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Psalm 60

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.”

You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.
    You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
You have shaken our land and split it open.
    Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.
You have been very hard on us,
    making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—
    a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude

Now rescue your beloved people.
    Answer and save us by your power.
God has promised this by his holiness[b]:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
    I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine,
    and Manasseh, too.
Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,
    and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,
    and I will wipe my feet on Edom
    and shout in triumph over Philistia.”

Who will bring me into the fortified city?
    Who will bring me victory over Edom?
10 Have you rejected us, O God?
    Will you no longer march with our armies?
11 Oh, please help us against our enemies,
    for all human help is useless.
12 With God’s help we will do mighty things,
    for he will trample down our foes.

Footnotes

  1. 60:Title Hebrew miktam. This may be a literary or musical term.
  2. 60:6 Or in his sanctuary.

Through God We Shall Do Valiantly

For the choir director. According to [a]Shushan Eduth. A [b]Mikhtam of David. For teaching. [c]When he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60 O God, (A)You have rejected us. You have [d](B)broken us;
You have been (C)angry; Oh, (D)restore us.
You have made the [e](E)land quake, You have split it open;
(F)Heal its breaches, for it shakes.
You have (G)caused Your people to see hardship;
You have given us [f]wine to (H)drink that causes reeling.
You have given a (I)banner to those who fear You,
[g]In order to flee to it from the bow. [h]Selah.
(J)That Your (K)beloved may be rescued,
(L)Save with Your right hand, and answer [i]us!

God has spoken in His [j](M)holiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out (N)Shechem and measure out the valley of (O)Succoth.
(P)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(Q)Ephraim also is the [k]helmet of My head;
Judah is My [l](R)scepter.
(S)Moab is My washbowl;
Over (T)Edom I shall throw My shoe;
Make a loud shout, O (U)Philistia, because of Me!”

Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who [m]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have You Yourself, O God, not (V)rejected us?
And (W)will You, O God, not go forth with our armies?
11 Oh give us help against the adversary,
For (X)salvation [n]by man is worthless.
12 [o]Through God we shall (Y)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (Z)tread down our adversaries.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 60 Title Lit The lily of testimony
  2. Psalm 60 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem, Atonement Psalm
  3. Psalm 60 Title 2 Sam 8:3, 13; 1 Chr 18:3, 12
  4. Psalm 60:1 Or broken out upon us
  5. Psalm 60:2 Or earth
  6. Psalm 60:3 Lit wine of staggering
  7. Psalm 60:4 Or That it may be displayed because of the truth
  8. Psalm 60:4 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  9. Psalm 60:5 Some mss me
  10. Psalm 60:6 Or sanctuary
  11. Psalm 60:7 Lit protection
  12. Psalm 60:7 Or lawgiver
  13. Psalm 60:9 Or has led
  14. Psalm 60:11 Lit of
  15. Psalm 60:12 Or In, With

David’s Military Victories

After this, David defeated and subdued the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest town.[a] David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.

David also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control along the Euphrates River. David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers,[b] and 20,000 foot soldiers. He crippled all the chariot horses except enough for 100 chariots.

When Arameans from Damascus arrived to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them. Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

David brought the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers to Jerusalem, along with a large amount of bronze from Hadadezer’s towns of Tebah[c] and Berothai.

When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had destroyed the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to congratulate King David for his successful campaign. Hadadezer and Toi had been enemies and were often at war. Joram presented David with many gifts of silver, gold, and bronze.

11 King David dedicated all these gifts to the Lord, as he did with the silver and gold from the other nations he had defeated— 12 from Edom,[d] Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek—and from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 So David became even more famous when he returned from destroying 18,000 Edomites[e] in the Valley of Salt. 14 He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. In fact, the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:1 Hebrew by conquering Metheg-ammah, a name that means “the bridle,” possibly referring to the size of the town or the tribute money taken from it. Compare 1 Chr 18:1.
  2. 8:4 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version (see also 1 Chr 18:4); Masoretic Text reads captured 1,700 charioteers.
  3. 8:8 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 18:8); Hebrew reads Betah.
  4. 8:12 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions (see also 8:14; 1 Chr 18:11); most Hebrew manuscripts read Aram.
  5. 8:13 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions (see also 8:14; 1 Chr 18:12); most Hebrew manuscripts read Arameans.

David Strikes Down Nations

(A)Now it happened afterwards, that David struck the Philistines and subdued them; and David took [a]control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.

(B)He also struck (C)Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive. And (D)the Moabites became servants to David, (E)bringing tribute.

Then David struck (F)Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as (G)he went to restore his [b]power at the [c]River. And David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David (H)hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for 100 chariots. Then (I)the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah. And David struck down 22,000 Arameans. Then David placed garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus; and (J)the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And (K)Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went. And David took the small shields of gold which were [d]carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. Also from [e]Betah and from (L)Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.

Then Toi king of (M)Hamath heard that David had struck down all the military force of Hadadezer, 10 so Toi sent [f]Joram his son to King David to [g]greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him down; for Hadadezer [h]had been at war with Toi. And in [i]Joram’s hand were articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 King David also (N)set these apart as holy to Yahweh, with the silver and the gold that he had set apart as holy from all the nations which he had subdued: 12 from [j]Aram, (O)Moab, (P)the sons of Ammon, (Q)the Philistines, (R)Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 So (S)David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 [k]Arameans in (T)the Valley of Salt. 14 Then he placed garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he placed garrisons, and (U)all the Edomites became servants to David. And (V)Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 8:1 Lit the bridle of the mother city
  2. 2 Samuel 8:3 Or monument; lit hand
  3. 2 Samuel 8:3 The Euphrates River
  4. 2 Samuel 8:7 Lit on
  5. 2 Samuel 8:8 In 1 Chr 18:8, Tibhath
  6. 2 Samuel 8:10 In 1 Chr 18:10, Hadoram
  7. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit ask him of his welfare
  8. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit was a man of wars
  9. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit his
  10. 2 Samuel 8:12 Some mss Edom
  11. 2 Samuel 8:13 Some mss Edom

David Defeats the Ammonites

10 Some time after this, King Nahash[a] of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king. David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death.

But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, their master, “Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so they can come in and conquer it!” So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.

When David heard what had happened, he sent messengers to tell the men, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.

When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob. When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all his warriors to fight them. The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah positioned themselves to fight in the open fields.

When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields. 10 He left the rest of the army under the command of his brother Abishai, who was to attack the Ammonites. 11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,” Joab told his brother. “And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. 12 Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”

13 When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away. 14 And when the Ammonites saw the Arameans running, they ran from Abishai and retreated into the city. After the battle was over, Joab returned to Jerusalem.

15 The Arameans now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped, 16 they were joined by additional Aramean troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River.[b] These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s forces.

17 When David heard what was happening, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and led the army to Helam. The Arameans positioned themselves in battle formation and fought against David. 18 But again the Arameans fled from the Israelites. This time David’s forces killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers,[c] including Shobach, the commander of their army. 19 When all the kings allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites.

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Footnotes

  1. 10:1 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 19:1; Hebrew reads the king.
  2. 10:16 Hebrew the river.
  3. 10:18 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 19:18); Hebrew reads charioteers.

The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men

10 (A)Now it happened afterwards, that (B)the king of the sons of Ammon died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of (C)Nahash, just as his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent to comfort him concerning his father by the hand of his servants. And David’s servants came to the land of the sons of Ammon. But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? (D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” So Hanun took David’s servants and (E)shaved off half of their beards, and (F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. Then they told it to David. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “[a]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

Then the sons of Ammon saw that (G)they had become odious to David. So the sons of Ammon sent and (H)hired the Arameans of (I)Beth-rehob and the (J)Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of (K)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. Then David heard of it and sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle (L)at the entrance of the gate of the city. But the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of (M)Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

Then Joab saw that [b]the battle was set against him from the front and from the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel, and they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans. 10 But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of Abishai his brother; and he arranged them to meet the sons of Ammon. 11 And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to save you. 12 (N)Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and (O)may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Arameans, and (P)they fled before him. 14 Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they also fled before Abishai and came into the city. (Q)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

15 Then the Arameans saw that they had been [c]defeated by Israel. So they gathered themselves together. 16 (R)And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the [d]River, and they came to Helam; and (S)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [e]led them. 17 And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arranged themselves to meet David and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans (T)700 charioteers and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 Then all the kings, the servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were [f]defeated by Israel. So (U)they made peace with Israel and served them. And the Arameans were afraid to save the sons of Ammon anymore.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 10:5 Lit Return to
  2. 2 Samuel 10:9 Lit the faces of the battle were against
  3. 2 Samuel 10:15 Lit smitten before
  4. 2 Samuel 10:16 The Euphrates River
  5. 2 Samuel 10:16 Lit before
  6. 2 Samuel 10:19 Lit smitten before

David Defeats the Ammonites

19 Some time after this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun[a] became king. David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun because his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent messengers to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death.

But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the land so they can come in and conquer it!” So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved them, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.

When David heard what had happened to the men, he sent messengers to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.

When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 75,000 pounds[b] of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. They also hired 32,000 chariots and secured the support of the king of Maacah and his army. These forces camped at Medeba, where they were joined by the Ammonite troops that Hanun had recruited from his own towns. When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all his warriors to fight them. The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city, while the other kings positioned themselves to fight in the open fields.

10 When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields. 11 He left the rest of the army under the command of his brother Abishai, who was to attack the Ammonites. 12 “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,” Joab told his brother. “And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you. 13 Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”

14 When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away. 15 And when the Ammonites saw the Arameans running, they also ran from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.

16 The Arameans now realized that they were no match for Israel, so they sent messengers and summoned additional Aramean troops from the other side of the Euphrates River.[c] These troops were under the command of Shobach,[d] the commander of Hadadezer’s forces.

17 When David heard what was happening, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and positioned his troops in battle formation. Then David engaged the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. 18 But again the Arameans fled from the Israelites. This time David’s forces killed 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, including Shobach, the commander of their army. 19 When Hadadezer’s allies saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to David and became his subjects. After that, the Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

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Footnotes

  1. 19:1 As in parallel text at 2 Sam 10:1; Hebrew lacks Hanun.
  2. 19:6 Hebrew 1,000 talents [34,000 kilograms].
  3. 19:16a Hebrew the river.
  4. 19:16b As in parallel text at 2 Sam 10:16; Hebrew reads Shophach; also in 19:18.

The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men

19 (A)Now it happened afterwards, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place. So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him. But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. Then certain persons went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “[a]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

Then the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David. So Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent [b]1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and (B)from Zobah. So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before (C)Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle. Then David heard of it, and he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle at the entrance of the city. But the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

10 Then Joab saw that the [c]battle was set against him in front and in the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel and [d]they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans. 11 But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of [e]Abshai his brother; and they arranged themselves to meet the sons of Ammon. 12 And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you. 13 Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.” 14 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Arameans for the battle, and they fled before him. 15 Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they themselves also fled before Abshai his brother and came into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

16 Then the Arameans saw that they had been [f]defeated by Israel. So they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the [g]River, and Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [h]led them. 17 And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and arranged for battle against them. So David arranged them in battle to meet the Arameans. And they fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death Shophach the commander of the army. 19 Then the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were [i]defeated by Israel. So they made peace with David and served him. And the Arameans were not willing to save the sons of Ammon anymore.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 19:5 Lit Return to
  2. 1 Chronicles 19:6 Approx. 38 tons or 34 metric tons, a talent was approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg
  3. 1 Chronicles 19:10 Lit the face of the battle
  4. 1 Chronicles 19:10 Lit he...himself
  5. 1 Chronicles 19:11 In 2 Sam 10:10, Abishai
  6. 1 Chronicles 19:16 Lit smitten before
  7. 1 Chronicles 19:16 The Euphrates River
  8. 1 Chronicles 19:16 Lit before
  9. 1 Chronicles 19:19 Lit smitten before