2 Samuel 12:26-31
New English Translation
David’s Forces Defeat the Ammonites
26 [a] So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.[b] 28 So now assemble the rest of the army[c] and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.”
29 So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. 30 He took the crown of their king[d] from his head—it was gold, weighed about seventy-five pounds,[e] and held a precious stone—and it was placed on David’s head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder. 31 He removed[f] the people who were in it and made them labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work[g] at the brick kiln. This was his policy[h] with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.
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- 2 Samuel 12:26 sn Here the narrative resumes the battle story that began in 11:1 (see 11:25). The author has interrupted that story to give the related account of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. He now returns to the earlier story and brings it to a conclusion.
- 2 Samuel 12:27 sn The expression translated the water supply of the city (Heb “the city of the waters”) apparently refers to that part of the fortified city that guarded the water supply of the entire city. Joab had already captured this part of the city, but he now defers to King David for the capture of the rest of the city. In this way the king will receive the credit for this achievement.
- 2 Samuel 12:28 tn Heb “people.” So also in vv. 29, 31.
- 2 Samuel 12:30 tn Part of the Greek tradition wrongly understands Hebrew מַלְכָּם (malkam, “their king”) as a proper name (“Milcom”). Some English versions follow the Greek here, rendering the phrase “the crown of Milcom” (so NRSV; cf. also NAB, CEV). TEV takes this as a reference not to the Ammonite king but to “the idol of the Ammonite god Molech.”
- 2 Samuel 12:30 tn Heb “and its weight [was] a talent of gold.” The weight of this ornamental crown was approximately 75 lbs (34 kg). See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 313.
- 2 Samuel 12:31 tn Heb “brought out.”
- 2 Samuel 12:31 tnHeb “to pass through.”
- 2 Samuel 12:31 tn Heb “and so he would do.”
2 Samuel 12:26-31
International Standard Version
The Ammonites are Defeated
26 Meanwhile, Joab attacked the Ammonite city of[a] Rabbah and captured its stronghold. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I just attacked Rabbah and captured its municipal water supply, 28 so call out the rest of the army, attack the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I’ll take the city myself and name it after me.” 29 So David mustered his entire army and marched on Rabbah, attacked it, and captured it. 30 He confiscated the crown of their king[b] from his head—it weighed one talent[c] in gold and was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He confiscated a great amount of war booty that had been plundered from the city, 31 brought back the people who had lived in it, placing them under conscripted labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. He did this to every Ammonite city, and then David and his entire army[d] returned to Jerusalem.
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- 2 Samuel 12:26 The Heb. lacks city of
- 2 Samuel 12:30 Lit. of Malcam; LXX reads king Molchol; cf. 1King 11:5, 33; Zeph 1:5
- 2 Samuel 12:30 I.e. about 75 pounds
- 2 Samuel 12:31 Lit. people
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