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 the son of Nahash, because his father showed me kindness.” And David sent messengers to comfort him about his father, and David's servants went to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him. ³But the officials of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “Does David honour your father, in your opinion? For he has sent consolers to you. Is it not to investigate and overthrow and spy on the land that his servants have come to you?” ⁴And Hanun seized David's servants, and he shaved them, and he cut their garments down the middle as far as their buttocks, and he sent them away. ⁵So they departed, then when David was told about the men, he sent servants to meet them, for the men had been very much put to shame. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.” ⁶Then when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia and from Aramaea-Maachah and from Zobah. ⁷And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they came and encamped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered from their cities and went to war. ⁸And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors. ⁹And the sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle order at the city entrance, and the kings who had come were in the field by themselves. ¹⁰And when Joab saw that there was a battlefront against him, ahead of him and behind, he made a selection from all the young men in Israel, and he drew them up to confront the Aramaeans. ¹¹And he placed the remainder of the people in the hand of Abishai his brother, and they drew up to confront the sons of Ammon. ¹²And he said, “If the Aramaeans are too strong for me, then you will come to my rescue, and if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. ¹³Be strong and let us be strengthened for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what is right in his sight.” ¹⁴Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Aramaeans, who fled from his presence. ¹⁵Then when the sons of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans had fled, they also fled from Abishai his brother, and they went to the city, and Joab went to Jerusalem. ¹⁶But when the Aramaeans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and they brought out the Aramaeans who were on the far side of the river, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army at their head. ¹⁷And it was reported to David, and he gathered the whole of Israel, and he crossed the Jordan and went to them, and he drew up to them. So David drew his forces up to confront the Aramaeans for battle and fought against them. ¹⁸And the Aramaeans fled from Israel. And of the Aramaeans David killed seven thousand chariot crew and forty thousand infantrymen, and he killed Shophach the commander of the army. ¹⁹And when Hadadezer's servants saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him, and the Aramaeans weren't willing to come to the rescue of the sons of Ammon any more.