Ammon and Aram Defeated

10 ^(A)Now it happened afterwards that ^(B)the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of ^(C)Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent ^[a]some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, ³ the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “^[b]Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? ^(D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and ^(E)shaved off half of their beards, and ^(F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “^[c]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

⁶ Now when the sons of Ammon saw that ^(G)they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and ^(H)hired the Arameans of ^(I)Beth-rehob and the ^(J)Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^(K)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. ⁷ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. ⁸ The sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle array ^(L)at the entrance of the ^[d]city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of ^(M)Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

⁹ Now when Joab saw that ^[e]the battle was set against him in front and in the rear, he selected from all the choice men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans. ¹⁰ But the remainder of the people he placed in the hand of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the sons of Ammon. ¹¹ He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. ^12 (N)Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and ^(O)may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” ¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to the battle against the Arameans, and ^(P)they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered the city. ^(Q)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they had been ^[f]defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ^16 (R)And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the ^[g]River, and they came to Helam; and ^(S)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer ^[h]led them. ¹⁷ Now when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arrayed themselves to meet David and fought against him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed ^(T)700 charioteers of the Arameans and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings, servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were ^[i]defeated by Israel, ^(U)they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Arameans feared to help the sons of Ammon anymore.

Ministers of a New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to ^(A)commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^(B)letters of commendation to you or from you? ^2 (C)You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ^[a](D)cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^(E)the living God, not on ^(F)tablets of stone but on ^(G)tablets of ^[b](H)human hearts.

⁴ Such ^(I)confidence we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but ^(J)our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as ^(K)servants of a ^(L)new covenant, not of ^(M)the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^(N)the Spirit gives life.

⁷ But if the ^(O)ministry of death, ^(P)in letters engraved on stones, came ^[c]with glory, ^(Q)so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? ⁹ For if ^(R)the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^(S)ministry of righteousness abound in glory. ¹⁰ For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if that which fades away was ^[d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

^12 (T)Therefore having such a hope, ^(U)we use great boldness in our speech, ¹³ and are not like Moses, ^(V)who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were ^(W)hardened; for until this very day at the ^(X)reading of ^(Y)the old covenant the same veil ^[e]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ^16 (Z)but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^(AA)the Spirit of the Lord is, ^(AB)there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, ^(AC)beholding as in a mirror the ^(AD)glory of the Lord, are being ^(AE)transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^(AF)the Lord, the Spirit.

Paul’s Apostolic Ministry

4 Therefore, since we have this ^(AG)ministry, as we ^(AH)received mercy, we ^(AI)do not lose heart, ² but we have renounced the ^(AJ)things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^(AK)adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^(AL)commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our ^(AM)gospel is ^(AN)veiled, it is veiled ^[f]to ^(AO)those who are perishing, ⁴ in whose case ^(AP)the god of ^(AQ)this ^[g]world has ^(AR)blinded the minds of the unbelieving ^[h]so that they might not see the ^(AS)light of the gospel of the ^(AT)glory of Christ, who is the ^(AU)image of God. ⁵ For we ^(AV)do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants ^[i]for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “^(AW)Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^(AX)shone in our hearts to give the ^(AY)Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in ^(AZ)earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^(BA)the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸ we are ^(BB)afflicted in every way, but not ^(BC)crushed; ^(BD)perplexed, but not despairing; ^9 (BE)persecuted, but not ^(BF)forsaken; ^(BG)struck down, but not destroyed; ^10 (BH)always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^(BI)the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death works in us, but life in you.

¹³ But having the same ^(BJ)spirit of faith, according to what is written, “^(BK)I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, ¹⁴ knowing that He who ^(BL)raised the Lord Jesus ^(BM)will raise us also with Jesus and will ^(BN)present us with you. ¹⁵ For all things are ^(BO)for your sakes, so that the grace which is ^[j](BP)spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we ^(BQ)do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^(BR)inner man is ^(BS)being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, ^(BT)light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we ^(BU)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.