David’s Messengers Disgraced
(2 Samuel 10:1–8)

1And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. 2And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.”

And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father, and the servants of David came to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him. 3And the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “Is David honoring your father in your eyes because he has sent to you comforters? Is it not in order to search out and to overthrow and to spy out the land that his servants have come to you?”

4And Hanun took the servants of David and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and he sent them away.

5And some went and declared to David concerning the men, and he sent to meet them because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Dwell at Jericho until that your⁺ beards have grown; and return.”

6And the sons of Ammon saw that they were a stench to David, and Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver† to hire for themselves from Aram-naharaim,† and from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah, chariots and horsemen. 7And they hired for themselves two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, and they came in and encamped before the face of Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came in to the battle.

8And David heard, and he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. 9And the sons of Ammon came out for battle and arrayed themselves before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram
(2 Samuel 10:9–19)

10And Joab saw that the front of the battle was to him before and behind, and he chose some of the choice in Israel, and he arrayed against Aram. 11And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they arrayed against the sons of Ammon.

12And he said, “If Aram is too strong for me, you shall be to me for salvation. And if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you. 13Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for our people and for the cities of our God. And YHWH shall do good in His sight.”

14And Joab drew near, and the people who were with him, against Aram to battle; and they fled from his face. 15And the sons of Ammon saw that Aram was fleeing, and fled they also before Abishai his brother and entered the city. And Joab went to Jerusalem.

16And Aram saw that they had been struck by Israel, and they sent messengers and brought out Aram which was beyond the River,† and Shophach† the commander of the army of Hadadezer before them.

17And it was declared to David, and he gathered all Israel and passed over the Jordan, and he came toward them and arrayed against them. And David arrayed in battle against Aram, and they fought with him. 18And Aram fled before Israel, and David killed of Aram seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand soldiers on foot. And he killed Shophach the commander of the army.

19And the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, and they made peace with David and became his servants. And Aram was not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.

Footnotes:

6 1,000 talents is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver.
6 That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
16 That is, the Euphrates
16 Shophach is a variant of Shobach; also in verse 18; see 2 Samuel 10:16.