1And after this, Nahash, king of Ammonites, died, and his son, Hanun, reigned in his stead. 2Then David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun, as his father, Nahash, showed kindness to me.” And David sent some of his servants to the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun over the loss of his father. 3And the leaders of the Ammonites told Hanun, their king, “Do you really think that David has sent comforters to you to honor your father? Has he not rather sent his servants to search and spy out the city, and to capture it?” 4And so, Hanun took David's servants, shaved off one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, to expose their buttocks, and sent them away. 5And when this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet them, because they were greatly embarrassed; and told them, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

6And when the Ammonites realized that they had become odious to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean footmen from the Syrians of Beth-rehob and Zobah, a thousand men of King Maacah, and another twelve thousand men from Tob. 7And when David learned of that, he sent Joab, and the army of fighting men. 8And the Ammonites came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of their city gate; and the Syrians of Zobah and Rehob, Tob, and of Maacah, were by themselves in the open country. 9When Joab saw that there were two battle fronts against him, both ahead and behind, he chose the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians; 10And the rest of the men he assigned to Abishai, his brother, to oppose the Ammonites. 11And Joab said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12Be of good courage, and let us behave as men for our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to Him.” 13And Joab, and those with him, drew near to battle the Syrians; and the Syrians fled from before him. 14And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians had fled, then they also fled from Abishai into the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites to Jerusalem.

15But when the Syrians realized they were defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16And Hadadezer sent for more Syrians who were beyond the river, and they came to Helam; led by Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army. 17And when this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians formed their battle lines to meet and fight with David. 18But the Syrians fled from before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers, and forty thousand Syrian horsemen. Those who died there included Shobach, their commander,. 19And when all the kings, who were vassals of Hadadezer, saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with, and became servants of Israel. And then Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.