1 Chronicles 18; 1 Chronicles 19; 1 Chronicles 20

1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its villages from Philistine control.

2 He also defeated Moab, enslaving them and requiring payment.

3 David defeated Zobah's King Hadadezer at Hamath, as he continued to establish his control along the Euphrates River.

4 David captured one thousand chariots from him, seven thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Then David cut the hamstrings of all but one hundred of the chariot horses.

5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Zobah's King Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Arameans.

6 David stationed soldiers in Aram of Damascus, enslaved them, and required payment. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

7 David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem.

8 From Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer's cities, David took large amounts of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze basin, the pillars, and the bronze equipment.

9 When Hamath's King Tou heard that David had defeated the entire army of Zobah's King Hadadezer,

10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to wish him well and to congratulate him over his battle and defeat of Hadadezer, because Tou was an enemy of Hadadezer. Hadoram brought with him all kinds of gold, silver, and bronze objects.

11 King David dedicated these to the LORD along with the silver and the gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

12 Abishai, Zeruiah's son, struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley.

13 He stationed soldiers in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's slaves. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

14 David ruled over all Israel and maintained justice and righteousness for all his people.

15 Zeruiah's son Joab was in command of the army; Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat was recorder;

16 Ahitub's son Zadok and Abiathar's son Ahimelech were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

17 Jehoiada's son Benaiah was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were the king's chief personal advisors.

1 Some time later, the Ammonite King Nahash died, and his son succeeded him as king.

2 "I'll be loyal to Nahash's son Hanun," David said, "because his father was loyal to me." So David sent messengers with condolences about his father's death. But when David's servants arrived in the Ammonite territory to express his sympathy to Hanun,

3 the Ammonite leaders asked Hanun, "Do you really believe David is honoring your father because he has sent you condolences? Of course not! His servants have come to search the city, spy it out, and overthrow it!"

4 So Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, cut off half their garments from their buttocks down, and sent them off.

5 When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to the men because they were completely ashamed. The king said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then you can come back."

6 When the Ammonites realized that they had offended David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent one thousand kikkars of silver to hire chariots and cavalry for themselves from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.

7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as King Maacah and his army, who came and camped in front of Medeba, while the Ammonites left their cities and came together ready for battle.

8 When David heard this, he sent Joab and the entire army of warriors.

9 The Ammonites marched out and formed a battle line at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come remained in the countryside.

10 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel's finest warriors and deployed them to meet the Arameans.

11 The rest of the army Joab placed under the command of his brother Abishai. When they took up their positions to meet the Arameans,

12 Joab said, "If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must help me, and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I'll help you.

13 Be brave! We must be courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his eyes."

14 When Joab and the troops who were with him advanced into battle against the Arameans, they fled from him.

15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from his brother Abishai and retreated into the city. So Joab returned to Jerusalem.

16 The Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel. They sent out messengers to bring Aramean reinforcements from the other side of the river, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army at their head.

17 Upon hearing this, David gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. David advanced and took up positions against the Arameans to meet them in battle. After initiating the battle,

18 the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand foot soldiers. Shophach the commander of their army was killed too.

19 When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. Never again would the Arameans come to the aid of the Ammonites.

1 In the spring, the time when kings go to war, Joab marched out with the army, destroyed the land of the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. David stayed in Jerusalem while Joab attacked Rabbah and overthrew it.

2 David took Milcom's crown from his head. He found that it weighed one kikkar of gold and was set with a valuable stone. It was placed on David's head. The amount of loot David took from the city was huge.

3 After removing the people who were in the city, David demolished the city with saws, iron picks, and axes, as he did to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

4 Once again war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephah, and the Philistines were subdued.

5 In another war with the Philistines, Jair's son Elhanan killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.

6 At another war in Gath there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also descended from Raphah.

7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David's brother Shimea killed him.

8 These were descended from the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.