The Ammonites Crushed

²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city.^{(A) 27} Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the water city. ²⁸ Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, encamp against the city, and take it, lest I myself take the city and it is called by my name.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. ³⁰ He took the crown of Milcom^[a] from his head; the weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. He also brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount.^{(B) 31} He brought out the people who were in it and set them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes or sent them to the brickworks. Thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.