1 Now after this, death came to the king of the children of Ammon, and Hanun, his son, became king in his place.

2 And David said, I will be a friend to Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father was a friend to me. So David sent his servants, to give him words of comfort on account of his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

3 But the chiefs of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Does it seem to you that David is honouring your father by sending comforters to you? has he not sent his servants to go through the town and make secret observation of it, and overcome it?

4 So Hanun took David's servants, and after cutting off half the hair on their chins, and cutting off the skirts of their robes up to the middle, he sent them away.

5 When David had news of it, he sent men out with the purpose of meeting them on their way, for the men were greatly shamed: and the king said, Go to Jericho till your hair is long again, and then come back.

6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves hated by David, they sent to the Aramaeans of Beth-rehob and Zobah, and got for payment twenty thousand footmen, and they got from the king of Maacah a thousand men, and from Tob twelve thousand.

7 And hearing of this, David sent Joab and all the army and the best fighting-men.

8 And the children of Ammon came out and put their forces in position at the way into the town: and the Aramaeans of Zobah and of Rehob, with the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

9 Now when Joab saw that their forces were in position against him in front and at his back, he took the best of the men of Israel and put them in line against the Aramaeans;

10 And the rest of the people he put in position against the children of Ammon, with Abishai, his brother, at their head.

11 And he said, If the Aramaeans are stronger and get the better of me, then you are to come to my help; but if the children of Ammon get the better of you, I will come to your help.

12 Take heart, and let us be strong for our people and for the towns of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.

13 Then Joab and the people with him went forward to the fight against the Aramaeans, and they went in flight before him.

14 And when the children of Ammon saw the flight of the Aramaeans, they themselves went in flight from Abishai, and came into the town. So Joab went back from fighting the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

15 And when the Aramaeans saw that Israel had overcome them, they got themselves together.

16 And Hadadezer sent for the Aramaeans who were on the other side of the River: and they came to Helam, with Shobach, the captain of Hadadezer's army, at their head.

17 And word of this was given to David: and he got all Israel together and went over Jordan and came to Helam. And the Aramaeans put their forces in position against David, and made an attack on him.

18 And the Aramaeans went in flight before Israel; and David put to the sword the men of seven hundred Aramaean war-carriages and forty thousand footmen, and Shobach, the captain of the army, was wounded, and came to his death there.

19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they were overcome by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their servants. So the Aramaeans, in fear, gave no more help to the children of Ammon.

1 Und es begab sich danach, daß der König der Kinder Ammon starb; und sein Sohn Hanon ward König an seiner Statt.

2 Da sprach David: Ich will Barmherzigkeit tun an Hanon, dem Sohn Nahas, wie sein Vater an mir Barmherzigkeit getan hat. Und sandte hin und ließ ihn trösten durch seine Knechte über seinen Vater. Da nun die Knechte Davids ins Land der Kinder Ammon kamen,

3 sprachen die Gewaltigen der Kinder Ammon zu ihrem Herrn Hanon: Meinest du, daß David deinen Vater ehre vor deinen Augen, daß er Tröster zu dir gesandt hat? Meinest du nicht, daß er darum hat seine Knechte zu dir gesandt, daß er die Stadt erforsche und erkunde und umkehre?

4 Da nahm Hanon die Knechte Davids und beschor ihnen den Bart halb und schnitt ihnen die Kleider halb ab bis an den Gürtel und ließ sie gehen.

5 Da das David ward angesagt, sandte er ihnen entgegen; denn die Männer waren sehr geschändet. Und der König ließ ihnen sagen: Bleibet zu Jericho, bis euer Bart gewachsen, so kommt dann wieder.

6 Da aber die Kinder Ammon sahen, daß sie vor David stinkend waren worden, sandten sie hin und dingeten die Syrer des Hauses Rehob und die Syrer zu Zoba, zwanzigtausend Mann Fußvolks, und von dem König Maacha tausend Mann und von Istob zwölftausend Mann.

7 Da das David hörete, sandte er Joab mit dem ganzen Heer der Kriegsleute.

8 Und die Kinder Ammon zogen aus und rüsteten sich zum Streit vor der Tür des Tors. Die Syrer aber von Zoba, von Rehob, von Istob und von Maacha waren allein im Felde.

9 Da Joab nun sah, daß der Streit auf ihn gestellet war, vorne und hinten, erwählete er aus aller jungen Mannschaft in Israel und rüstete sich wider die Syrer.

10 Und das übrige Volk tat er unter die Hand seines Bruders Abisai, daß er sich rüstete wider die Kinder Ammon;

11 und sprach: Werden mir die Syrer überlegen sein, so komm mir zu Hilfe; werden aber die Kinder Ammon dir überlegen sein, so will ich dir zu Hilfe kommen.

12 Sei getrost und laß uns stark sein für unser Volk und für die Städte unsers Gottes; der HErr aber tue, was ihm gefällt!

13 Und Joab machte sich herzu mit dem Volk, das bei ihm war, zu streiten wider die Syrer; und sie flohen vor ihm.

14 Und da die Kinder Ammon sahen, daß die Syrer flohen, flohen sie auch vor Abisai und zogen in die Stadt. Also kehrete Joab um von den Kindern Ammon und kam gen Jerusalem.

15 Und da die Syrer sahen, daß sie geschlagen waren vor Israel, kamen sie zuhauf.

16 Und Hadadeser sandte hin und brachte heraus die Syrer jenseit des Wassers und führete herein ihre Macht; und Sobach, der Feldhauptmann Hadadesers, zog vor ihnen her.

17 Da das David ward angesagt, sammelte er zuhauf das ganze Israel und zog über den Jordan und kam gen Helam. Und die Syrer rüsteten sich wider David, mit ihm zu streiten.

18 Aber die Syrer flohen vor Israel; und David erwürgete der Syrer siebenhundert Wagen und vierzigtausend Reiter; dazu Sobach, den Feldhauptmann, schlug er, daß er daselbst starb.

19 Da aber die Könige, die unter Hadadeser waren, sahen, daß sie geschlagen waren vor Israel, machten sie Frieden mit Israel und wurden ihnen untertan. Und die Syrer fürchteten sich, den Kindern Ammon mehr zu helfen.