David and the Ammonites

10 Later the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun succeeded him.^{[a] 2} David said, “I will express my loyalty^[b] to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal^[c] to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father’s death.^[d] When David’s servants entered the land of the Ammonites, ³ the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy?^[e] No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”^[f]

⁴ So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed,^[g] and then sent them away. ⁵ Messengers^[h] told David what had happened,^[i] so he sent them to the men who were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown again; then you may come back.”