The Reign of David

Now therfore, it hath pleased thee to blesse the house of thy seruant, that it may bee before thee for euer: for thou, O Lord, hast blessed it, and it shalbe blessed for euer.

And after this Dauid smote the Philistims, and subdued them, and tooke Gath, and the villages thereof out of the hand of the Philistims.

And he smote Moab, and the Moabites became Dauids seruants, and brought giftes.

And Dauid smote Hadarezer King of Zobah vnto Hamath, as he went to stablish his border by the riuer Perath.

And Dauid tooke from him a thousand charets, and seuen thousand horsemen, and twentie thousand footemen, and destroyed all the charets, but he reserued of them an hundreth charets.

Then came the Aramites of Damascus to succour Hadarezer King of Zobah, but Dauid slewe of the Aramites two and twentie thousand.

And Dauid put a garison in Aram of Damascus, and the Aramites became Dauids seruants, and brought giftes: and the Lord preserued Dauid wheresoeuer he went.

And Dauid tooke the shieldes of gold that were of the seruants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Ierusalem.

And from Tibhath, and from Chun (cities of Hadarezer) brought Dauid exceeding much brasse, wherewith Salomon made the brasen Sea, and the pillars and the vessels of brasse.

Then Tou King of Hamath heard howe Dauid had smitten all the hoste of Hadarezer King of Zobah:

Therefore he sent Hadoram his sonne to King Dauid, to salute him, and to reioyce with him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and beaten him (for Tou had warre with Hadarezer) who brought all vessels of golde and siluer and brasse.

And King Dauid did dedicate them vnto the Lord, with the siluer and golde that hee brought from all the nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistims, and from Amalek.

And Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah smote of Edom in the salt valley eighteene thousand,

And he put a garison in Edom, and all the Edomites became Dauids seruantes: and the Lord preserued Dauid wheresoeuer he went.

So Dauid reigned ouer all Israel, and executed iudgement and iustice to all his people.

And Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah was ouer the hoste, and Iehoshaphat the sonne of Ahilud recorder,

And Zadok the sonne of Ahitub, and Abimelech the sonne of Abiathar were the Priests, and Shausha the Scribe,

And Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada was ouer the Cherethites and the Pelethites: and the sonnes of Dauid were chiefe about the King.

After this also Nahash the King of the children of Ammon dyed, and his sonne reigned in his stead.

And Dauid said, I will shew kindnesse vnto Hanun the sonne of Nahash, because his father shewed kindnesse vnto me. And Dauid sent messengers to comfort him for his father. So the seruants of Dauid came into the lande of the children of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.

And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that Dauid doeth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters vnto thee? Are not his seruants come to thee to search, to seeke and to spie out the land?

Wherefore Hanun tooke Dauids seruants, and shaued them, and cut off their garments by the halfe vnto the buttocks, and sent them away.

And there went certaine and tolde Dauid concerning the men: and he sent to meete them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the King saide, Tarie at Iericho, vntill your beardes be growen: then returne.

When the children of Ammon saw that they stanke in the sight of Dauid, then sent Hanun and the children of Ammon a thousande talents of siluer to hire them charets and horsemen out of Aram Naharaim and out of Aram Maachah, and out of Zobah.

And they hired them two and thirty thousande charets, and the King of Maachah and his people, which came and pitched before Medeba: and the children of Ammon gathered themselues together from their cities, and came to the battell.