1 Depois disto morreu Naás, rei dos filhos de Amom, e reinou seu filho em seu lugar.2 Disse Davi: Usarei de beneficência para com Hanum, filho de Naás, porque seu pai usou de beneficência para comigo. Davi enviou mensageiros para o consolarem acerca de seu pai. Os servos de Davi foram ter com Hanum à terra dos filhos de Amom para o consolarem.3 Mas os príncipes dos filhos de Amom disseram a Hanum: Porventura pensas que Davi, por honrar a memória de teu pai, te enviou homens que te consolassem? não vieram ter contigo os seus servos a esquadrinhar, a transtornar e a espiar a terra?4 Hanum, pois, tomou os servos de Davi, os barbeou e lhes cortou os vestidos pelo meio, até as nádegas, e os despediu.5 Então foram alguns e contaram a Davi como foram tratados esses homens. Ele mandou mensageiros ao encontro deles (pois os homens estavam sobremaneira envergonhados). Disse o rei: Deixai-vos ficar em Jericó até vos crescer a barba e então voltai.6 Vendo os filhos de Amom que tinham ofendido grandemente a Davi, enviou Hanum, e os filhos de Amom, mil talentos de prata para alugarem carros e cavaleiros de Mesopotâmia, de Arã-Maaca e de Zobá.7 Alugaram trinta e dois mil carros, e o rei de Maaca e seu povo, os quais vieram e se acamparam defronte de Medeba. Os filhos de Amom, tendo-se ajuntado das suas cidades, vieram para a guerra.8 O que tenho Davi ouvido, enviou a Joabe e a todo o exército dos homens valentes.9 Tendo saído os filhos de Amom, ordenaram a batalha junto da porta da cidade; e os reis que eram vindos estavam à parte no campo.10 Ora, quando Joabe viu que a batalha lhe estava ordenada pela frente e pela retaguarda, escolheu dentre os melhores homens de Israel, e os pôs em ordem contra os siros.11 Entregou o resto do povo a seu irmão Abisai, e puseram-se em ordem de batalha contra os filhos de Amom.12 Disse: Se os siros me vencerem, tu virás socorrer-me; mas se os filhos de Amom te vencerem, eu virei em teu socorro.13 Tem bom ânimo, e pelejemos varonilmente pelo nosso povo e pelas cidades do nosso Deus: faça Jeová o que lhe parecer bem.14 Marchou Joabe, e o povo que estava com ele, à batalha contra os siros, que fugiram de diante dele.15 Vendo os filhos de Amom que os siros tinham fugido, fugiram eles também de diante de Abisai, irmão de Joabe, e entraram na cidade. Então voltou Joabe para Jerusalém.16 Vendo-se os siros derrotados diante de Israel, enviaram mensageiros e fizeram vir os siros que viviam da banda dalém do Rio, e tinham por comandante Sofaque, capitão do exército de Hadadezer.17 Avisado disto, Davi ajuntou a todo o Israel, passou o Jordão, marchou sobre eles e ordenou contra eles a batalha. Havendo Davi ordenado a batalha contra os siros, pelejaram estes contra ele.18 Os siros fugiram de diante de Israel; e dentre os siros matou Davi os homens de sete mil carros, e quarenta mil homens de pé, também matou a Sofaque, capitão do exército.19 Vendo os servos de Hadadezer que eram derrotados diante de Israel, fizeram paz com Davi, e o serviram. Os siros não quiseram mais socorrer os filhos de Amom.

1 In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king.2 David thought: »I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.« So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. David’s men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him.3 The Ammonite nobles said to Hanun: »Do you think David honors your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Or have his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?«4 Therefore Hanun seized David’s men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.5 When David was told about the men he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said: »Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown and then come back.«6 The Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils. Then Hanun and the Ammonites sent seventy-five thousand pounds of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Northwest Mesopotamia Aram Maacah and Zobah.7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.8 David heard about this and sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.9 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.10 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.11 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites.12 Joab said: »If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.13 »Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. Jehovah will do what is good in his sight.«14 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.16 The Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel. So they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.17 David was told of this, so he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him.18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.19 When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.