David’s Wars

8 Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

David’s Kingdom Established and Extended

18 Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; he took Gath and its villages from the Philistines.^(A)

² He defeated Moab, and the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.

³ David also struck down King Hadadezer of Zobah, toward Hamath,^[a] as he went to set up a monument at the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Arameans.^{(B) 6} Then David put garrisons^[b] in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ David took the gold shields that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a vast quantity of bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.^(C)

⁹ When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of King Hadadezer of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. He sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze;^{(D) 11} these also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.^{(E) 13} He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people. ¹⁵ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;^{(F) 16} Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; ¹⁷ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king.^(G)

Exploits of David’s Men

¹⁵ The Philistines went to war again with Israel, and David went down together with his servants. They fought against the Philistines, and David grew weary. ¹⁶ Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze and who was fitted out with new weapons,^[a] said he would kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall not go out with us to battle any longer, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.”^(A)

¹⁸ After this a battle took place with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.^{(B) 19} Then there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.^{(C) 20} There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great size who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he, too, was descended from the giants.^{[b] 21} When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei killed him. ²² These four were descended from the giants^[c] in Gath; they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

⁹ and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.^(A)

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.^(A)