2 Samuel 10
New Living Translation
David Defeats the Ammonites
10 Some time after this, King Nahash[a] of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king. 2 David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death.
But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, 3 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, their master, “Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so they can come in and conquer it!” 4 So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.
5 When David heard what had happened, he sent messengers to tell the men, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.
6 When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob. 7 When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all his warriors to fight them. 8 The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah positioned themselves to fight in the open fields.
9 When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields. 10 He left the rest of the army under the command of his brother Abishai, who was to attack the Ammonites. 11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,” Joab told his brother. “And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. 12 Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”
13 When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away. 14 And when the Ammonites saw the Arameans running, they ran from Abishai and retreated into the city. After the battle was over, Joab returned to Jerusalem.
15 The Arameans now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped, 16 they were joined by additional Aramean troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River.[b] These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s forces.
17 When David heard what was happening, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and led the army to Helam. The Arameans positioned themselves in battle formation and fought against David. 18 But again the Arameans fled from the Israelites. This time David’s forces killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers,[c] including Shobach, the commander of their army. 19 When all the kings allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites.
Footnotes
- 10:1 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 19:1; Hebrew reads the king.
- 10:16 Hebrew the river.
- 10:18 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 19:18); Hebrew reads charioteers.
2 Samuel 10
Lexham English Bible
The Ammonites Refuse David’s Loyal Love
10 Afterwards the king of the Ammonites died,[a] and his son Hanun ruled in his place. 2 David said, “I will show loyal love with Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed loyal love with me.” So David sent to console him concerning his father, by the hand of his servants. And the servants of David came to the land of the Ammonites.[b] 3 But the commanders of the Ammonites[c] said to Hanun their master, “In your opinion,[d] is David honoring your father because he has sent condolences to you? Is it not in order to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it that David sent his servants to you?” 4 Then Hanun took the servants of David, and he shaved off half of their beards and cut their garments off in the middle up to their buttocks, then sent them away. 5 When they told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown, and then you can return.”
Israel Fights Ammon and Aram
6 When the Ammonites[e] saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites[f] sent word and hired Aram Beth-Rehob and Aram-Zobah, twenty thousand infantry; and they also hired the king of Maacah, a thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. 7 When David heard, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty warriors. 8 The Ammonites[g] came out and drew up a battle formation[h] at the entrance of the gate, but Aram-Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were alone in the open field. 9 When Joab saw that the battle was to be fought on two fronts,[i] he chose from all the members of the elite troops of Israel and lined them up for battle[j] to meet Aram. 10 The rest of the army he placed into the hand of his brother Abishai, who arranged them in battle lines[k] to meet the Ammonites.[l] 11 Then he said, “If Aram is stronger than I am, you must become my deliverer; but if the Ammonites[m] are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for the sake of the people and for the sake of the cities of our God. May Yahweh do what is good in his eyes. 13 Joab and all the people who were with him moved forward into the battle against Aram, and they fled from before him. 14 When the Ammonites[n] saw that Aram had fled, they fled from before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites[o] and came to Jerusalem.
The Arameans Regroup for Attack
15 When the Arameans saw that they were defeated before Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 Then Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Helam. Now Shobach, the commander of the army of Hadadezer, was at their head.[p] 17 David was told, so he gathered all Israel and crossed over the Jordan and came to Helam. Aram arranged themselves in battle lines[q] to meet David, and they fought with him. 18 And Aram fled before Israel, and David killed from the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams and forty thousand horsemen. He struck down Shobach, the commander of his army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings, the servants of Hadadezer, saw that he had been defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them, and Aram was afraid to help the Ammonites[r] any longer.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 10:1 Literally “And it happened afterwards that the king of the sons of Ammon died”
- 2 Samuel 10:2 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:3 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:3 Literally “In your eyes”
- 2 Samuel 10:6 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:6 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:8 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:8 Literally “drew up battle”
- 2 Samuel 10:9 Literally “the face of the battle was against him in front and in the rear”
- 2 Samuel 10:9 Literally “arrayed”
- 2 Samuel 10:10 Literally “arrayed”
- 2 Samuel 10:10 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:11 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:14 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:14 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 10:16 Literally “before the face of them”
- 2 Samuel 10:17 Literally “arrayed”
- 2 Samuel 10:19 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
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