Psalm 60

For the music leader. According to “Lily.” A testimony. A miktam^[a] of David. For instruction, when he went to war with Aram-naharaim and Aram-sobah, and when Joab returned and defeated Edom, killing twelve thousand in the Salt Valley.

David’s wars

8 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David captured Metheg-ammah from Philistine control.

² David also defeated the Moabites and made them lie on the ground, measuring them with a rope. He measured two rope lengths for those who were to be killed and one rope length for those who were to be spared. The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought him tribute.

³ Next David defeated Zobah’s King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son, as Hadadezer was on his way to put^[a] his monument along the Euphrates River.^{[b] 4} David captured one thousand chariots, seven hundred charioteers,^[c] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He cut the hamstrings of all but one hundred of the chariot horses. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Zobah’s King Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶ David set up forts among the Arameans of Damascus. And the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought him tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. ⁷ David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s servants and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ King David also took a large amount of bronze from Tebah^[d] and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer.

⁹ When Hamath’s King Toi heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ he sent his son Joram to King David to wish him well and congratulate him on his battle and defeat of Hadadezer, because Toi was an enemy of Hadadezer. Joram brought silver, gold, and bronze objects with him. ¹¹ King David dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations that he had subdued: ¹² Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek, including the plunder of Zobah’s King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son.

¹³ So David made a name for himself.^[e] When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites^[f] in the Salt Valley. ¹⁴ He set up forts in Edom,^[g] and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

War with the Ammonites and Arameans

10 Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. ² David said, “I’ll be loyal to Nahash’s son Hanun, just as his father was loyal to me.” So David sent his servants with condolences concerning Hanun’s father.

But when David’s servants arrived in Ammonite territory, ³ the Ammonite officials asked their master Hanun, “Do you really believe David is honoring your father because he has sent you condolences? Of course not! David has sent his servants to you to search the city, spy it out, and overthrow it.” ⁴ So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off their beards,^[a] cut off half their garments, from their buttocks down, and sent them off.

⁵ When this was reported to David, he sent men to meet them because they were completely ashamed. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then you can come back.”

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had offended David, they sent for and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, totaling twenty thousand foot soldiers; the king of Maacah with one thousand soldiers; and twelve thousand soldiers from Tob. ⁷ When David heard this, he sent Joab with the entire army of warriors. ⁸ The Ammonites marched out and formed a battle line at the entrance to the city. The Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the soldiers from Tob and Maacah remained in the countryside.

⁹ When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s finest warriors and deployed them to meet the Arameans. ¹⁰ The rest of the army Joab placed under the command of his brother Abishai. When they took up their positions to meet the Ammonites, Joab said, ¹¹ “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must help me, and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I’ll help you. ¹² Be brave! We must be courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”

¹³ When Joab and the troops who were with him advanced into battle against the Arameans, they fled from him. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and retreated to the city. Then Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and went to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, so they regrouped. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River. They came to Helam with Shobach leading them as commander of Hadadezer’s army. ¹⁷ When this was reported to David he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. The Arameans formed battle lines against David and fought with him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David destroyed seven hundred of their chariots and forty thousand horsemen. David wounded their army commander Shobach, and he died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings who served Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. Never again would the Arameans come to the aid of the Ammonites.

War with the Ammonites and Arameans

19 Some time later, the Ammonite King Nahash died, and his son succeeded him as king. ² “I’ll be loyal to Nahash’s son Hanun,” David said, “because his father was loyal to me.” So David sent messengers with condolences about his father’s death.

But when David’s servants arrived in the Ammonite territory to express his sympathy to Hanun, ³ the Ammonite leaders asked Hanun, “Do you really believe David is honoring your father because he has sent you condolences? Of course not! His servants have come to search the city, spy it out, and overthrow it!” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, cut off half their garments from their buttocks down, and sent them off.

⁵ When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to the men because they were completely ashamed. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then you can come back.”

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had offended David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent one thousand kikkars of silver to hire chariots and cavalry for themselves from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. ⁷ They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as King Maacah and his army, who came and camped in front of Medeba, while the Ammonites left their cities and came together ready for battle. ⁸ When David heard this, he sent Joab and the entire army of warriors. ⁹ The Ammonites marched out and formed a battle line at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come remained in the countryside.

¹⁰ When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s finest warriors and deployed them to meet the Arameans. ¹¹ The rest of the army Joab placed under the command of his brother Abishai. When they took up their positions to meet the Arameans, ¹² Joab said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must help me, and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I’ll help you. ¹³ Be brave! We must be courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”

¹⁴ When Joab and the troops who were with him advanced into battle against the Arameans, they fled from him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from his brother Abishai and retreated into the city. So Joab returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ The Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel. They sent out messengers to bring Aramean reinforcements from the other side of the river, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army at their head. ¹⁷ Upon hearing this, David gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. David advanced and took up positions against the Arameans to meet them in battle. After initiating the battle, ¹⁸ the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand foot soldiers. Shophach the commander of their army was killed too. ¹⁹ When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. Never again would the Arameans come to the aid of the Ammonites.