1 Depois disto morreu o rei dos filhos de Amom, e em seu lugar reinou seu filho Hanum.2 Então disse Davi: Usarei de beneficência para com Hanum, filho de Naás, como seu pai usou de beneficência para comigo. Davi enviou os seus servos para o consolar acerca de seu pai. Os servos de Davi foram à terra dos filhos de Amom.3 Mas disseram os príncipes dos filhos de Amom ao seu senhor Hanum: Cuidas tu que em honra de teu pai Davi te enviou consoladores? não te enviou ele os seus servos para reconhecerem a cidade, a espiarem e a derrubarem?4 Tomou Hanum os servos de Davi, e mandou-lhes rapar a metade da barba e, cortando-lhe a metade dos vestidos até o alto das coxas, despediu-os.5 Quando isso foi dito a Davi, enviou a encontrá-los, porque estavam os homens sobremaneira envergonhados. Mandou o rei dizer-lhes: Deixai-vos estar em Jericó, até que vos cresça a barba, e então voltareis.6 Vendo os filhos de Amom que se haviam feito abomináveis para com Davi, enviaram e alugaram dos filhos dos siros de Bete-Reobe, e dos siros de Zobá, vinte mil homens de pé, e do rei de Maaca mil homens, e dos homens de Tobe doze mil.7 O que ouvindo Davi, enviou Joabe com toda a hoste dos valentes.8 Saíram os filhos de Amom, e ordenaram a batalha à entrada da porta, e os siros de Zobá e de Reobe, e os homens de Tobe e Maaca estavam à parte no campo.9 Vendo Joabe que estava preparada a batalha contra ele, assim pela frente como pela retaguarda, escolheu dentre toda a flor de Israel um corpo, que formou em linha de batalha contra os siros;10 e o resto do povo, entregou-o a seu irmão Abisai, que o formou em linha de batalha contra os filhos de Amom.11 Ele disse: Se os siros prevalecerem contra mim, tu me virás em socorro; mas se os filhos de Amom prevalecerem contra ti, eu irei ao teu socorro.12 Tem bom ânimo, e sejamos corajosos pelo nosso povo e pelas cidades do nosso Deus; e faça Jeová o que bem lhe parecer.13 Travou Joabe, e o povo que estava com ele, a peleja contra os siros, que fugiram de diante dele.14 Vendo os filhos de Amom que os siros tinham fugido, fugiram também eles de diante de Abisai, e entraram na cidade. Então Joabe voltou dos filhos de Amom, e foi a Jerusalém.15 Vendo os siros que tinham sido desbaratados diante de Israel, tornaram a refazer-se.16 Enviou Hadadezer, e fez sair os siros que estavam da outra banda do rio; vieram a Helã, e diante deles marchava Soboque, general do exército de Hadadezer.17 Davi, informado disso, ajuntou a todo o Israel, passou o Jordão e foi a Helã. Os siros dispuseram-se em linha de batalha contra Davi e pelejaram contra ele.18 Mas os siros fugiram de diante de Israel; Davi matou deles os homens de setecentos carros, e quarenta mil homens de cavalo, e feriu a Soboque, general do exército, de sorte que morreu ali.19 Vendo todos os reis, servos de Hadadezer, que estavam desbaratados diante de Israel, fizeram pazes com Israel, e os serviram. Temeram os siros de socorrer mais aos filhos de Amom.

1 Later the king of Ammon died. His son Hanun became king in his place.2 David thought: »I will show kindness to Hanun since his father Nahash showed me kindness.« David sent his servants to comfort Hanun after his father’s death. When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory,3 the Ammonite princes asked their master Hanun: »Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Perhaps David sent his men to explore the city, spy on it, and destroy it.«4 Hanun seized David’s men and shaved off half of each man’s beard. He cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away.5 David was told what happened. He sent someone to meet them because they were deeply humiliated. The king said to them: »Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then return to Jerusalem.«6 The Ammonites realized they had made themselves repulsive to David. They hired the Arameans from Beth Rehob and Zobah, with twenty thousand foot soldiers. From the army of the king of Maacah they hired one thousand men, and twelve thousand men of Tob.7 After David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the elite troops.8 The Ammonites formed a battle line at the entrance of the city gate. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah remained by themselves in the open country.9 Joab saw he was under attack in front and behind. He took the select troops of Israel and organized them for combat against the Arameans.10 He put his brother Abishai in command of the rest of the army and had them fight the Ammonites.11 Joab told his brother: »If the Arameans are too much for me to handle, you can come and help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you.12 »Be brave and fight hard to protect our people and the cities of our God. I pray that Jehovah will do whatever pleases him.«13 Joab and his men advanced to attack the Syrians. The Syrians retreated.14 The Ammonites saw the Syrians Arameans running away. They fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab turned back from fighting the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem.15 The Syrians knew they had been defeated by the Israelites. They called all their troops together.16 King Hadadezer sent for the Syrians Arameans who were on the east side of the Euphrates River. They came to Helam under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah.17 David heard of it. So he gathered the Israelite troops and crossed the Jordan River. They marched to Helam, where the Syrians took up their position facing him. The fighting began,18 and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven hundred Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. They wounded Shobach, the enemy commander, who died on the battlefield.19 As soon as the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they made peace with them and became their subjects. The Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.