1 Chronicles 20

Capture of the City of Rabbah

1 In the spring  * 20:1 Lit At the time of the return of the year when kings march out to war,  * 20:1–3 2Sm 12:26–31 Joab led the army and destroyed the Ammonites’ land. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem.  * 20:1 2Sm 11:1 Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it. 2 Then David took the crown from the head of their king,  * 20:2 LXX, Vg read of Milcom,* 20:2 = Molech; 1Kg 11:5,7,* 20:2 1Kg 11:5,7 and it was placed on David’s head. He found that the crown weighed seventy-five pounds  * 20:2 Lit a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city. 3 He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws,  * 20:3 Text emended; MT reads and sawed them with the saw; 2Sm 12:31 iron picks, and axes.  * 20:3 Text emended; MT reads saws; 2Sm 12:31,* 20:3 2Sm 12:31 David did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

The Philistine Giants

4 After this,  * 20:4–8 2Sm 21:18–22 a war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim,  * 20:4 Or the Rephaites,* 20:4 Gn 14:5; Dt 2:11 and the Philistines were subdued.

5 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.  * 20:5 1Sm 17:7; 1Ch 11:23

6 There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot — twenty-four in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.  * 20:6 Or Raphah, also in v. 87 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

8 These were the descendants of the giant in Gath killed by David and his soldiers.