David

What more can David say to you about the honor you are bestowing on your servant? For you know your servant intimately.

May your name be confirmed and magnified forever; so that it will be said, 'ADONAI-Tzva'ot is the God of Isra'el and the God for Isra'el, and the dynasty of David your servant will be set up in your presence.'

Some time afterwards, David attacked the P'lishtim and subdued them; David took Gat and its villages out of the hands of the P'lishtim.

He also defeated Mo'av, so that the people of Mo'av became subjects of David and paid tribute.

David, on his way to establish his dominion as far as the Euphrates River, also defeated Hadar'ezer king of Tzovah near Hamat.

David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. He reserved enough horses for 100 chariots and disabled the rest.

When the people of Aram from Dammesek came to the aid of Hadar'ezer king of Tzovah, David killed 22,000 men of Aram.

Then David put [garrisons] among the people of Aram in Dammesek; Aram became subject to David and paid tribute. ADONAI gave victory to David wherever he went.

David took the gold shields which Hadar'ezer's servants were wearing and brought them to Yerushalayim.

From Tivchat and Kun, cities of Hadar'ezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze, which Shlomo used to make the bronze "Sea,"the columns and various bronze articles.

When To'u king of Hamat heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadar'ezer king of Tzovah,

he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet and congratulate him on fighting and defeating Hadar'ezer - for Hadar'ezer had been at war with To'u - and [he sent] all kinds of articles made of silver, gold and bronze,

which King David dedicated to ADONAI, along with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations - from Edom, Mo'av, the people of 'Amon, the P'lishtim and 'Amalek.

David stationed garrisons in Edom, and all the people of Edom became subject to him. ADONAI gave victory to David wherever he went.

David ruled over all Isra'el; he administered law and justice for all his people.

B'nayahu the son of Y'hoyada was in charge of the K'reti and P'leti [serving as the king's bodyguards], and David's sons were the king's chief personal advisers.

David said, "I will be kind to Hanun the son of Nachash, because his father showed grace to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him about his father. David's servants entered the territory of the people of 'Amon to go to Hanun and comfort him;

but the leaders of the people of 'Amon said to Hanun, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending people to comfort you? Haven't his servants come to you in order to look the city over, overthrow it and reconnoiter the land?"

So Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, cut off their clothes halfway up, at their hips, and then sent them away.

Some people reported to David how the men had been treated. He sent a delegation to meet them, because the men had been deeply humiliated. The king said, "Stay in Yericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

Aware that they had made themselves utterly abhorrent to David, Hanun and the people of 'Amon sent thirty-three tons of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-Naharayim, Aram-Ma'akhah and Tzovah.

When David heard of it, he sent Yo'av with his entire army of trained soldiers.

It was reported to David; so he gathered all Isra'el together and crossed the Yarden to engage them. David deployed his forces for battle against Aram; and after he had done so, fought them.

But Aram fled before Isra'el; David killed 7,000 chariot-drivers and 40,000 foot soldiers from Aram; and he killed Shofakh the commander of the army.

When all Hadar'ezer's servants saw that they had been defeated by Isra'el, they made peace with David and became his subjects; and Aram would no longer help the people of 'Amon.