The Reign of David

and now, Thou hast been pleased to bless the house of Thy servant, to be to the age before Thee; for Thou, O Jehovah, hast blessed, and it is blessed to the age.'

And it cometh to pass after this, that David smiteth the Philistines, and humbleth them, and taketh Gath and its small towns out of the hand of the Philistines;

and he smiteth Moab, and the Moabites are servants to David, bringing a present.

And David smiteth Hadarezer king of Zobah, at Hamath, in his going to establish his power by the river Phrat,

and David captureth from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and David destroyeth utterly all the chariots, and leaveth of them a hundred chariots only .

And Aram of Damascus cometh in to give help to Hadarezer king of Zobah, and David smiteth in Aram twenty and two thousand men,

and David putteth garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Aramaeans are to David for servants, bearing a present, and Jehovah giveth salvation to David whithersoever he hath gone.

And David taketh the shields of gold that have been on the servants of Hadarezer, and bringeth them in to Jerusalem;

and from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, hath David taken very much brass; with it hath Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.

And Tou king of Hamath heareth that David hath smitten the whole force of Hadarezer king of Zobah,

and he sendeth Hadoram his son unto king David, to ask of him of peace, and to bless him (because that he hath fought against Hadarezer, and smiteth him, for a man of wars with Tou had Hadarezer been,) and all kinds of vessels, of gold, and silver, and brass;

also them hath king David sanctified to Jehovah with the silver and the gold that he hath taken from all the nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

And Abishai son of Zeruiah hath smitten Edom in the valley of salt--eighteen thousand,

and he putteth in Edom garrisons, and all the Edomites are servants to David; and Jehovah saveth David whithersoever he hath gone.

And David reigneth over all Israel, and he is doing judgment and righteousness to all his people,

and Joab son of Zeruiah is over the host, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud is remembrancer,

and Zadok son of Ahitub, and Abimelech son of Abiathar, are priests, and Shavsha is scribe,

and Benaiah son of Jehoiada is over the Cherethite and the Pelethite, and the elder sons of David are at the hand of the king.

And it cometh to pass after this, that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon dieth, and his son reigneth in his stead,

and David saith, `I do kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father did with me kindness;' and David sendeth messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David come in unto the land of the sons of Ammon, unto Hanun, to comfort him,

and the heads of the sons of Ammon say to Hanun, `Is David honouring thy father, in thine eyes, because he hath sent to thee comforters? in order to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out, the land, have not his servants come in unto thee?'

And Hanun taketh the servants of David, and shaveth them, and cutteth their long robes in the midst, unto the buttocks, and sendeth them away.

And some go, and declare to David concerning the men, and he sendeth to meet them--for the men have been greatly ashamed--and the king saith, `Dwell in Jericho till that your beard is grown, then ye have returned.'

And the sons of Ammon see that they have made themselves abhorred by David, and Hanun and the sons of Ammon send a thousand talents of silver, to hire to them, from Aram-Naharaim, and from Aram-Maachah, and from Zobah, chariots and horsemen;

and they hire to them two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they come in and encamp before Medeba, and the sons of Ammon have been gathered out of their cities, and come in to the battle.