⁴ So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard,^(A) cut off their garments at the buttocks,^(B) and sent them away.

⁵ When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious^(C) to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean^(D) foot soldiers from Beth Rehob^(E) and Zobah,^(F) as well as the king of Maakah^(G) with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.^(H)

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists.^(A) Others slapped him

³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^(A)