1 Algum tempo depois morreu o rei Naás, do país de Amom, e o seu filho Hanum se tornou rei. 2 E Davi disse:

— Eu serei bondoso com Hanum, assim como Naás, o seu pai, foi bondoso comigo.

Então enviou mensageiros a Hanum para mostrar a sua amizade. Porém, quando os mensageiros chegaram à cidade de Rabá, 3 as autoridades amonitas disseram ao seu rei:

— O senhor pensa que é em honra do seu pai que Davi enviou estes homens para mostrar amizade? É claro que não! Ele os mandou aqui como espiões a fim de conhecerem a cidade, para poderem destruí-la.

4 Então Hanum pegou os mensageiros de Davi, raspou um lado da barba deles, cortou as suas roupas até a altura das nádegas e os mandou embora. 5 Quando Davi soube disso, enviou outros mensageiros para se encontrarem com eles porque eles estavam muito envergonhados. Davi mandou lhes dizer que ficassem na cidade de Jericó e que só voltassem quando as suas barbas tivessem crescido de novo.

6 Os amonitas compreenderam que tinham feito de Davi um inimigo deles. Por isso, contrataram vinte mil soldados sírios das cidades de Bete-Reobe e Zoba. Também contrataram o rei da cidade de Maacá, com mil homens, e doze mil homens da cidade de Tobe. 7 Davi soube disso e enviou contra eles Joabe com todos os melhores soldados do exército israelita. 8 Os amonitas saíram e tomaram posição na entrada da cidade de Rabá enquanto os outros — os sírios de Zoba e de Reobe e os homens de Tobe e Maacá — tomaram posição em campo aberto.

9 Joabe viu que as tropas inimigas os atacariam pela frente e por trás. Então escolheu os melhores soldados de Israel e os colocou de frente para os sírios. 10 Deixou o resto das suas tropas sob o comando do seu irmão Abisai, que as colocou de frente para os amonitas. 11 E Joabe disse a Abisai:

— Se você perceber que os sírios estão me vencendo, venha me ajudar; e, se os amonitas estiverem vencendo você, eu irei ajudá-lo. 12 Seja corajoso! Vamos lutar com firmeza pelo nosso povo e pelas cidades do nosso Deus. E que seja feita a vontade de Deus, o Senhor!

13 Então Joabe e os seus soldados avançaram para atacar, e os sírios fugiram. 14 Os amonitas viram os sírios fugindo. Então também fugiram de Abisai e voltaram para dentro da cidade. E Joabe parou de lutar contra os amonitas e voltou para Jerusalém.

15 Quando os sírios viram que tinham sido vencidos pelos israelitas, reuniram de novo todas as suas tropas. 16 O rei Hadadezer mandou chamar os sírios que estavam no lado leste do rio Eufrates. Então eles foram até a cidade de Helã. Na frente deles ia Sobaque, o comandante do exército de Hadadezer. 17 Quando Davi soube disso, reuniu as tropas israelitas, atravessou o rio Jordão e marchou para Helã. Lá os sírios tomaram posição de frente para os israelitas. A luta começou, 18 e os israelitas fizeram os sírios fugir. Davi e os seus soldados mataram setecentos soldados que guiavam carros de guerra e quarenta mil cavaleiros sírios. Feriram também Sobaque, o comandante inimigo, que morreu ali no campo de batalha. 19 Quando os reis que eram chefiados por Hadadezer viram que tinham sido vencidos pelos israelitas, fizeram paz com eles, ficando debaixo do seu poder. E os sírios ficaram com medo de ajudar de novo os amonitas.

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.