[c] and the Philistines were subdued. In another war with the Philistines, Jair’s son Elhanan killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. At another war in Gath there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also descended from Raphah. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimea killed him. These were descended from the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 LXX, Vulg; MT their king
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:3 Cf 2 Sam 12:31; MT saws
  3. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Or giants; also in 20:6-7