1
Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.
2
And David said, "I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.
3
But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, "Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Are not his servants come unto thee to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?"
4
Therefore Hanun took David's servants and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle by their buttocks, and sent them away.
5
Then went certain ones and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Tarry at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."
6
And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia and from Syriamaachah and from Zobah.
7
So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched camp before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities and came to battle.
8
And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
9
And the children of Ammon came out and assembled in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10
Now when Joab saw that the battle line was formed against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
11
And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.