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And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took [a]the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.

And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at [b]the River. And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots. And when [c]the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of [d]the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. Then David put garrisons in [e]Syria of Damascus; and [f]the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah [g]gave victory to David whithersoever he went. And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. And from [h]Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.

And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, 10 then Toi sent [i]Joram his son unto king David, to [j]salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him: for Hadadezer [k]had wars with Toi. And [l]Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: 11 these also did king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued; 12 of [m]Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting [n]the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men. 14 And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah [o]gave victory to David whithersoever he went.

15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 8:1 Or, Metheg-ammah
  2. 2 Samuel 8:3 Another reading is, the river Euphrates.
  3. 2 Samuel 8:5 Hebrew Aram.
  4. 2 Samuel 8:5 Hebrew Aram.
  5. 2 Samuel 8:6 Hebrew Aram.
  6. 2 Samuel 8:6 Hebrew Aram.
  7. 2 Samuel 8:6 Or, saved David
  8. 2 Samuel 8:8 In 1 Chr. 18:8, Tibhath.
  9. 2 Samuel 8:10 In 1 Chr. 18:10, Hadoram.
  10. 2 Samuel 8:10 Hebrew asked him of his welfare.
  11. 2 Samuel 8:10 Hebrew was a man of wars.
  12. 2 Samuel 8:10 Hebrew in his hand were.
  13. 2 Samuel 8:12 Hebrew Aram.
  14. 2 Samuel 8:13 Edom in 1 Chr. 18:11, 12; Ps. 60:title
  15. 2 Samuel 8:14 Or, saved David

David’s Military Victories Continue

It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. When he defeated Moab, he measured them with the cord, making them lie on the ground. He measured two cords to kill and the third cord[a] to let live.[b] So Moab became servants of David, bringing tribute. Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument[c] at the Euphrates River. David captured from him one thousand and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers.[d] David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but from them[e] he spared a hundred chariot horses. When Aram of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of Aram. David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, so Aram became servants of David, bringing tribute. Yahweh protected David everywhere he went.

David took the small round gold shields which had belonged[f] to the servants of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. From Betah and from Berothai, the towns of Hadadezer, King David took very many bronze items.

When Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him[g] and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi.[h] He brought with him[i] objects of silver and objects of gold and objects of bronze. 11 King David dedicated them also to Yahweh along with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from all of the nations which he had subdued; 12 from Aram and from Moab and from the Ammonites[j] and from the Philistines and from Amalek and from the plunder of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. 13 So David made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand. 14 He put garrisons in Edom; all over Edom he put garrisons, and all of Edom became servants of David. Yahweh protected David wherever he went.

15 David reigned over all of Israel, and he[k] was administering justice and righteousness for all his people.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 8:2 Literally “the filling of a cord”
  2. 2 Samuel 8:2 This method of selection must have been well known to the reader, but the exact procedure has been obscured over the millennia. It may be that one out of three lived through the process, only to become subservient
  3. 2 Samuel 8:3 Hebrew “hand”
  4. 2 Samuel 8:4 Literally “men of infantry”
  5. 2 Samuel 8:4 Literally “from him”
  6. 2 Samuel 8:7 Literally “been”
  7. 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “to ask peace for himself”
  8. 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “for Hadadezer was a man of wars with Toi”
  9. 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “In his hand were”
  10. 2 Samuel 8:12 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  11. 2 Samuel 8:15 Hebrew “David”