Historical

18 Now after this it came to pass, that Dovid struck the Pelishtim, and subdued them, and took Gat and her villages out of the yad of the Pelishtim.

² And he struck Moav, and Moav became Dovid’s avadim, and brought minchah.

³ And Dovid struck Hadadezer Melech Tzovah unto Chamat, as he [Hadadezer] went to establish his dominion over the river Euphrates.

⁴ And Dovid captured from him elef chariots, and 7,000 parashim, and 20,000 foot soldiers. Dovid also hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them 100 chariot horses.

⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer Melech Tzovah, Dovid slaughtered of the Syrians 22,000 ish.

⁶ Then Dovid put garrisons in Aram Damascus; and the Syrians became Dovid’s avadim (subjects), bearing minchah (tribute). Thus Hashem saved Dovid wherever he went.

⁷ And Dovid took the shields of zahav that were on avadim of Hadadezer, and brought them to Yerushalayim.

⁸ Likewise from Tivchat, and from Kun, towns of Hadadezer, Dovid took very much nechoshet, wherewith Sh’lomo made the Yam HaNechoshet, and the Ammudim, and the kelei hanechoshet.

⁹ Now when To’u Melech Chamat heard how Dovid had struck down the whole army of Hadadezer Melech Tzovah,

¹⁰ He sent Hadoram bno to HaMelech Dovid, to give him a shalom greeting, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and struck him down (for Hadadezer was an ish milchamah often against To’u); and he sent all manner kelim zahav, kesef and nechoshet.

¹¹ Them also Dovid HaMelech dedicated as kodesh unto Hashem, with the kesef and the zahav that he brought from all these Goyim; from Edom, and from Moav, and from the Bnei Ammon, and from the Pelishtim, and from Amalek.

¹² Moreover Avishai Ben Tzeruyah slaughtered of Edom in the Gey HaMelach eighteen elef.

¹³ And he put garrisons in Edom, and kol Edom became Dovid’s avadim. Thus Hashem saved Dovid wherever he went.

¹⁴ So Dovid reigned over kol Yisroel, and executed mishpat and tzedakah among all his people.

¹⁵ And Yoav Ben Tzeruyah was over the tzava (army), and Yehoshaphat Ben Achilud was mazkir (recorder, secretary).

¹⁶ And Tzadok Ben Achituv, and Avimelech Ben Evyatar (Abiathar), were the Kohanim, and Shavsha was sofer (scribe),

¹⁷ And Benayahu Ben Yehoyada was over the Kereti and the Peleti; and the Bnei Dovid were the rishonim (first ones) at the side of HaMelech.

19 Now it came to pass after this, that Nachash Melech Bnei Ammon died, and bno reigned in his place.

² And Dovid said, I will show chesed unto Chanun Ben Nachash, because aviv (his father) showed chesed to me. And Dovid sent malachim to bring condolences to him concerning aviv. So the avadim of Dovid came into the eretz Bnei Ammon to Chanun, to console him.

³ But the sarim of the Bnei Ammon said to Chanun, Thinkest thou that Dovid doth honor avicha, that he hath sent menachamim (comforters) unto thee? Are not his avadim come unto thee for to reconnoiter, and to overthrow, and to spy out ha’aretz?

⁴ Therefore Chanun arrested Dovid’s avadim, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ Then there went certain ones, and told Dovid about the anashim. And he sent to meet them, for the anashim were greatly humiliated. And HaMelech said, Tarry at Yericho until your zakan be grown, and then return.

⁶ And when the Bnei Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to Dovid, Chanun and the Bnei Ammon sent elef kikar (talents) kesef to hire them chariots and parashim out of Aram Naharayim, and out of Aram Ma’achah, and out of Tzovah.

⁷ So they hired thirty and two elef chariots, and Melech Ma’achah and his troop, who came and encamped before Meidva. And the Bnei Ammon gathered themselves together from their towns, and moved out for milchamah.

⁸ And when Dovid heard of it, he sent Yoav, and kol tzava hagibborim.

⁹ And the Bnei Ammon came out, and drew up for milchamah before the gate of the Ir, and the melachim that were come were by themselves in the sadeh.

¹⁰ Now when Yoav saw that the milchamah was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the best of Yisroel, and deployed them to engage Aram (the Syrians).

¹¹ And the rest of the people he delivered unto the yad of Avishai his brother, and they deployed to engage the Bnei Ammon.

¹² And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt save me, but if the Bnei Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will save thee.

¹³ Chazak (Be strong)! And let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the towns of Eloheinu, and let Hashem do that which is hatov in His eyes.

¹⁴ So Yoav and the troop that were with him drew near before the Syrians unto the milchamah; and they fled before him.

¹⁵ And when the Bnei Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Avishai his brother, and entered into the ir [Rabbah]. Then Yoav returned to Yerushalayim.

¹⁶ And when the Syrians saw that they were routed before Yisroel, they sent malachim, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, and Shophach sar tzava Hadadezer went before them.

¹⁷ And it was told Dovid; and he gathered kol Yisroel, and crossed over Yarden, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when Dovid had so deployed, they fought with him.

¹⁸ But the Syrians fled before Yisroel; and Dovid slaughtered of the Syrians shivah alafim in chariots, and forty elef foot soldiers, and killed Shophach sar hatzava.

¹⁹ And when avadim of Hadadezer saw that they were routed before Yisroel, they made shalom with Dovid, and became his avadim; neither would the Syrians help the Bnei Ammon any more. [T.N. 2Sm chp 11 is not repeated here, but the going of Dovid to Rabbah‖-see 2Sm 12:27-29‖is elucidated. In the hero lists, it is important to remember that some in their heroism were corruptible and some were incorruptible, Uriah being one of the latter]

20 And it came to pass, at the time of eshuvat hashanah, at the time that melachim go out to battle, Yoav led forth the chayl hatzava, and laid waste the eretz Bnei Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But Dovid tarried at Yerushalayim. And Yoav struck Rabbah, and destroyed it.

² And Dovid took the ateret of their melech from off his rosh, and found it to weigh a talent of zahav, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon rosh Dovid; and he brought also exceeding much plunder out of the Ir.

³ And he brought out the people that were in it, and consigned them to saws, and to picks of barzel (iron), and to axes. Even so dealt Dovid with all the towns of the Bnei Ammon. And Dovid and kol HaAm returned to Yerushalayim.

⁴ And it came to pass after this, that there arose milchamah at Gezer with the Pelishtim (Philistines); at which time Sibbechai the Chushati slaughtered Sippai, that was of the yeledim of the Refa’im, and they were subdued.

⁵ And there was milchamah again with the Pelishtim (Philistines); and Elchanan ben Yair slaughtered Lachmi the brother of Golyat (Goliath) the Gitti, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.

⁶ And yet again there was milchamah at Gat, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each yad, and six on each foot and he also was of Rapha descent.

⁷ But when he defied Yisroel, Yehonatan ben Shimea achi Dovid slaughtered him.

⁸ These were from the Rapha descended in Gat; and they fell by the yad of Dovid, and by the yad of his avadim.